New Thing #1: Detroit Lake

For my 25th birthday, I decided to start a new thing blog--thanks Jen365 for the brilliant idea! Thank you Alicia for reminding me how ubber easy blogspot is compared to LJ. When I was in Europe this summer, I found an article about this blogger named "Jen365" I really liked her goals and I needed a little excitement in my life--plus some motivation to try new things. I needed a goal... something that I could really say "good job today Karla on what you have accomplished." Now I understand that not everything in this project will be stunning. For example, I am not about to sky-dive for day two and there will undoubtably be a few days of Is she really counting THAT? But ultimately I hope that I might overcome some mental challenges, grow a little as a person, and get to know this quirky world and it's people a little bit better. After all, you can't take it with you.

I decided to start this blog out strong, which is why I began the new thing list a few days before my actual birthday. One of my biggest fears is of water sports. I guess it has to do with having two childhood traumas: one in a hottub when I fell and couldn't swim to get out and the second not having my dad catch me off the waterslide at Olinger Pool and again getting my head under water without being able to get out. This fear spreads to water-skiing, speed boating, innertubing in water, etc. My dad taught me how to swim after many swim instructors failed. So I don't actually have a fear of swimming. Just watersports & crafts. Isn't that interesting?

For my birthday present, my boyfriend Kevin and I took a camping trip to Detroit Lake and it was my first time getting on a jetski. I rode around behind him for awhile. Then I rode it by myself. I was so frightened but I was in the zone and I found it exhilarating when I went out at top speed. I went out a few more times after that initial fear was eclipsed. When I was back at the camp site, I also fed a chipmunk unsalted peanuts from between my toes. He crawled up on my toes and pulled the nuts and shelled them and ran 24+ times back to his hole and kept wanting more. I definitely contributed to his winter store.