alright already we all float on

Right now I'm wishing 

I could be floating down a river 

on my kayak

finding an adventure

You see dear readers, I love love love to kayak. It all started back in kindergarten. I remember asking my mother repeatedly for a kayak (and for a guitar...but that's a different story). Obviously, she refused such a large and odd request from my 5 year old self thinking it would eventually die down like the rest of my random obsessions. but she didn't know just how determined I was to get a kayak. A few years passed with no kayak, but that all changed when the 4th grade rolled around. I saved up all my birthday money and convinced my mom that I was ready to take the leap: I bought a $60 inflatable kayak. After proving my determination and commitment to kayaking through this flotation device that you could hardly call a boat, my parents finally agreed to let me purchase a real one. After some research and mustering up every spare penny I had earned, I finally paid for half of my very own kayak while my parents bought the other half for my birthday. It was a grand day my friends.

While this 'yak saw little to no use in my middle school years,  I was out and about with friends all the time once I dawned on my driving years. It's just so fun to hang out on a lake or river. And while my friend patrick might think he started the kayaking trend in baton rouge with his two-seater yellow ocean kayak, it was definitely me. (while we both like to claim it, we more than likely didn't actually start it...I guess the world will never know. but we'll just keep pretending like we do) it's even fun just riding around town with a kayak on the car. it just makes you feel more legit.

We used to pile as many people as we could into the car with as many kayaks/canoes/inflatable kayaks tied down to the top. It was quite a sight to see. Then we would proceed to pile all of us into these boats. Lots and lots of fun. Most of these trips were high on the fun scale and small on the intensity scale (hate to say it but that's when the boy ratio > girl ratio). Needless to say, I'm ready to find some legitimate kayaking here at Clemson someday, rather than just a social outing with a change of scenery. 

I look back on those kayaking trips and remember the sunshine, the open water, the freedom, and the love. The love that i felt from each of my friends and the love that we all shared for our favorite pastime. I will never forget how awesome it felt to go for a run early early in the morning and then finish it off by paddling to the middle of the lake and enjoying homemade biscuits and watching the sunrise. a kodak moment for sure.

There's really nothing better than kayaking with good friends. except one thing. it's almost as good as riding around town with your best friends with the windows down and the music up. 

to read about the only kayaking adventure that I've recorded on this blog, click HERE.