OPERATION: WET DREAM

Who's nervous???

If (for some reason) you have followed along with the 'adventures' of my family over the past year or so, you know by now that Michelle and I are fairly social people.  We have an amazing family...parents, brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews and of course our own kids.  We also have a ton of great friends. 

One of the lessons I learned from my in-laws many years ago is that it is a heckuva lot of fun to have all different kinds of friends.  I have often admired how Patrick and Kaija have so many different 'groups' of friends that really couldn't possibly be more opposit of each other.  Some of their friends just bring a party wherever they go.  Some are into wine and really good food.  Some like to ride Harleys, others are very athletic and still others like to travel. 

Pillow Rock!

In a lot of ways Michelle and I are similar to her parents.  As a couple, we have an absolute blast just hanging out together going on hikes, playing board games or just being goofballs.  But we also love seeing our friends who are all VERY different.  Some of our friends are quiet, some are LOUD, some are very thoughtful, others are adventure-seekers.  The great thing about having a big network of friends is that we have fun doing different things with our different groups of friends.  However, there is really one weekend each year where we have begun to gather many of our amazing family and friends to do something really incredible together.  The now-Annual rafting trip (also known as OPERATION: WET DREAM) is the one time each year where we all get together to laugh, challenge ourselves, maybe step out of our comfort zones and bond. 

Watching the PSU Game on the side of the RV

This year 22 of us drove down to Fayetteville, WV to take on the Upper Gauley TWICE in one day.  The Gauley River is the tenth rated river in the world (#1 in the US) for rapids and the Upper Gauley is definitely the cream of the crop.  The frequent home of the North American kayak championships, the Gauley is definitely not a joke.  With more Class V rapids than any other place on our continent, a rafting trip down this river is a test of courage and teamwork. 

We all made our way down to Rifrafters Campground on Friday afternoon and started the evening with great steak, beer and friendship.  With a couple of RV's, a bunch of tents and a cabin in our fold, Operation: Wet Dream felt like our own traveling village.  We listened to music, got to know each other and let the stress of being parents, employees, employers, and every other role we play in our 'normal' lives just slip away. 

Long-time buds

Saturday morning everyone woke up around 5a.m. to a free concert of songs (I didn't charge anyone) including Welcome to the Jungle, Good Morning Beautiful, Amazing Grace and You Are So Beautiful to name a few.  With good coffee, danishes and fresh fruit to start the day, we left the campground to drive the 3 miles over to the New and Gauley River Adventures location.  Like a fine-tuned machine we signed waivers, got our paddling suits and loaded up on the bus for the 40-minute drive to the Summersville Dam.  Within minutes all three of our boats were on the river and preparing for Initiation, the first of the Upper Gauley's rapids.  Over the next 7 hours or so we paddled, swam, yelled, laughed, splashed each other and basically took on something that very few people will ever try in their lives.  We gathered at the campsite that night with a shared sense of accomplishment and camaraderie which will last a lifetime.  We ate beer brats, watched PSU football and told jokes well into the night before fianlly retiring to our beds.

Lynn, Brian and Louie

Michelle and I were nothing more than organizers on this trip, but we will take credit for one thing. We take credit for having such amazing friends, and we knew that they would all like each other as much as we like them.  We love seeing some of our friends step outside of their comfort zones and accomplish something that maybe they wouldn't have tried on their own.  We love seeing our family and doing something extraordinary together.  And we love being around each other feeling very blessed to live the life that we live.