Hi there!

I'm back from an exciting weekend of white water rafting on the Ottawa River. It was my first time white water rafting... and I can't wait to go back and do it again!

We definitely didn't get lucky with the weather, that's for sure- it rained for the 5 hours we were out paddling and it was freezing cold.. mix in some water being thrown on top of you the whole time, which made it even more cold. But, it was so much fun that I tried to ignore my permanent shivering and take it all in.

So, here's some highlights of the trip. You'll have to excuse me for not writing in full sentences, as my fingers (mainly the little crease between my thumb and index fingers) are very sore and bruised!

- My sister and I were going to sleep in a tent, but we saw in the weather forecast that it was going to rain all weekend so we opted for a cabin. A mischievious chipmunk kept getting into our cabin through a crawlspace and ended up on my bed near my feet one morning- ALVIN!

- My sister and I ended up with the short end of the stick (er, paddle) on the first day of rafting and had to sit in the second row from the front on the boat.

-What's bad about this? The strong paddlers are supposed at the front. Needless to say, we are NOT strong paddlers:)

- Our first rapid we went through was the biggest of the day. I like to call it our epic fail, because we went into the rapid sideways and people on our boat weren't paddling enough to make it through so we kept twisting and turning!

- We toughened up with each rapid we went through and it got more fun and less scary each time. I couldn't wait for the next rapid!

It's events like these that really make you feel alive, don't they? The adrenaline rush kicks in and you don't want the day to end! I can't wait to go back next year and do it all over again. But for now, I've got the bruises as memories:)

The trip is really well organized, photographers from the resort stand by on the rocks on the side of the water to photograph/film your first rapid, so we got to buy the photographs and the video. Here are some pictures of our boat on the trip (I am in no way, shape or form saving face here, I look terrified in some of the pics):

 Getting ready to take it to third gear to make it through our first rapid (I'm in the second row on the right, my sister is beside me on the left)

 Where did we go in this picture?? Oh yeah, we're BURIED IN THE WATER!

 I had to share this one, the look on my face is embarrassing yet priceless.

Our group shot after our first rapid with our guide Dave (I'm on his right and my sister is on his left)