No Bubble Buts

Remember the Saturday where we had the dead battery just moments before getting the flat tire?  Well, it seems that our summer is going to be the time of Twos.  Friday night, after Randy got all finished up with work, we decided to quickly get packed and head out on the boat.  We got an impromptu dinner prepared, got all of our snacks and drinks in coolers, grabbed sunscreen and towels, and headed out.  Just as we were prepared for the fun to begin, we realized we'd forgotten a very important component of boating: Life jackets.  We made it home, and found them on the top of our camper, remembering that we'd put them there the night before we left for Side-by-side while we frantically packed for the following week.  Ironic thing was that I'd looked on the floor as I was grabbing the bag with our sunscreen.  If I would have looked up just 5 feet, I would have seen them and we would have been out on the river for some fun.  Once all packed, again, Randy said he'd felt a stirring, maybe suggesting that we not go out with the boat.  Follow the prompting, we parked the boat to go the next day.

Since we were all in our suits, we suggested that we should go to the pool.  However, time was ticking before the 5:00-6:00 Adult Swim hour.  We decided that swimming for a few minutes, then grabbing a pizza for dinner and going back sounded like an OK thing, so we headed over.  We arrived at 4:30 to be told that the pool closes as 4:45, to clean up and prepare for Adult Swim.  We'd taken more time to get there than we'd have time to swim.  Our Friday felt like a bunch of hurrying to end up doing nothing at all.

Saturday, we woke early to go to the church for our scheduled cleaning rotation.  We got there early to get the easiest option available for kids.  They may want to be in charge of the massive vacuums, but it doesn't mean they should do it.  As soon as we were done cleaning all of the windows (Keilie was adamant that she wanted to do that one, agreeing that it was probably the hardest of all the jobs after we finished) and all chalkboards (my choice-- totally loved by all that helped me), we headed for the Columbia River for some exploration.  The kids are all tired of being thrashed around on the tube, so they have asked for a "straight ride."  Since we haven't explored the rivers much, it was time for a nice straight line down the river, seeing all of the massive homes from the water instead of the walkway paths we always take as a family.  Even from a further distance on the water, some of those homes still feel like they are too big to be practical for a one-family residence.

Things were going along great.  The weather was perfect, the water gave off a nice breeze, our lunch was eaten when everyone was hungry (10:20am) and we were all enjoying Mira on both the boat and on the raft. 

She sure makes our lives so much fun, including her in all that we can.  When we made it down to where the Columbia River meets the Snake River, we noticed what looked like a state park.  We'd been to Sacajawea State Park, which was across the river from this new place, so we decided we wanted to check it out and see if it could be another great picnic spot, or even a boat drop.  However, without warning, our boat launched forward, almost propelling Shelby off the front, coming to an abrupt halt.  Immediately, Randy turned off the boat as I scrambled to pull the raft in.  We'd hit a rock bar.  Not one sound was heard from our depth finder, not one warning was given that boats should not enter, nothing.  And, poor Brennon, he'd been doing so much better on the boat, was now frantically bawling because we'd crashed.  It was awful.

Honestly, it could have been much worse.  It trashed our propeller, but not enough for us to be stranded.  We felt a definite wobble as we rode straight back to our car, but we were profoundly grateful to be using the motor rather than our arms and tiny paddles.  Our fun ended as abruptly as our boat being slammed into that rock bar.  But it gets even better...

We have a system down to get in and out of the water.  It always has Randy backing into the water, me always going straight and forward.  Caden always drives the boat to and from the trailer, which makes it so we can be fast getting in and out of the water.  I'm actually pretty proud of us for figuring out the perfect system (for us) to make this new-to-us adventure run a little smoother.  Randy, being a seasoned boat guy, may think differently, but for someone that had been on a boat maybe 4 times tops when we first got the boat, doing things as quickly and efficiently as we do them, in such a short amount of time, makes me feel very accomplished. 

So, Randy left us roped to the dock to grab our Yukon and back the trailer down the ramp.  Once the trailer is in the water, I guide Caden to the center of the trailer, hook up the boat and winch it to the trailer, and then I drive it out as Randy centers the boat back-end on the trailer.  However, 10 minutes pass without seeing Randy getting in the long line of trucks putting boats in the water, or getting them out.  Then 15 minutes.  Confused, I walked up the dock to see what was going on.  As soon as I saw him stalking our way, I knew something was wrong.  His gait screamed aggressive rage, ready to explode.  "We're blocked in!"

After Randy drops the boat, he walks it to the dock while I drive the Yukon and trailer to park it, meeting them back at the dock with everyone ready for me to push us off.  I didn't realize that I hadn't pulled it all the way forward, so some {"kind" word} backed in in front of me (I admit there aren't enough parking stalls for single cars at this park, but still), and someone else {again, "kind" word} pulled in behind me.  Both were parking illegally, in stalls that were clearly marked for trailers, totally knowing they had blocked me in.  During the time we were wondering where Randy was, he was walking throughout the park (filled with all sorts of activity), asking if it was their cars that were blocking us.  No one came forward.  We were stuck for an unknown amount of time.  Randy called the cops as I walked between boat and car, checking on everyone as often as I could.  Awesome!

Long story short, Randy used his mad driving skills to get out.  Another illegally parked person left (They may have thought I was squinting at the sun, but I was totally giving them the stink eye, big time!), so Randy was able to do a masterfully beautiful 60-point turn and squeeze out diagonally from a space others wouldn't even dare to try.  Many people stopped to watch, powerless to help, encouraging us in our efforts.  One guy actually told us that we should just hit the car in front, since our Yukon looks like a beast.  It is-- remember when Randy, Jackie, and the kids were rear-ended while driving on the Interstate going 80 MPH?!  Not a scratch on our bumper, I kid you not.  Believe me, I really wanted to, but not really.  But kind of.  But we didn't need to, because Randy's got skills, that's why!

As we were driving home, thinking back on our day, on our weekend, on our summer, we kind of felt a little beaten-- Why does this summer have to have trials at all?  Haven't we been tried enough?  Don't we already have enough to worry and think about while we play so hard to forget?  Can't we just play in the time we have left?  And then Randy mimics Siri, and our car explodes into laughter and giddiness, and I realized this:

The more you get out and do and see and experience, the more chances there are for things to go wrong.  Our summer has been riddled with problems because we are out, every single second we can be, doing things together.  We have not been seriously hurt, we haven't been kept from fun when we could get out, we are still together trying to fit everything we want into this unknown amount of time.  We refuse to live in a bubble, so we risk little things here and there.  It's just a touch of difficulty to enhance the delight.  Life is sometimes arduous because we play so hard, but it's because we play that life is wonderful.  Take that, Life!  If there is fun to be had, we Dirks' are gonna chase it, caution thrown to the wind, guns a-blazin', screaming like maniac banshees, always terrifying the children and locals!  You've been warned!