Beautiful Day + Canoeing = FUN!!!

Can we say beautiful day?!?!?!!!
Mother Nature has been very good to us lately :-)

Met the team at Kelso for our 2pm canoe adventure. Neil met us near the info booth, and used "simple math" in sorting out amount needed to pay for the rentals... thank you Neil :-)
Got our lifejackets, didn't think we would need... luckily we got them (tell you why, later).

Each person partnered up with another team member. Keri and I partnered up; happy, happy, joy, joy :-)
We were taught some basic moves; turning, going straight, etc. Our canoe (not us) kept wanting to turn instead of go straight.

It was such a gorgeous day, I think it was about 33 degrees!!!
We were splashing water on one another as we passed the other teammates :-)

At one point we had to get out of the canoe and go up the hill then when Shane said go, we all ran to our canoe's, threw on our lifejackets and paddled our way over to where Neil was waiting in his canoe. He was surrounded by four colourful beach balls. Each canoe had to grab a ball and make their way back to shore. Gail, Mel as well as Amy and Shannon, were neck and neck for the finish. Gail and Mel won the fun challenge.
Keri and I were the third canoe to make it in. I turned to see where Beverly-Ann and Sharon were... unfortunetly, they were in the water :-(
Luckily, they were enjoying the swim back to shore... lugging their canoe with them.

We had another challenge...
Balloon on a stick was taped to the back of the four canoes. The goal was to paddle around and get as many balloons as possible :-)
BUT, first we had to paddle our way to the middle of the lake and form a star... Rockstar :-)
As we were waiting to get started, I took off my shoes and socks, since we didn't need them any more.
Let the games begin. This was crazy fun...
Keri and I got a balloon, can't remember who's balloon we got and not sure if it was then that I lost my paddle in the water. I shouted "Keri, we gotta go back, my paddle is in the water". Keri paddled, as I used my arms as paddles to help move us along.
So, at some point... either when I was getting my paddle or when we were getting another balloon... we tipped!!!
All I remember is saying, "Oh no Keri, we're going in".
We were in the middle of the lake. We flipped the canoe back up, it was filled with water.
I remember seeing my shoes and everything else in the canoe. So, I told Keri "Lets continue getting the balloons from the other canoes". Keri said, "I don't know if we're allowed to do that, lets ask Shane". I being the idiot of the two, took matters in my own hands and swam towards the nearest canoe, hoping to get a balloon. I think I got one, but lost it when I let go and someone else picked it up.
I swam back to Keri, who somehow managed to make her way back into the sinking canoe.
She made it back to shore in the canoe as I swam back. I have to admit... being in the water felt soooooo good, didn't want to get out :-)

When I got back to shore, helped Keri turn the canoe over to get the water out of the canoe.
At one point Keri was looking through her backpack... realizing that the bag with car keys for three of her teammates, were now missing, I was one of them.
She went back into the water in hopes of finding them. Sharon went to help her look. I got into the canoe and paddled around, following the current, in hopes of finding the back on the shoreline... we had no luck.
In the end those of us who needed our spare keys, called our loved ones and asked them to take the drive to Milton.
I was the last one to leave. Sharon and Keri kept me company. They were great... time flew by as we did what women to best... talk :-)

Besides the unfortunate end to the day... it was an awesome day!!!

P.S.> Keri, what happened today could have happened to any one of us... don't worry about it, what happened, happened. We all got home safely and we all had a great time out on the waters today. Keep that in mind :-)
XO