Wet and Wild Weekend

This weekend was a relaxing one for me. I have felt very on-edge lately due to my up-coming trip, the end of the school year, and other issues on my mind (all good things, though.) Some chillin' was definitely in order and that's just what I did!

My friend W's hubby is into jet-ski rides and there was a big ride going on this weekend at Lake Lanier.They invited me to come along and we had a blast! People from as far away as Michigan came to ride so it was very cool to meet so many people. My favorite was the "Sick Tricks" competition. Why is it always so exciting to see people crash?

I think I would have gone for a ride myself if I had a life jacket that fit me around. (well, that and if Lake Lanier didn't totally freak me out!) Instead, I enjoyed watching the entertainment and having a few (quite a few) drinks along the shore. Luckily, I didn't get a sunburn.

That night a huge buffet was catered with everything from shrimp to Milkyway cake. Too bad that I'm not into sweets because everything looked so good!

After stuffing ourselves silly, we boarded one of the two house boats for a party. One of these boats was super nice with a hot tub on the top deck. It is amazing how these house boats really are houses! I personally don't think I'd ever want to spend an extremely long period of time on one, but for a party...they rock! We stayed on board until a horrendous thunderstorm brewed up suddenly. Let's just say that I truly appreciated the effects of the alcohol. It kept my mind off the fact that my shelter from the bright strikes of lightning was a tent held up by metal poles along the lakeshore.

On Sunday, I went to the Renaissance Festival. That's always a good time. But really that's about all I can say about that.

After returning from the festival and a little nap, I headed out for the pool. I sat along the pool side watching the kids play and thinking all the while, Just when the hell are they going to go inside? It's a school night, for God's sake! But honestly, it wasn't the teacher in me secretly scolding them for not getting a good night's sleep for school. It was actually the dork in me wanting the pool all to myself.

By my side, I had a bag full of new snorkling gear I had gotten for Christmas. Gear that I had yet to try out. Postponing the Bahamas trip and Florida Keys trip for a summer out west had elimated my chances of really trying it out any time soon. I cannot stand to have something new in my grasp only to set it aside for later use.

Finally those darn kids left and I had the pool all to myself, except for the friend that was accompanying me in my swim. I adjusted my mask. I practiced breathing through my snorkel, hoping that yummy taste of new plastic would soon fade away. Then I slipped on my neoprene booties and fins. It's always hard for me to adjust to using fins after a while because my entire body always floats and it's difficult for me to keep my legs and feet just below the surface of the water. I was finally getting the hang of it again and moving along quickly through the water and causing less splash than my first attempts when I happened to look up and see a mother and daughter standing by the pool curiously watching. My face flushes with embarrassment, not from the child's curious stares (because I think she thought I was a mermaid) but from the expression on the mother's face which said, Do you really think there are fishes and coral in the pool? She was chatting away on her cell phone, too. I can only imagine what she was saying!

Whatever.

I'm more determined now than ever to discover some secret passage (drain) or amazing aquatic life (frog)or sunken treasure ( fallen leaves) in my little slice of the Carribbean Sea (pool) no matter who's watching. If you give me a crazy enough look, I might just tell your kid that "Yes, Virginia, I am a mermaid!"