“Maybe we should have stayed home,” I thought as I paddled into the gusty wind, waves occasionally splashing over the front of my kayak and into my face. It was a sunny Saturday and I had looked forward to kayaking all week. I’d been monitoring the wind speeds since I’d awoken, worried about driving 45... Continue Reading →

Staying home for more than two months this year has certainly been a unique (and hopefully, a once-in-a-lifetime) circumstance, but personally, my experience has been positive and productive. First, I get to work from home, eliminating my commute and daily parking expenses. I start my day a little later, so I’m rested and relaxed. I’ve... Continue Reading →

I often struggle to fall asleep, tossing restlessly in bed, unable to quiet my racing mind. Sometimes I’m thinking about all the things on my “TO DO” list. Other times I’m replaying words or actions in my mind, considering the “should haves,” “could haves” and “what ifs” of my day. I wish I could just... Continue Reading →

Kayaking is one of my favorite ways to relax. Yet relaxing does not mean being unprepared for what can happen on the water. The “what ifs” range from minor inconveniences like “what if my nose starts to run,” “what if I get hungry” and “what if my lips feel chapped” to potential hazards, such as... Continue Reading →

I celebrated my birthday last week by taking the afternoon off from work and kayaking on Lake Wisconsin with my husband and youngest daughter. We timed our outing pretty well and were able to enjoy a brief interlude of sunshine on an otherwise cloudy day. It was cool and breezy but paddling was manageable and... Continue Reading →

I spent my first two decades of life as a farm girl in southern Wisconsin. Maybe that’s why digging in the dirt, hiking in the woods and sticking my toes in a bubbling creek continue to bring me such joy, even decades later while living the city life near Madison. And born on April 22,... Continue Reading →

Welcome, spring! It’s been six months since I’ve gone kayaking, and now that it’s warmer, I’m closely watching conditions, eagerly awaiting my first day of 2020 on the water. I received several kayak-inspired gifts for Christmas and I’m excited to put them into action. Here’s a little of what I got for Christmas: Assortment of... Continue Reading →

In October, I started a new job in downtown Madison. Wisconsin’s capital is located on an isthmus, which means I can walk a few blocks one direction and stand beside Lake Monona or a few blocks in the other direction to overlook Lake Mendota. Truly, five minutes either way and I’m at the waterside—it’s another... Continue Reading →

Loading and unloading our kayaks is much easier and faster with our kayak trailer, purchased in May. Not that my family and I weren’t speedy before—we could load two kayaks on the cartop carrier in about 15 minutes, but now we can load all four kayaks onto the trailer in about the same amount of... Continue Reading →