The Family that Kayaks Together...

Kayaking is a favorite past time in the Southworth family. Well, and now the Thomas family. Will had his first kayaking experience with me back in 2004 when we were dating.

Behold - the "kayaking date" from March of 2004.

No I will not show you the photos of us ram-rodding each other's kayaks.

I have so many fun memories of my family going kayaking on the ocean together. We have gone up to the San Juan Islands several times, and most often our hot spot was Bowman Bay.

Picnics were had, laughter was heard, and sore muscles ensued for days after.

So it was with special fondness, that we got together as a family to go kayaking while my brother Mike and his family were in town. With our two kayaks, my parents' canoe, and 2 borrowed kayaks, we scrounged up enough gear for 10 people.

There was:

The water color that day was incredible. I've always been jealous of the water in Hawaii, but check this out!

Not exactly Hawaiian water, but a close 2nd, eh?

So I don't know if you knew this or not, but I grew up living by the ocean. We lived either on the beach in a shacky beachhouse (thanks mom and dad for the memories!) or only a few miles from the beach where we would walk to it. My parents and grandparents both had boats and we spent a lot of time camping on them, playing, etc.

With that said, I LOVE THE SMELL OF THE OCEAN.

As soon as we got out into the kayaks I took one giant wiff and said, "Ahhhh that smells so good!". And of course I heard all of my family agree with me from the other kayaks.

Then I hear Will say, "Sure if you like the smell of dead rotting fish and seaweed."

See this is where we differ. We don't differ much in our marriage, but do have different appreciations for what smells good.

The ocean smell that I love so much reminds Will of cleaning his salt water fish tank.

But whenever we drive through Idaho and I get a wiff of a cow pasture, Will says, "I just love that smell! It reminds me of growing up on the farm."

I guess if I like the smell of fish poo and he likes the smell of cow poo, then we're even somehow, because I don't think either of us can understand how the other finds those smells remotely appealing.

Preston experienced his first chocolate chip cookie.

He...was...in...heaven.

Seriously...it's no wonder the little guy had a tummy ache later that night.

That sunset was really really for reals.