WOW!!! Our guys finished the race in 96 hours after 260 miles of river!!! The past few days have been so amazing! Watching 3 men canoe nonstop for so long and testing all their physical and mental strength is beyond me! But what was also great was the comradory between all the team captains! In the past 5 days Holly and I were only able to sleep about 10 hours max. The very last night we had only slept 30 mins! Pure adrenalin kept us going throughout the entire race.
We were the ones responsible for keeping the guys hydrated and making sure they didn't lose their minds! Which at some point they did start hallucinating! Next time you see Kenneth ask him how the elephant is doing ;)
As the team captains we got to spend lots of quality time with the other captains that had their teams around the same area as our guys. It was really fun to be able to hang out with them because it made it feel like we weren't stupid for agreeing to do this! haha No showers, no beds, no real food, and no protection from the elements! But I would LOVE to do it again next year!
While I generally post blogs in great detail about the events and times things took place... I was so sleep deprived everything seems to run together. It takes great effort for me to recall the actual place, time and person of any given situation! Here are some random highlights!
~Holly has a claustrophobic vagina (sorry Holly, if you want me to change it I can change to it anonymous)
~I sat in poison ivy while using the restroom. In lots of pain now
~I hate Victoria and all the people that live there
~I have over 20+ mesquite bites all over my legs
~Never leave your husband alone for more than 2 days with the baby because all shit breaks lose
~A bridge crossing any body of water constitutes as a checkpoint
~We are going to jack Melinda's Margarita Shoot-Out idea... so look for invites towards the end of summer! (this requires a separate blog)
~Drinking at 9am is completely justified at the river
~Portaging is used in everyday vocabulary!
~And so is Goo
~Holly hates Britney Spears...and if I ever had any doubt about it before this week that's gone. Sorry love!
~Hauling water up and down a river bank for 5 days is a lot harder than it seems!
~After spending 5 days out in 100+ weather, your thermostat can be set at 80 in the house and be freezing cold!!
~Chef Boyardee at 3am straight out of a can is AMAZING!
There are so many more events, situations, blah blah things that have happened but it really is impossible to recall everything. We did meet some great people... and I even car pooled with one of them, Sophie, to Austin so my poor hubby could get some relief. And plus I missed my son terribly much. So much so that we drove to Austin with only a stop to Starbucks... no food no drinks... on 30 mins of sleep. And I drove from Austin to CS in about an hour and 20 mins with no stops either! We had made it from Seadrift to Austin in 2 hours! shiiiiiit I really wanted to just be home.
Then we also ran into someone who lives in CS as well, Brian. He competed last year and was extremely helpful to us in so many situations! And Jason who helped out our crew while Holly and I were sleeping in the truck at the very last point before the guys had to enter into the Bay. Thankfully they did not need any more supplies (we were the only ones allowed to give them more water and ice) but they needed to know about the conditions of the Bay before proceeding on! Thankfully Jason gave them all the intel we had acquired. We woke up 12 mins after they left!
And just having skin cancer removed from my back 2 weeks before this race I was TERRIFIED to be out in the sun for so long. Well, I brought plenty of sunscreen and made sure to slather it on about every 2 hours. Not to mention I always wore a t-shit, hat, and sunglasses (before I lost them). It was rare to be able to find some space that had a decent amount of shade it in but we managed! Until the last day when we were so exhausted and were on a high since the guys really were at the finish line! I didn't put sunscreen on and while I am not completely sun burnt, I have laid a massive guilt trip on myself for not being more responsible. I know that I can't undo the sun damage I have already done but I can prevent more. I just wish I put it on at least once Wednesday. But it's ok. Just a touch of red on my face and legs. Considering we were out in the blazing hot sun for 5 days nonstop, I think I did ok.
Well... our guys placed 41st! Out of appx. 96 teams that started the race! w00t
http://www.texaswatersafari.org/
Well, Amelia is going to attempt a nap before Elliott wakes up. Hopefully tomorrow I will be fit to go to the Texas Reds Festival tomorrow!! (that's if the poison ivy doesn't act up!).
OH and an update on Elliott's stomach issues. The test for salmonella came back negative. As well as any other poisoning like that. Still no idea as to why he has had such severe diarrhea for 3 weeks now. We have to take him to a pediatric gastroenterologist in Temple next week. So Elliott and I are making the long journey up there next Wednesday! We also are trying to get into a pediatric allergy specialist to see if it could be something he is eating. Keep our little solider in your prayers!
And just for you Holly! Sorry for not bringing the CD!! <3 you!
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