Kayaking

One of my favorite places to be is out on open water. I love the way it feels when your paddle slices through the current, gliding you along.
It feels like a dance.



We try to fit in kayaking anytime we're on a new adventure near water.



In 2006 we took an 8 day trip to Puerto Vallarta. We hiked in the Sierra Madre mountains, visited small fishing villages, and kayaked along the shore of the Pacific Ocean.
The water was still and warm, and it was one of the most beautiful places we had kayaked.

In May when we visited Florida, I wanted to kayak in the Atlantic. Cousin James advised us that the current wasn't safe, so we reserved our days to surf, instead. But I got antsy to dance in the water, so we took a little road trip to Wekiwa Springs, to get on a kayak and paddle along.

It wasn't like any place we had ever kayaked before. I felt like we were in a sticky jungle, taking guesses at the wild noises we heard coming from the trees. We didn't know if they were monkeys, birds, or the lockness monster.





The water was completely clear, and fifteen feet straight down, it looked like another world, upsidedown. We saw creatures there that we had never seen before. Eels, mysterious fish bigger than anything I'd ever seen, and turtles at least 3 feet long.



And there were alligators. Lots, and lots of alligators. I've never been that close to them in their natural habitat. They just stared at us and disappeared under the water if we got too close.



Mama alligator huffed and puffed when we got too close to her babies on the log.



Did I mention the beautiful water?
I loved it there. And the hours we spent on that adventure, exploring the springs and all the creatures in it.


This was a sweet Summer. We have so many memories that we made in these sticky, hot months.


.....

I'm sorry I've been quiet. Lately it seems that I have put everything aside to just live. I haven't even taken pictures in weeks, which is incredibly abnormal for me.
I won't be gone forever, I just need a few weeks to still breathe in the moments of these memories. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Beach Week - The two of us.

Beach Week- Roadtrip to St. Augustine

When we arrived in Florida, Uncle Ken gave us one of his cars, and the keys to his condo in Daytona Beach. With a map of Florida, full tank of gas, and a week to kill, we decided to roadtrip along the coast to find new beaches. We made it about 6 hours north of our original destination.

Cousin James told us about a friend in St. Augustine, who lived right on the beach. So we packed up and spent two days at his place, and woke up in the morning carrying surfboards right out the door and stepping onto the sand. I could wake up to that, every morning.
Those two days we explored the oldest city in the nation, went to the most beautiful museum I've ever been to, and made the beaches of St. Augustine our home.
It was love at first beach stroll. While the boys surfed and played sand volleyball, I walked the beaches for hours. It was so quiet and peaceful, and we made some of my favorite memories there. I have been to over 100 beaches in my 27 years, and this one was high on my list.

I came home with a gallon zip lock bag full of treasures to spread around our house, fill jars with, and to turn into wind chimes.

Beach Week - Find the ways you have altered.

We change.

Time, stress, money, bad relationships, & negativity twist and shape us until we're shells of what we used to be.

The beach stays the same. The same sand, breeze, and sweet, predictable tide...pulling in and out, reminding me that I can always stay the same, too.