fLoRiDa take 1

Traveling with these two leaves room for lots of laughter.


An endangered turtle sighting!
 she never leaves home without it
"SHE TURNED HER CAN'TS INTO CANS AND HER DREAMS INTO PLANS"

i LOVE that saying because it's so true in my life for the last couple of years.  the funny part was it was my daughter who pointed it out so i have to wonder if i am making some sort of impact on her life.  hopefully letting her know you are never too old to start over and never to old to start something new.

that is exactly what my mother did this past weekend.  she overcame so many different fears by paddle boarding for the first time.  i kept telling her she could do it and after some convincing and her trying to talk her way out of going she conceded.  let me explain a few things about this, she had NEVER been on a kayak let alone a paddle board, she can barely swim (doggie paddle) and has a bit of a fear of water.  take all that into consideration and my mother hopped on a paddle board in the middle of a river where boats were passing us and gave it her all.  obviously there were some challenges in the beginning and getting her groove took a few but after about 25 mins she had gotten it.  i teased her because there are times i have to treat her like my child but most of those times are when she steps out of her comfort zone and i coach her into overcoming those fears.  her and i have gone through quite a few of those times in the last 2 years.  we haven't always had this type of a relationship, to be honest we had not really had a mother/daughter bond and to be honest one blog post is not going to cover the last 41 years of my life and my "mommy" issues but I am working on them and we are working on that bond.  so again i say you are never too old to start over or start something new.  this is one subject that moves me more than most.  until 2 and 1/2 years ago i never really felt like i had a mom, not the kind i could share life experiences with.  that all started to take a turn with i was diagnosed with breast cancer.  i think at that moment my mom finally saw who i was and not who she thought i was.  she respected me as a woman and looked at me like i was a strong independent woman, not like i was a irresponsible little girl who couldn't do things on my own.  again a display of never too old to start over and never too old to start something new.  our relationship is still on that mends and it grows with every adventure we go on together and i do want to open up more about this so i can heal and continue to move forward BUT one blog post will never do that and I REALLY WANT TO SHARE ABOUT OUR FLORIDA TRIP!

Three Sister Springs
WE WERE ON A MISSION TO SWIM WITH THE MANATEES.  THAT WAS THE ORIGINAL PLAN FOR VISITING FLORIDA THIS TIME OF YEAR AND THANK GOODNESS MY MOM HAS FRIENDS WHO LIVE THERE BECAUSE THEY TOOK US IN AND TREATED US LIKE PRINCESSES!  THEY WERE WONDERFUL AND I LOVE THEY DIDN'T HESITATE TO SAY YES TO US COMING.  I LOVE EVEN MORE THAT MY MOM IS QUICK TO SAY OK IF I ASK HER IF SHE WANTS TO GO ALONG ON ONE OF MY ADVENTURES.  I THINK HER AND MY BROTHER SECRETLY WAIT TO SEE WHAT I HAVE PLANNED BECAUSE I MOTIVATE THEM TO GO OUT AND SEE WHAT THE WORLD HAS TO OFFER.  BACK TO THE MANATEES,  THEY HAD OTHER PLANS.  MOST HAD ALREADY MIGRATED FROM THE AREA BUT AS YOU CAN SEE IT DIDN'T STOP US FROM HAVING A GREAT TIME AND MAKING SOME GREAT MEMORIES.  
First time on a paddle board!

We made it to the spring!

My partner in crime.


we had a great time even after our 4:00 am arrival on Saturday morning from leaving Charlotte so late.  Saturday was a day to kick back on the gulf beaches and relax while my mom got to spend some time with her friends and I got to spend some girl time with my partner in crime, Colleen. and i figured since i was in florida i might as well take advantage and do a training run while i was there.  man did i forget what it was like to run in humidity!  it actually brings on some serious nerves for this ironman coming up in a month.  i keep on wondering if i am ready and then i can't help but be brought back to that saying i started with, she turned her can'ts into cans and her dreams into plans.  i guess as long as i just cross the finish line that's all that matters.  i will have won regardless.  Sunday was spent trying to get that glimpse of the manateee but instead enjoying the pleasures of the board, company and nature.  I'm already looking forward to the return trip to Florida to spend with my family and accomplish something I never thought I could do.  And yes, I do think I will cross that finish line, at least I have to keep telling myself that or else I will have lost before I even started.  

i am hoping by sharing my adventures and my life experiences past, present and future i get to heal but to also maybe inspire one person to not give up on their dreams because of a few bumps in the road will  make this all worth the trip down memory lane.  



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