Why tubing is like death...

Before we get to that, let me fill you in briefly on the rest of our weekend. Robby and I took the dogs (both of them...yes, this includes Tilly) up to the lake for the weekend. This was a gutsy move on our part. Robby was sure Sydney would drown and that was almost best-case scenario for Tilly, in my mind. Okay, not really! I thought she'd be OK if we could get her in the water but didn't know what to expect on dry land, in a new place with so much to see and smell and do. Let me assure you before I begin that both dogs survived the weekend. I know some of you were worried (or had your fingers crossed...).
It took some coaxing to get both dogs in the water. While they both clearly wanted in, they weren't sure about the jump from the pier we were suggesting. After a little pushing, literally, they were swimming. {I'm trying to locate some pictures of this, but most of them were taken by Lexi (she's 3) on my mom's phone, which means the quality is questionable and I'm not sure when they'll get sent to me.} After getting their feet wet in front of our house, we decided to venture out to the sand bar. The sand bar is shallow enough near the shore that the dogs could stand which we thought they would enjoy because the swimming was exhausting. They did love it, and Tilly was surprisingly calm in the water. Kyle* even asked if she was always this calm or if it was the water. I wanted to say she was always calm, but I couldn't do it with a straight face. Sydney was a little tense at first...she has more common sense than Tilly and recognized that being in a large body of water where she couldn't find the bottom should be unnerving...but gained confidence as the day went on. Tilly on the other hand, quickly showed her true colors by chasing a flock of ducks from the shore to way too far into the lake to be safe. She was too fast for me to catch her so Kyle had to rescue her from the monsters in the middle of the lake. So we learned she's fast in the water as well as on land. Super.
By the end of this excursion the dogs were climbing on the boat (sometimes with a boost) and jumping off with regularity. All in all, a good time was had by all. The dogs took a long nap after this giving the people time for relaxing, tubing, etc. Mom, Laura and the little girls were there when we all arrived (Kyle met us from Chicago), and they stayed for the dog's swimming exhibition, but left before tubing, etc. I can only assume that they, too, were worn out. I was worn out but managed to stay the course. So now we had the boat to ourselves (insert evil laugh here) and hours until the sun set. This is when we decided tubing would be a good idea.

Top to bottom: Kyle, Robby, Karli

I should preface this by saying that tubing has never been my favorite activity. I took about a 15 year hiatus from the activity from 1996-2011. My BFF in middle school had a lake house so we were up there a much as we could be in the summer and everyone loved to tube. I wasn't as strong then as I am now and fell off a lot and thought it hurt. I was coerced into jumping back on the tube last summer when Dad bought the boat. I prefer riding with small children so nobody can intentionally throw me from the tube, but it turns out I'm stronger than I used to be (specifically, I have oddly strong hands) and am good at staying on. When I'm riding with another person, I'm never the one to fall first. I may flip the thing, but I won't let go until I have to. This brings us to my most recent tubing revelation...
Tubing is like death.
This weekend there were just three of us out so we were riding solo so one of us could drive and the other could keep watch. Being out there alone, I had some time alone with my thoughts. So when you're on a tube, the majority of the ride is pretty fun {much like life}. You're flying around, going fast...it's challenging at times, but for the most part you don't hate it. Then it starts to get rocky. You know the end is coming. Water is flying in your face and you're starting to lose control. You don't know which way the boat is turning, which way you should lean. Should I be on my knees or my belly? I'm just trying to hold on. Then it happens: you hit that big wave and you're gone. You're flipping off the tube then hit the water hard and are forced under water. This hurts. After what seems like much longer than the 3 seconds it probably actually is, you pop up and you're floating in the lake. The tube is gone, the waves are gone, you're in the water, the sun is shining on you, and it's just peace. 

Kyle and Robby Floating

It's Tuesday, my muscles are still sore and I have bruises all over my legs, but we had a good time and the dogs had a good time (Sydney's also still sore...Tilly's miraculously recovered) so I'm calling it worth it. 

*This is Kyle, Robby's friend, not Kyle my brother. It can be confusing.