For the Commander's birthday this year, we took to the water and embarked on an epic voyage from Chili Bar to Salmon Falls. The crew arrived at my house and we managed to load all the gear into a BMW 3 series. Yes, you read that correctly. All the gear for the day fit into a marvel of German engineering. After we set up at the put in the trip started out well, maneuvering through Meatgrinder, rocketing through Racehorse Bend, and tearing through Triple Threat. We made all the moves we needed in the rock gardens. Then we got to Troublemaker.Things were looking good, then we hit the first drop. We were pushed a little too sideways and I was, somehow, the only one who didn't fall out. I did what I could and recovered two of my crew mates, while the Commander was rescued by a dashing man in a rubber ducky. After getting her back aboard and recovering, we stopped for lunch and assessed the situation. One of the crew had injured his ankle, not severely, while the Commander had hit her back. Hard. She was in a lot of pain, but decided to finish the trip like the bad ass she is. She had also lost one of her shoes, but at lunch we found a lone, random flip flop that was the right foot and size for her. Along the way of the rest of the journey we spotted a deer in the bushes along the river bank, and at one point, a rainbow. I sat at the very front of the boat through some of the larger rapids in the Gorge. Which was, believe it or not, a first for me. Other antics ensued and, in the end, it was one of the most memorable undertakings I've had in awhile. We finished up the birthday festivities with amazing food at the River Shack.

The embodiment of the feeling of rafting

     I am happy to say I have achieved another level up victory in my campaign to slay the debt beast! I have now earned the badge of level six! It's taken me a little over a year to achieve this but, as I progress, leveling up gets a little bit easier. I must continue to use my experience to stay the course and march onward toward the end game and victory!

     And now for a whole lot of random thoughts... I recently learned that one of my friends, and a true inspiration to me, is going to Everest base camp in a few months. This has motivated me to try to summit Mount Whitney once again. Perhaps as early as late September. Yes, I know a few months ago I declared a moratorium on trips until my credit card is paid off. But I'm a million different people from one day to the next and there are a limited number to all of our days, and few of us know what that number is, I've also thought of ending this blog again, and just hiding out for awhile from everyone, though I probably won't. I sometimes hate that I'm just one more egocentric person who overshares and thinks that the world cares what I'm doing. And just so everyone knows, I do realize I am girl crazy and fall for women who aren't right for me, or feel I'm not right for them. This is because as much as love needs a fool, I will always need love more. It's not a flaw, or a weakness, it's the way I am. I do feel insecure and unsure sometimes, but I still go on, because I remain confident and I WILL NOT GIVE UP. I may not know who I am, but I know who I'm not. If any of that seems contradictory, think again. I've examined myself a bit, now hopefully that will encourage everyone to examine themselves as well, even if just a small amount.

     Here's another little reflection of me- the selfie of the week! Just me pondering things, including everything I just mentioned.

Selfie #28

     Until next time my introspective readers, remember