Last week we decided to take the kids on an adventure and try kayaking as a family. Mark and I enjoyed kayaking before the kids came along, but we’ve not really managed to do it with all six of us . . . Karis is just now past the squirmy stage. So we headed down to Newport Beach and rented two kayaks. 
Kembe and India pulled one of the kayaks down to the beach. Jafta and Karis sat and ate almonds. 
Thanks for your help, guys. True story: this post was sponsored by Blue Diamond Almonds, and they sent us a very nice collection of flavored almonds a few weeks ago. My kids are already fans – raw almonds are a staple snack in our house. But they went so nuts over the new flavors (Butter Toffee! Dark Chocolate!) that they ate through 6 containers of almonds IN ONE DAY. (Okay, I might have helped). Jafta is my foodie and he was so fond of the Rosemary and Black Pepper flavor that he requested a can of them, specifically, in his Easter basket in lieu of jellybeans. I happily complied, because I am a loving mother. And because I wanted to eat more of them myself. Anyways, back to the story about how we almost died. We put out on the bay side to avoid the ocean waves, and thought we were setting out for a peaceful sail around the bay. The rental place had warned us not to go to close to the ocean outlet because it was so windy, but between that conversation and when we finally loaded in and set out, the wind picked up considerably. This was a fact I failed to notice in the chaos of getting lifejackets on and everything throwing a fit about the water being cold/sand being sticky/seaweed being gross. 
We got out into the bay and tried to turn left, away from the ocean, but it only took a few seconds to realize this was a nearly impossible task. The winding was blowing pretty fiercely in the direction we were trying to avoid. No matter how hard I paddled, I could not get us turned around. Jafta and I would paddle fiercely and steer the kayak left, only to be blown around in a circle the minute our tired arms took a break. No matter how hard we exerted ourselves, all of our work only managed to keep us in one place . . . we weren’t moving at all, and if we stopped paddling, we were being pulled out to sea. 
Finally, after some stressful moments (and maybe some yelling? and children screaming and crying?) we decided we needed to just steer the kayaks into the nearest beach. We docked in a residential neighborhood and then walked the kayaks back along the sidewalk. Defeated? Yes. But we managed a call to the Coast Guard, which is always good. 
Oh, hi! Don’t mind us. We’re just going to drag this kayak through your yard. 
Once we got back to the beach we’d departed from, the kayak rental company was already waiting for us. I guess they had noticed how windy it had gotten, and were ready to come rescue us if we hadn’t returned shortly. 
The day wasn’t a total loss . . . we ended up playing on the beach for the afternoon, and the kids now have a dramatic story to tell about the time we were almost blown out to sea in a kayak. (Even though we had cell phones and were drifting past several people standing on the beach and offering to call in help, the kids like to think we narrowly escaped death.) 
I think we will try kayaking again, but I think next time I will pay a bit more attention to the weather. This post is sponsored by Blue Diamond Almonds. Spring marks the start of the Blue DiamondAlmonds growing season. Get Out and Grow and experience something good this spring! Head over to the Blue Diamond Almonds Facebook Page and tell them how you would use $1,000 to enjoy the good life this spring for a chance to win.
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