Dear Mom & Dad -
It finally feels like summer on the west coast – it was a hot and sunshining day today, so I did just as you would do, and went out for an adventure after work! I headed down to our favorite secret beach in West Vancouver, where the beach is rocky, the ocean is chilly and the view is perfect.
one or the money…two for the show…three to get ready…and four, to, go! 5 strokes later, goosebumps et al (wetsuit was at home!), I was reminded of endless days jumping off of docks, getting thrown off of tubes, early morning swim practices and weekends full of swim meets.
And as I chased the sun around the island, I was so thankful for the fact that while I’ve never been the fastest and never first – I knew how to stay afloat, I knew how to swim. Swimming has taught me about setting goals and chasing dreams; it has taught me about exiting the water early in a triathlon and suffering through later on the run and that’s perfectly great; it has taught me that crazy, wild adventures happen if you jump into the deep end and kick hard with a smile; and it has taught me that prancing around in a bathing suit with chubby legs is okay because they can swim longer than some people can run!
As I swam back to shore, I was so totally grateful for sunshine filled, ocean swimming adventures as a result of your copious hours, dollars and heart beats invested in my chlorinated childhood. Life is better where it’s wetter! 
Love you both…XO.
Oh the memories on the Trent…the otters, swimming around the buoys for the last slice of blueberry pie, watching you, Matt and Jamie spend hours and hours in the water and swimming ‘lock to lock’…all of it was SOOO worth it! xoxo
Buoy races! Ah! Pie was so worth the pain!