Canoeing in the Rain

This past Saturday Dave and I decided we were sick of being indoors. That get's tricky with my broken foot and a cast. I was given the go-ahead to start putting a little weight on my foot, so I slowly hobble around. When deciding what outdoor activity would be well suited for a gimp, I thought of canoeing at Kickapoo State Park, near Danville, IL. Saturday morning we checked the weather, there was a 23% chance of rain and decided it was worth the gamble.

We drove the 45 minutes east to Kickapoo and rented ourselves a canoe. We decided that the 8 mile section of the river would be a good start. As soon as we bought our tickets and rented our canoes, oars and life jackets it started to rain--and not just sprinkle. It was a nice midwestern rainstorm, lots of rain in a short period of time. The rain did not stop the tour, though. We all piled into a school bus and were driven to the mouth of river where we would enter. It was sprinkling by this time, but it was warm. I hobbled down the muddy path carrying our oars while Dave managed the canoe. We got it in the water and shoved off. Three hours later, after 4 or 5 intermittent rainstorms , and one capsizing incident we made it to Kickapoo landing. It was a great day!

Dave assured me that he had his canoeing merit badge, so there would be no problems. Except for the current we misjudged that flipped our canoe and sent me floating downriver to catch my oar. Don't worry, I got wedged on a log, and when Dave and another canoer flipped the canoe back around I only got smashed by the boat and forced a little mit more into the log. If I didn't know Dave loved me, I might have to thing he was trying to off me. ;)

Next time we're hoping for higher water levels, as we scraped bottom a few times. I think the water level was at less that 2 feet, which I find surprising for the amount of rain we've had this summer. When my foot gets a little better we'll switch to kayaks as well. Dave is done with this canoe thing...he wants to be a champion kayaker. Is there a merit badge for that?

P.S. We don't have any pictures from the day, cuz when the boat capsized our camera got a little wet, despite the ziploc bag it was in. We didn't want to turn it on and ruin it.

Mrs. David Kay

So, if I'm not going to write anything profound, I figured I could at least post some pictures.

Tomato Gardner

I will post a picture later, but I was gifted a planter box on Sunday. I'm so excited!! I'm going to plant tomatoes on our back porch. I really don't want to have to buy them all summer. Here's hoping the squirrels don't reek havock on my plants!

Let the Countdown Begin!

It is May 1, and that means there are 29 days until Dave and I get married. In honor of the big day I made a paper chain with which to countdown. Dave and I were joking about making one, and then I needed a distraction while doing my homework so I resurrected my elementary school craft skills. It only took me like 20 minutes! I felt like I should be draping the chain around my Mrs. Ohlin's school classroom (while singing "You're a Grand Old Flag") or a Christmas tree. So I draped in on my piano instead. It will be fun to watch the chain get progressively shorter!

All Tied Up

I have had lots of balls in the air of late, but who doesn't? We mailed our wedding announcements Saturday morning, and it seems that many of you have already received yours. So, hooray! You're invited to my wedding. Sunday evening I got a little bored. I just needed a break. Logan was watching Lost Season 3 (or was it 4) all afternoon. By about 7pm I'd had enough. In the episode we were watching Charlie was all tied up by the two mean girls in the underwater station. We decided to test how good we were at tying each other up in a chair...just like Charlie. We wanted to stay true to Lost, so the first time around I tied Dave up (since it was a girl who tied up Charlie). Dave got out pretty easily, confirming our suspicions that Charlie could have easily escaped if it were real life, and not a TV show.
Logan then took his turn, he thought that he could tie me up so that I couldn't get out. This is a picture of me right before I slipped out of the ties that bound me. Turns out that double hitch, sailor knot (or whatever he called it) wasn't any better than my girl version. I think I should join the CIA, I'm so good at getting out of being tied up!

btw: school is fine. I'm just trying to finish up a bunch of projects before the end of the semester. It's old hat at this point.

Blueberry Muffins and Invitations

When I need a break from homework, this has been my project of late: addressing and stuffing wedding invitations. If only you could see what they look like--I guess you'll have to wait for yours to come in the mail!

Whenever I can't think of a side dish to go with a meal, my fall back is always Blueberry muffins. Tonight's menu: tacos and blueberry muffins, which makes me think of taco salad and cinnamon toast. That sounds good, too.

Pictures from the Marathon

I finished my leg, and Amanda is off!
Amanda's parents were kind enough to drive me from my leg to the end of the race.
L to R: Amanda, Bojana, Kathleen (ran the 5K) and me. We had just sent our last runner off...Giles! The one person who can run quickly. He did 7 miles in 56 minutes.
Whitney and Amanda chillin'
We were team # 2594, I ran the first leg.