I mentioned earlier this week how I love the water. I’ve been a swimmer since I could move. I also really enjoyed water sports. I would play volleyball and basketball in the water. I would pretend to be an expert synchronized swimmer, especially around the Summer Olympics. I tried knee boarding and water skiing. Though I think my two favourites would have to be tubing and Jet Skiing.
Since I could never successfully handle water skiing, I thought I’d get creative on the tubes. After some practice, I got to the point where I could stand up and surf on the tube while riding through the straight runs. I held the balance and found it quite fun.
Being of the slightly competitive nature, I also enjoyed a good competition on the tubes. We’d have two tubes in the water. I would be on one, and my cousins, brothers, or Mom would be on the other. We’d try to knock the other person’s tube over, stay on the longest through the waves, and handle the whip of the fast turns.
I took Michael up to one of my parents’ cottages the first year we were married. He experienced the relaxation of lounging on the boat, chilling in the water, and having some fun on the tubes. He was actually quite good at it.
Michael hadn’t seen my competitive side yet or known my full love for the water as our dating period wasn’t very long. I felt I needed to educate him on my skills and expertise. I road and jumped off the front of the boat, went swimming, and surfed on the tube.
The ultimate opportunity came when I went tubing with my Mom. We each had our own tubes so the competition was set. Michael stayed in the boat as a spotter and photographer while Dad drove the boat. I was ready to show him how it was done.
Dad stirred up some pretty good waves. There were a couple of bays on our lake with a channel that ran between the two. The channel was the sweet spot to pick up some speed, then Dad would whip around the bays a couple of times to create some decent waves.
Mom and I were going around the bay for the second time. The waves had stirred so much that they had grown to a good three or four feet. We hit a doozy of a wave. Mom went flying off and I soared in the air. I debated letting go knowing that the drop was going to be rough. Being stubborn and wanting to show off to my new husband, I hung on.
I came down hard and face planted on the tube. I was so proud of myself. I did it! I nailed that one! Then the blood started pouring out of my nose. “Oh no”, I thought to myself, “if Mom sees this, she’s going to freak”. I quickly started splashing water on my face as the boat towed us around to pick Mom up. Her Mommy radar went off from a distance away. She saw the blood and locked on like a missile.
That was the end of the tubing adventures that weekend. I had a killer headache, probably another light concussion, but all I could think about was that I stayed on. I was a champ and my husband witnessed it! He was impressed at the beginning, but mainly just shook his head at my craziness later on … Although I think I rubbed off on him.
My brother was down from Calgary, Alberta to visit a few summers later. Michael’s competitive side now came out knowing that my brother was very athletic.
The two of them got in the water, selected their tubes, and then off they went. Being men upped the competition naturally as well. They showed off doing lots of tricks. Dad amped up his boating maneuvers too. The people in the boat chose who they were cheering for. The rivalry was intense.
Dad picked up speed in one of the bays. The boys hit some decent wake and waves. My brother got knocked off and Michael’s tube flipped over as well. We spotted Trevor right away but didn’t see Michael come up yet. Where did he go? Just then, his tube flipped over and Michael was still on it! He had managed by some crazy strength to stay on while getting pulled under, flipped it over, and kept going.
My heart fluttered with pride and amazement! That’s my husband everyone!! He beat the “unbeatable” in my mind. My brother, my previous hero, was replaced with my husband that day. My eyes had the “rose-coloured glasses” put on again as I was infatuated with his strength and determination. Everyone in the boat gasped and cheered for him.
My brother, still in the water waiting to be picked up couldn’t believe his defeat. He burst into crazy laughter and commented that he couldn’t believe Michael managed to hang on. None of us could.
It was a great day of good fun. Michael moved a little more into the family that day and a beautiful memory was made.
