Never fear, I am still here

Hello girls and boys, did you miss me?

Don't worry, I hadn't forgotten about you or this crazy resolution o' mine.  I am still determined to be a kayaker.

In order to keep my inspiration going strong during these very cold (has anyone ever heard of snow kayaking?) winter days, I am looking for books on local kayak spots, short trips (less than a day) and kayaking with kids.  If you have any suggestions, please post them here!  

Also, I've found a local marina that rents out kayaks, even during the dead of winter, which makes me think of a 24 Hour Fitness, the most poorly named gym in the world.  Conceivably, I could be on a kayak right now, rather than sitting in my warm house on the computer.  This is exactly why I will never join 24 Hour Fitness.  "Can't sleep?  Why don't you go to the gym!"  

Anyway, the marina is Boston Harbor Marina, which is in the cutest little bay side community you've ever seen that is not in a horror movie.  My level of concern directly correlates to how far I am from A) a place to buy food and drinks; and B) a bathroom.  So you can understand my glee to learn that the BHM (as the locals call it) store sells ice cream, alcohol and seafood, and also offers public restrooms.  I may never leave. 

Kayak count: six. 

  

See? It's already day two and I'm still sticking with it

There are a few more reasons that I left out yesterday as to why I settled on kayaking as a thing I should be doing.

Reason no. 5 is that I am friends on Facebook with a woman who was my high school speech and debate coach and English teacher.  She has two kayaks and has made an open invitation to her friends to meet her for a paddle anytime.  I think that would be so cool, not only to meet someone for a paddle in a kayak, but also to reconnect with a person who has had a seriously major impact on the direction of my life and was also the first person to tell me that I was a pretty good writer.

Reason no. 6 is that Olympia Parks and Recreation has a one-day, five-hour kayak class offered in April that I thought would be cool to take.

Also, we live really close to the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge, which is fantastically beautiful and would be one hell of a place to paddle.  I guess that's reason no. 7.

Oh, also, the hubs' family has, like, 17 kayaks between them and I am pretty sure they can't use all of them at once, so I have a hook up on a free to borrow kayak.  Also, it's probably not really 17, it's more like 11 or something, but there are only four paddle-capable adults, so that's still a dysfunctional human-to-kayak ratio.

Thank you so much to those of you who read yesterday's post and left me an encouraging comment, either here, on Facebook or via Twitter.  I greatly appreciate your words and will freely admit that I have read each comment many times over.

Kayak count: I used "kayak" seven times, and the word "paddle"four times.  Seriously folks, I am in it to win it.

On the first day she created a blog

Here it is, day one of my 365-day plan to become one who kayaks.

Why kayaking, you ask?  Well, I am so glad you asked because I have so many reasons why, not the least of which is that (reason no. 1) I live in a community, a town, a region, that is pretty darn crazy about all things outdoors and nature-y.  Not that it's a bad thing; I've just never really felt like I could take part in such activities, mainly because I never have the right footwear for such outings.  Hiking?  Camping?  Will there be mud and/or puddles?  Because I have some sneakers that I could wear, but they would get soaked through.  I have hiking boots too, but they are really ugly and huge and I hate them and only purchased them as a last-minute item before a trip out to a cabin where I ended up never using them.  Rock climbing?  No, I have no shoes that will remotely come close to being the appropriate thing to wear.  

Reason no. 2 is that I have kayaked before (once for sure, maybe twice) and I really liked it.  It was warm out, the sun was shining, the water was calm and I was not hit by any boats.  It was a good experience.

Reason no. 3 is that people I am related to and friends with have kayaks, so I could maybe borrow their kayak or go out with them one time? 

Reason no. 4 is that there are SO MANY beautiful places close by to go kayaking.  If I am feeling a nature deficit in my life, kayaking will not only fill that void but will also equal exercise.  Win win (for nature and for me).

The tough part about kicking off a goal like this with the dawn of a new year is that it is really, really cold out and most of the aforementioned nature is frozen over.  So my kayak goal for today was to create this blog and to search the tubes for something about kayaking in the Pacific Northwest.  I don't know exactly what I'll search for, but I'll know it when I see it.  

So, I hope you'll come back now and then to check in on my adventures, make sure I haven't drowned or ruined any good pairs of shoes.  

Kayak count: I used the word kayak in some form or another ten times in this post.  That's how you know I am serious about reaching this goal.