Da' Grind

Well, This weekend I competed in my first canoing race of the season! I traveled and stayed with four other girls from my team to Alki Beach in Seattle, where we had lots of laughs and entertainment!! Me and 5 other girls battled our way around a 9 mile course, taking us 1 hour and 28 minutes, and coming in 4th place in our devision! We came in 7 minutes behind the first place team, so overall, we did quite a bit better then last year, and we all finished feeling very strong and happy with our performance! On the second turn, he hit some pretty major waves, filling our boat up to our ankles with freezing cold Puget Sound salt water!! After completing the turn, the girl in seat 5 was able to bale some of the water out, then letting me (sitting in seat 4) bail some more water out. I was able to get the water down from our ankles, but it was still covering the top of our feet. After struggling with all the water in our boat, (and our toes FREEZING) They let me bail some more water out, and then also letting seat 3 bail more water out! By the time we were done bailing, the water was at least below our toes enough and also aloud our canoe to plane one the water better, we were back in the game! After the race was over, i was unable to feel my toes for about 1 1/2 hours.

Across the beach from where we were set up, there was a fish restaurant, so us girls sent the boys off on there race, and ran for beer! We sat at the bar and enjoyed some great stories, some wonderful girl time and of course, beer. We made friends with the bartenders and he let us try a cucumber that was soaking in Vodka, that they use for Mojetos. It was the most disgusting thing i have ever had, but he followed it up with a real shot of vodka (which i couldn't have after the cucumber) and some fantastic bread and butter! We ran out as the guys were coming around for the first lap, yelled and cheered them on, and went back for more beer...but we made it back for the finish of the race. The guys also did well placing 2nd in there devision and taking them 1 hour and 12 minutes. We all went and enjoyed some fantastic Seattle fish and Seattle coffee, and hit the road back home.

Overall we had a wonderful time, lot of good company, and really nice hotel to stay in and some wonderful Seattle Food!!

Thanks to all of those who thought of us and prayed for us and our safety.