1/2 way through... and good news, I'm still here

Ain't it good to breathe the air

Another spin around the sun

On this spec of life in the universe

A little peace of life in everyone

Ain't it good to be alive?

To feel the sun strong against your face

It spills over me like the milky way

-Edwin

It's half way through 2008 and I am still alive- but not without coming close to the alternative at least once or twice!

The latest threat on my life is one some of you may have already heard about, but I think it is still worth writing about! 

About 2 weeks ago,  Saturday June 21 to be exact, I made the unbelievably naive decision to tackle the provo river tandem on an 1 man ocean kayak with my bud Rich Cannon. If you know me at all, you know that kayaking isn't exactly my thing; however, I decided to trust my friend who does know a thing or two about kayaking and who assured me everything would be fine - but, if you know Rich at all, then you know that I should have known better.

When we started our little adventure out - it was exactly how I pictured it - Rich in back, doing all the paddling work, me stretched out on the front of the kayak, getting my suntan in check and Annie Hancock smiling along side us in her own kayak. 

Not too long after we began though, the speed of the current picked up, which was exciting for a good 6-9 seconds, but then quickly turned to startling when I found myself trying to catch my breathe in the freezing cold water of that wicked river after we hit much heavier rapids and rolled out of the kayak. Though the water was only 3-4 feet deep, I not only found myself struggling to stand due of the strength of the current, but now I was frantically fighting to breathe because I couldn't stand and thus I couldn't keep my head above water. (This was the part where I wished I had the life jacked strapped to me, instead of strapped to the kayak.)

Adrenaline quickly kicked in, which thankfully removed all the feelings of being cold from my mind and body and allowed me to concentrate on the vital need of getting a hold of a rock, a branch, or anything that would allow me to get some footing, stand and start up that whole breathing process again. For some reason - I did allow myself to become distracted and even focused on a few other things during the whole ordeal which now, are humorous but also a little disturbing.. what was I doing thinking about anything else besides getting air!?!  Anyway, first, I was extremely concerned about my camera which was in my pocket - though it was "safely" in ziplock bag, I was obviously worried about it falling out and kept checking on it under the water. Second, I was wearing handmade seashell earring made by my little sister - which i was also worried about losing and did check once or twice while I was drowning. Thirdly, I found myself distracted by Annie - who could tell I was obviously in trouble but was yelling, " ARE YOU OK?!"  as she kayaked past me. I didn't spend any time trying to respond, but I did let the thought "Are you serious?!" overpower the thought of "get oxygen" for about 1.5 seconds. 

I don't remember the part where I finally got a grip on an object long enough to stop myself and achieve a standing position - but I did, and let me tell you breathing never tasted so good.

I climbed out of the water and looked down stream where I saw that Rich and Annie were both safely out of the water as well. I then pulled my camera out of my pocket, just as water was rushing out of a big hole in the bag... fortunately i still had both my earrings. 

Shortly after that, I looked down and saw something else the adrenaline had kept me from feeling... the incredible beating I received from the rocks and whatever else was in there as the Provo River had its way with me!






After a little more craziness - the details of which I will skip, the 3 of us finally reunited - alive and mostly well. Somehow Rich and Annie walked away from the whole experience without a scratch. 

I spent the next week on pain meds, with ice packs on my legs and walkin around with a wicked-cool limp - but though my legs still have a purplish hue to them, I am feeling much better! And Edwin was never more right when he said "ain't it good to be alive?!" - because it is. 

(And to add to the goodness of my "recovery" my camera fully came back to life! If any of you are shopping for a digital camera, I highly recommend the Canon Powershot SD 900. I'm pretty sure it has 9 lives.)