A Truly Astonishing Week - Part 2...Steve!!!

A true satisfaction - for both parties!

Steve has been one of Greg's main men for as long as I can remember. I actually met them both on the same night, at a friends 18th birthday party. Although Steve thinks we first met a little while later, and his first memory of me is not one I wish to remember and cannot help going bright red anytime he refers to 'when he first met me', because I know he has it wrong and I know what he is thinking. Ka Boom! Embarrassment head explosion!

But despite this discrepancy he has grown to be one of my best male buddies. We have shared many a deep and meaningful conversation about grief, tragedy, sadness, faith, hope, and happiness. He is also one of my favourite drinking buddies (sorry girls, but being twice your size I fail to feel the effects at the same speed as you, frowny face - wish I did though, would be more fun and cheaper!). He is also a musical genius with vocals and the guitar so I love to sing with him whenever I get the chance. He is a caring guy who loves Greg, Lucy and I as family as we do him and his family too. We are a real little family together. In fact, in 2007 when they returned from living 6 months in the UK, Steve and his wife Kat moved in with us for a while. Then you can add in Andy and Amy and you have our little Supra family. Lame name guys! Who calls themselves a Supra family. Well, don't get all carried away...its the brand of the boat we all own together...so it just happened. And yes we have Supra hats, but they were given to us for free!!! For our holiday, Steve was my personal trainer #2.

So as mentioned previously, Steve has been itching for years to teach me how to get up wakeboarding and has been quite confident all along that I would be able to do it no worries! Me? I didn't think so. I had honestly given it my all and I didn't know what I could possibly do that was any different to what I had done before. So after 9 years of rejecting the opportunity to try wakeboarding, and 4 years of actually owning my own part in a very fancy wakeboarding board I made the choice that our houseboat trip on the Murray would be the time. And I don't know what is different now, why I have come to this point. Is it that I want Lucy to grow up taking all the opportunities she is offered and having an awesome time? Is it the hypnosis that I had that makes the excuses fade away once I have made up my mind? Is it the self acceptance that comes with time, making everyone else's opinions of me smaller that my own? Who knows....all I know was that the time had finally come for me to get my moneys worth out of the boat!!!

But it took until day five of our trip for me to actually do it. I knew I'd do it, but I just couldn't seem to line anything up time wise with Lucy's naps and when the boat was heading out. In all honesty, I could have said 'can we go now?' and they would have dropped it all to take me. But I didn't. So on Thursday, I decided it would be the day. Steve, Greg, Lucy and Mon (official blog photographer!) jumped in the boat with me and we all got psyched to give it a good shot! Well, we all got psyched for me to give it a good shot! I was ready! And excited!!! Finally my time had come.

And it must be said that Steve has taught many many many beginners behind our boat how to get up. He knows what he is talking about, and how to convey the message of what you need to do to achieve the purpose, so I was pumped to have him there instructing me. I honestly knew deep down that if I just kept trying for as long as I could I would get it. And so, as with the Stand Up Paddle board yesterday, I have some awesome and slightly ungraceful pics to share with you......check them out! 

 

Alright, so here I am rocking my best wake chick look, whilst telling Steve all the tips I have heard him say over the years to all the beginners. He filled in the blanks and then I was ready to get started. At this point, I was simply excited and pretty sure of myself.

Once I was in, Steve gave me a few last minute tips.... you know, keep hold of the rope and watch out for dirty carp - all the important things you need to know. Clearly, I'm hanging on every word because I wanted so badly to get it right thing time! 

 Steve giving me his words of advice and encouragement...and looking mega cool too.

And that is how quickly each try went! The force on your hands and arms is ridiculous as you try to hang on for dear life to a rope that is trying it's best to yank you out of the water. To make it slightly tougher, it also feels like the entire body of water you are floating it doesn't want to let you go and it resists your every move! And when you are overweight as I am, your arm muscles just don't feel strong enough to hold on. So what do you do? You try again. And again. And again! And then add at least 15 more times in there before you could see me actually getting somewhere. But you know what? 

 

 

I was still grinning from ear to ear. And man I wanted it to happen, I was so not willing to return to the boat, or to this blog without some kind of success!!! I just gritted my teeth (it's alright, there is actually a pic coming up of me doing just that) and tried and tried and tried. We tried different methods, placing weight at different points, moving this way and that. My arms were burning. My palms of my hands were developing blisters because the rope kept snapping out of them. But I just kept thinking, I'll give it another shot. And another. We must have been trying and falling for about 30 minutes at least, before all of a sudden, I was getting closer and closer to getting up. And finally........

 Aaaaaaaaaw..............Lucy fell asleep at this point........

 Hold on one last time Lauren - do not let go....

 Grit those teeth girl but DO NOT LET GO!!! YOU HOLD ON! YOU ARE ALMOST UP!!!

 AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! I'M UP. 

SHIT, WHAT DO I DO NOW!??????

Oh this is what you do! Hahahaha! SUCCESS! Sweet sweet well deserved, long awaited success. And remember yesterday I talked of pure delight. Here it was again kids, absolute delight. And oh my, can I tell you the amazing feeling of being up? Because for all the times I had tried wakeboarding, I hadn't succeeded in getting up, I only knew how it felt to struggle through the wall of water trying to get above it. But let me tell you once I was up, I felt like I was walking on water. I felt completely weightless and free, flying along the top of the water, like I was doing a completely different activity to the one I had been participating in 2 seconds ago. Just then, it was hard, resistance training. But now it was freedom from the resistance, even if it did only last for 10 seconds or so.

Hey, can you see the delight in this pic!? And you know what, the following day I could hardly move. Poor Lucy wasn't feeling well and just wanted to be picked up, so I had to move but let me tell you each time I picked her up I struggled big time. But did I regret it? Not for one single second. And you know what else? I got out that following day and did it all again, except this time....I got up more often than not, and I got to get some more time skimming across the top of the mighty Murray to feel that amazing rush. And I was so pleased that I tried again. Even though I could hardly lift Lucy, I went again. And I was better the second day, and I wakeboarded for further than I thought I would/could and I got to face the board sideways and actually try and learn to find my balance. It was incredible.

And as I was reflecting on my experience with Greg later that evening, he said something I will forever hold dear to my heart....'Bub, you are the MOST determined person I have ever seen behind our boat. You just don't give up, and you weren't getting frustrated. You just kept going and going'. And he was right. I was going to give it everything I had in me to make it work cause I wanted it so badly. And am I proud of myself, and so glad he saw that determination in me too, because he too was so proud of my efforts.  

And now? I can't wait til I get out and give it another go. I honestly never understand why Greg and our friends enjoyed wakeboarding so much, when all I saw was their injuries....why would you want to do something you constantly hurt yourself in? Well, their injuries are actually rare, and I see now how much fun it can be. And I am just itching to get out there and do even better than I did last time! And I love that I gave it a shot and I am grateful Steve can teach people so well and see exactly what needs to happen. You know, it was the smallest thing that needed changing. Because when he saw me try the first time he said I was already almost there. And from that moment, he relaxed in confidence of my ability, which made me relax too. 

So Steve, thank you for helping me, encouraging me and celebrating my win once we got past that stupid other boat. I owe you a beer. Or a red. Or something else enjoyable over a dinner with our lovely families. 

Oh and guys, I'm not finished....because I have EVEN MORE to share with you tomorrow. 

P.S Great work on the pics Monica Imrie!

Ciao for now! 

LG, Life's Great!