Paddling Through Parenthood- Emilys Event Calendar

Many people my age see parenthood like a bird sees its wings getting clipped. They assume that it means less time for the things they love and more time sitting around loving the little one. I fall in love more with Tucker each day I am with him, and so far that has been every day of his life.

When I look at him I want to smile and only see him as the perfect baby he is and not as a reason why I am not doing the things I love. I feel for me to truly love him fully I need to be full of all the things I love. Thing things I love are: Kayaking, Running, Baths, Family time, and traveling. Each one of those things make my rambling head go blank and focuses only on the task at hand. I make a point to do at least one of these a day. In order for me to achieve that I have to be creative and spend less time on the things that aren’t has important to me such as surfing the web, or having each drawer in the house be perfectly organized.

Kayaking is truly important to me. Its invigorating, relaxing, exciting, and most of all FUN! My actual time on the water might be a touch shorter but every second feels great. I make a point to go out even if I can only be there for 20 minutes. Right now with few people around my favorite is putting all my gear and boat in the car, put the baby in the car seat, get my mom or someone else to drive me to the put in, then drive directly to the take out and I surf and play my way downstream. It may not be anything crazy but it doesn’t really matter because its kayaking and all kayaking is amazing! Park and play is even easier. You have someone hold the baby while you are surfing and then you swap. I cant wait to train and compete this summer as I love the reason to really push myself kayaking. When I don’t have much time on the water I make a point to not do any moves I am good at and focus on the ones I want to learn. The other day I only tried right airscrews and after a few days of this I already feel more confident with this move.

So far I have found parenting to be only as limiting as you make it. I am blessed to have a support group and I understand many people aren’t as lucky. I truly do believe that if something is truly important to you, you can always find a way to have time for it. How can we expect our kids to follow their heart and do what they love if we don’t set that example?

This year I have a super exciting schedule and I cant wait to take Tucker to some of my favorite rivers and places:

May

Reno River Festival

CKS Festival/ BV Pro Rodeo

June

Ottawa River

North Fork Payette Race

Payette River Games

July

World Cups- Europe

August

Ottawa River

September:

Gauley River

NOC

October:
Sickline Race (Spectator)

November

Africa?

December

NZ?

Here is a video of me from 2o12- Cant wait to return to some of these places!!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-vdX2pl5LI[/youtube]

I love the social aspect of kayaking and visiting with all my family and friends across the globe. So if you are around these events be sure to stop in and come paddling with m and be sure to bring the whole family! Happy Paddling

Emily Jackson-Troutman