The cookie got it right
As some of you know, I have been utterly overspread lately. Not that i’m complaining, but the last couple days have been non-stop 9 to 12 hours of my required active presence: Weddings, wedding parties, lunch invitations, family get-togethers, work meetings, order entries to be processed, a huge CMS transfer for our website (not this one) that is still in dire need of tweaking, emails to send out, calls to return, people wanting information, teachers needing to hear from me—all in all, just too much to do.
So when my father told me the family was going out to the lake with the boat for a couple days, I immediately said no. In fact, I believe my exact sleep-induced words were, “I have work to do”. But as the morning progressed and sleep departed me, I soon realized how much I needed a little getaway and at what perfect timing it did come.
Our first stop was Cultus Lake. This lake is located about 30-ish minutes off the Hwy 1, officially located in city of Chilliwack, British Columbia. For those of you who have no idea where Chilliwack is or what it is like, allow me to enlighten you: it smells like cows and looks like the country. Not exactly my kind of city.
Don’t get me wrong though—Cultus Lake is a cute place. There are ice cream shacks all over the place and people wander around in their swimsuits. It has a very relaxing atmosphere (I mean, where are they going to go anyway?) and since I have been told that the nature of a vacation is to relax, this was definitely the place for me to be.
So shortly upon arrival, we got in line (yes, in line—Have I mentioned how popular Cultus Lake is?) to launch our boat. Things are going great, lovely, peachy, and most importantly: normal. We launch. Things don’t go exactly according to plan at first (translation: the motor dies in the middle of the lake—there was a loose cord we later found) but everything is going well. We speed along the waters. Great. And then…
Dad kills the engine (on purpose this time) and walks to the back of the boat. He throws over the waketube we brought with us. He says we should try it out. The country air must have gotten to my head and dazed my perception of danger, death and being eaten by giant lakefish because I agree excitedly. Oh, Chanel.
I tried WAKETUBING. (Click for picture)
Need I say more? Those who know me should know how this is so uncharacteristically like me. Getting on a boat that doesn’t hold 500+ people and 300 cars was a step for me. Getting on a floation device that holds ONE, being pulled at high speeds and risking the change of flipping over and plunging to my sad, sad, death was a HUGE step for me.
[Just in case you’re wondering, I did survive waketubing. Somehow the device managed to stay right-side-up the entire time and I did not join my worse nightmares (also known as “big, ugly fish”) fifty million feet below.]
The rest of the trip was less ground breaking. My cell phone died somewhere between Harrison and Hope, and having no internet access besides brief five minutes in the hotel lobby to transfer money between accounts (something i’d forgotten to do before I had left), I was pretty much left without any way to contact the life i’d left behind in Vancouver. And you know what? It was fabulous. No calls. No texts. No emails. No things to do. No people needing things done, or needing to talk to me. No work. No school. No nothing, just me, my family, my dog, our boat, great food and lots of lakes.
Towards the closing of our trip we stopped to eat at chinese restaurant in Hope, B.C. The food was great, but the reason I even mention it is because of the fortune cookie I got after my meal. The cookie actually had two fortunes for me, and they said…
“Now is the time to try something new”
(waketubing)
“You deserve to have a good time after a hard day’s work”
(this mini trip)
Granted, I read my fortune after both had come true.. but fulfil my fortune? That I did!
It’s clear to me that the cookies were expired…
Nice blog Chanel!
Reply: Thanks!
Come to think of it, they did taste a little stale. ;)
July 6th, 2007 at 7:11 pmHahaha, oh Chanel. You look terrified.
I’m glad you survived ;-)
Reply: I know :D .. I originally planned to post a normal looking picture of myself waketubing, but then I thought “hey, why not post a picture that accurately describes the experience?” :P I’m glad I survived too!
July 9th, 2007 at 8:01 pmAh, so jealous! I’ve always wanted to try one of those waketubing/wakeboarding/water-skiing/knee-boarding whatever thingies. They look like so much fun!
Reply: You should definitely try it if/when you ever get the chance. Just a recommendation from someone who isn’t very adventurous in this area: start easy! (aka, waketubing - everything else is much harder :P)
July 10th, 2007 at 9:31 pmOooh! I’d love to try waketubing! I enjoy water so I think I’d survive it haha! You looked funny in the waketubing picture lol
I think it can’t be considered as fulfilling your fortune when the prediction happened after you fulfilled it. Eh? Do I still sound normal? Haha!
July 14th, 2007 at 7:17 pmHAHAHAHA.
That photo was probably the most excellent photo I have ever seen of you.
July 28th, 2007 at 5:38 pm[…] about leaving. We’re even bringing the boat up, and while I can assure you there will be no waketubing, I will sit on the bow, dangle my feet in the water and try not to tan. And it will be […]
July 25th, 2008 at 8:35 pm