Skip to main content

15 in 2015: Try Snorkeling (or, what was in the blank spot)

a lookout pointing towards Boundary Bay 

I left #15 of my "15 in 2015" list intentionally blank so that I could think about something I'd always wanted to do but couldn't think of at the time, and make it a realistic goal if the opportunity presented itself. This should have been a no-brainer for me, and I am glad I left it blank! 
I'd wanted to try snorkeling last summer when Stefan had been doing it all summer off Semiahmoo Bay and White Rock beach. When the kids got their own free snorkeling gear from our past landlord, I knew they'd love it as well. 

I don't love swimming in the ocean, it's more of a necessity when I have to cool off because my brain feels like it's going to fry with the hot spells. Semiahmoo beach is definitely a better beach to swim at than the two we go to regularly, because it's all sand instead of rocks, and it dips down. Since we live so close to water, I have a few goals of at least trying kneeboarding, waterskiing, paddle-boarding, jet-skiing, and of course, snorkeling at some point through the years. Why not? The water is available and the opportunities have presented themselves over the years, or I trust they will in the future if they haven't already. 

When we went to the Oakanagan a few weekends ago, it was so hot we all had to be in the water, especially after our hot drive with no AC in the car! Stefan brought his snorkeling gear and I decided to give it a go. It's an odd feeling, since you have to sort of lay on the water and breathe 100% out of your mouth, which is something you have to think about, surprisingly. Unfortunately, there was nothing in the water where we were, more than likely because of all the people who were also in the water beating the heat, but it's amazing what you can see clearly with just a cheap $30 set from Walmart.

 So, I tried snorkeling. I only tried it for a short amount of time--less than 30 minutes, but that's okay. It was really hard to figure out how to not get water in the tube or feeling like you're not suffocating by only breathing out of your mouth. I'll do it again, but it's not something that I think I'll become obsessed with and want to do it everytime I head to a body of water. Sometimes, it's just exciting to try something new. 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Home School Activities: Board Games We Love

My children have recently become enthralled in the world of board games. I was never a board game player. Sure, I remember long summer hours (days? it seemed like it..) spent around a Monopoly board, but I was never one to suggest to get out the cards, or a game. As my children have grown and they are now able to do activities with me, I started noticing that they really took to puzzles (when done all together) and the one or two board games I happened to have kept in the storage room. They were always asking to play Candy Land and so I figured I should branch off a bit. Over the course of the last year, I have found GREAT games, even ones that I love to play alongside them. The amount of 'teaching' they have gotten through games is jaw-dropping. Counting, team-playing, math related patterning, are just some of the skills I've watched develop. I asked before Christmas on facebook what my friends and their own kids loved and I was thrilled with the response. We have found ov...

Top 10 Books of 2017

early sunset in Ft Langley  I love reading all these "Top 10" lists of favorite books read throughout the year, so I'm adding my two cents.  I'm involved in a Book Club that I love with women from our church, a small group that meets every week and goes through a book every few months, my own list, books I'm reading aloud to the kids and  books I'm reading for educational purposes (think professional development). I took a look at all of those combined and this is what I got, in no particular order:  *  The Problem of God  by Mark Clark - I loved going through this academic apologetic book with my friends from church. It led us to great discussion, and good food for thought. I listen to Clark's sermons every week and so knew I'd probably love his writing style, too. If you have objections to Christianity, or are feeling confused about what to believe, this is a great primer.  * You're Smarter Than You Think  by Dr. Thomas Armstro...

August Book Titles

* 50 Women Every Christian Should Know by Michelle DeRusha -- I heard the author on a podcast and the book sounded good. It was described as a book full of 5-7 page mini biographies on each woman, and that sounded both easy and interesting. It was. I really enjoyed this book and plan to give it away as a Christmas gift to someone I know will get a lot out of it. I really don't know that much about Christianity's historical females, and I felt I learned a lot. Some of the women I had never even heard of before, and it was fun to read about women I'd heard of before by name, but knew little about their lives. * The Story of Science by Susan Wise Bauer -- Oy. This book was tough to get through. Not because the writing wasn't good (it was excellent), but because of the subject matter and my right-brain. Out of any schoolish subjects, I would rate Science as my least favorite and most difficult. I read this book because when I had the kids' school order it, I thoug...