Monday, August 06, 2007

Fast Paced Weekend

I never realize how busy life can be until I get that extra moment to myself. That moment where the world doesn't matter and I'm left alone to think. The weekend started off early with a late Thursday night. I try to not to deprive myself of sleep until at least Friday, but every so often, important things arise. Work on Friday wasn't bad, but I had every intention of returning to the comfort of my bed after I was done. Instead I ended up in San Francisco at Palomino for an afternoon cocktail with my mother and grandmother. After they left, I proceeded to hang out with a friend at the bar. Good times, but he was definitely polluted when I dropped him off at home. I returned to my humble abode at 10 pm. I washed up and quickly got into bed. The alarm was set for 6 am - a normal work day wake up, except that the next day was Saturday.

Friday night's rest was heavenly. I awoke a bit scattered seeing I had only slightly prepared for my river rafting trip. The group met in San Francisco around 7:30 am. We took a bus up to the drop in point of the South Fork of the American River. Our guide was partial owner of the rafting company and had 15 years of experience on the river. Not only was our group made up of athletic people, but our guide was definitely there to help us have a good time. Erika and I were at the front of the boat for the majority of the trip. I'll admit, it was fun to see what was coming and what was going on. The river was busy, but our guide had a knack for slowing down when we needed to put some distance between us and the other rafts. We witnessed a wrapped boat rescue mission by our guides. I was definitely glad that wasn't us.

Lunch was a mixture of fruit, sandwiches, and lemonade. The class III rapids were all after lunch. On some of them we got to ride bronco which is sitting at the front of the raft with your feet dangling over the side like a hood ornament. It was a good time! Jenna and I went first, but kept falling into the raft because it was hard to hold on. The last time I rode bronco I got sacrificed by my own boat mate. However, I did get him back. ;)

Pulling people into the raft was also entertaining. You pulled them up and over the side by the top of their life jackets. Needless to say, everyone always ended up on top of each other. But I promise there was nothing "naughty" about it. Overall it was a great day and the stop at Safeway was perfect. Nothing like Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream before a short siesta. And I am so proud, no sunburn! :D

My night wasn't over yet. I got in the car and touched base with Shauna who at the time told me I had 1 hour to get home, shower, eat and get dressed. I stole a few pieces of my brother's pizza and headed for the shower. My one hour was extended because Shauna and Amanda didn't know what to wear. I had never met Shauna's friend Amanda, until I realized that she was a girl that actually went to both my middle and high school. I knew her and her sister mainly by name. They were fantastic swimmers. Needless to say, I almost didn't recognize her. The three of us trekked back up to SF and went to Le Coloniel. It was another successful night of dancing. LOTS of fun! :)
My friend Rich had joined us for drinks, dancing, and Pizza O. I finally returned home around 3 am from a VERY long day. We pulled up to my house and some kid had lost control and ended up in our fence. Not exactly what I wanted. I grilled him briefly and once satisfied, drove up the drive. My brother said that the parents already knew, so I let it be.

Sunday was another decently early morning. I was out the door a little after 10 am for my 11 am soccer game. We lost that game, but I didn't have time to dwell on it. I had 40 minutes to get from SF to Palo Alto for another game. I arrived right at start time and played a solid game. It was fun to play midfield for once. I'm a solid defender, but forget that I have the speed to play mid. It was a good change of pace and a great work out. I took the long way home via a Costco detour to drop off rafting pictures. Overall it was a great weekend! I broke a bit towards the end of the night, but perhaps I was just tired.



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