day 9 // paddling through the pain

I woke up feverish but slammed the Advil like a druggie because I didn't want to feel terrible on the one day that paddle boarding was gonna happen. [Okay so that was a bit intense].

No sunrise this time, but I was somehow completely fine with that.

We all got dressed and headed over to the local entrance to Donner Lake, a "marina" that was full of boaters, paddle boarders, and small children.


We got our paddle boards [first time ever doing this for me!] and the guy who was helping us suit up told us that beginners should probably start on your knees. I started on my knees, like a resting yoga pose, but eventually I started to lose circulation in my legs and the rubber on the board was making uncomfortable imprints on my shins. So, slowly but surely, I stood up and it wasn't bad at all. I had to get used to the balancing, but other than that it got easier!

We paddled out to about the middle of the lake [it's pretty big! But not at all very deep-- maybe 10 feet max? 15? I'll have to google it] to a big rock that was just sticking up out of the water. We got there and J climbed on while Jam and I floated nearby.

Just as we were heading away from the rock, Jam and I heard fast, loud breathing and a guy struggling to stay afloat. Jam paddled over to help him and he grasped the board like it was all he had in the world.

Something that was mildly funny that Jam relayed to us later was the conversation between the man and herself:

"Are you gonna be okay? Would you like me to paddle you to shore?"

"No, I know how to swim I was just drowning."

Huh.

We headed back to the part of the lake where we started and took some pictures.

One of those pictures included me holding a crawdad-- I'd always heard of them but never seen one and they really are like little lobsters! Feisty too-- I tried to pick up a big one and he did this jerking martial arts thing so I dropped him back into the buckets half full of water and crawdads that these little girls were hoarding.




We left soon after jumping off this pier thing for that basic high school musical jumping photo and dousing ourselves in chilly lake water [though occasional splashes when we were on the paddle boards felt so refreshing!].

We headed back to the house for a couple rounds of pool with Jam, while J lost at Catan, [okay, he was 2nd place]. Later brought a dinner of comfort food: home made mac n cheese and later a game of Five Crowns, followed by an intense binge on chocolate ice cream [because had to use up some food before we checked out of the house, of course... 😉].

I was on and off meds all day and I felt a bit better by early evening.