the dirty water kicked my ass

i cannot express enough, how much freaking fun i had yesterday. last night and this morning have been miserable-ish, my muscles are SCREAMING at me, my hair is filthy with charles river water, and amazingly enough, while i'm not burnt, i'm radiating heat. our trip was amazing. i'll say it again... AMAZING. we started off after krissisan arrived, by heading for soldiers field road in allston. we rented our kayaks. i was terrified that our trip was going to end at the dock with me flipping over a kayak. every time i've tried to use a kayak at camp, i've ended up in the water. this is where being a curvier gal isn't the most fun. it's just simple physics that dumps me out of those stupid things, but yesterday i learned that if i have a kayak i sit in, and not on, things are going to be just duckie. we asked the guy who was getting us into our kayaks if he thought going to boston was possible. he made it sound like an impossible trip.. totally not do-able for us, but we left, just looking for fun to see where these boats could take us. we paddled through cambridge, taking pictures watching geese, and just chit chatting, and it seemed like before we knew it, we could see the agganis arena and the mass pike. we continued around the bend and saw the BU bridge, and we just kept going. it seemed like only a short while after that we were coming to the mass ave bridge. once we had rounded that corner from cambridge into boston the waters were ridiculously choppy. we made it all the way over to the esplanade where we realized that we were starving and very thirsty. we were too excited and forgot to think about bringing food and water. we weren't really sure where to land for lunch, so we just picked a random spot on the beach where i had a fun "yucky river toes" experience getting out of the kayak.

at this point, we were kind of thinking wow. did we really make it that far? man.. those waters are choppy, and now we're heading back against the current. hoo boy. we kept on taking small breaks in the "big river" areas. a stop at the mass ave bridge scared the shit out of me when a girl popped around the corner. this crazy person JUMPED OFF THE BRIDGE... INTO THE CHARLES and was just sitting there on one of the bridge supports like it was the most natural thing in the world. creepy chick. then we made a stop at one of the BU boat houses. it was about this time where i managed to brush up against one of the screws on my kayak just at the right angle, and just hard enough where i split my finger, and part of my nail open. it hurt like hell, and i had river water in it. ow, ow, ow... and still... we paddled on. once we made it back around what i am calling the BU bend, the waters were so much better. we were still fighting a little bit of current, but it was nice....

the trip in total, took us about 6 hours. it was hard, but we kept on agreeing that it was one of the best days yet...

we got back to the dock in allston... (dude... still... allston to boston?!) and hauled our soggy selves out of the kayaks. i was soaked, and yes, i keep on referencing the river water, because really... its kinda gross. this morning as i'm sitting here, i keep wondering if my sniffles are from the allergies i've been experiencing, or if i'm catching something from the swampy river. i'm also a little concerned about the cut on my finger... it was practically marinating in charles... kinda freaky to think about, for a germ freak like me anyways... i would also like to state, that because of krissy's complete awesomeness and attention to skin care... i didn't burn... i got a fantastic tan. i have freckly golden perfection all over... and i love it.

all in all, it was the best day ever. i really can't think of another day spent in the city that was anywhere near as exciting and fun as this adventure was. i can't wait to do it again...

now. as if our day wasn't exciting enough.. kristen mentioned that she was looking for a new bed and new sheets. i suggested ikea, she said yes. kayaking AND a trip to ikea?! SCORE!!! we came home, changed, and headed for stoughton. kris has never been to ikea, but after yesterday, i think she is a believer. she found a bed and amazing sheets, i know they are going to look amazing in her new room. i ended up getting a big paper lantern and a light fixture thingy to try and soften our living room. i can't wait... someday, i will have a house of my own, and it is going to be filled with amazing furniture and goodies from ikea....

did i mention that the day was awesome?