I can canoe, can you canoe?

So today we all showed up to work expecting to clean the lodges that were used over the weekend like we do every Tuesday. When Matt showed up he had little Lilah with him because Michelle had to take a friend to the airport. We just chilled in the classroom for a bit... thinking that we were waiting for Michelle to get back and get Lilah before we all went to clean. Then Matt handed Lilah to Beth and tried to drag a canoe into the classroom. As you may have guessed it didn't fit through the door, so we all went out on the porch and Matt told us that we were going to clean in the morning but that in the afternoon we were going to go canoeing. So he told us the basics of canoeing.... how to get in and out, different strokes to use, etc... We were all excited. Michelle came and got Lilah and then we went to start cleaning. Not 10 minutes after we started cleaning Matt came and found us and told us that his meeting was canceled and we were going to go as soon as we could get ready. We loaded up the stake body (truck) with 4 canoes and threw our packed lunches, extra change of clothes and life vests in the trunk of Bill's car and headed to the Codorus State Park Reservoir. We put in at the dock. Taco and I took one canoe and Beth and Dessa took another, Bill and Ryan shared a canoe and Matt had all our stuff in teh fourth canoe with him. It was pretty fun! We played around for a bit, getting used to the movement and practicing strokes. Then we paddled out to an island and got out to have lunch, skip rocks, compete in a rock throwing contest and have a devotion and quiet time. Then we all got back in the canoes and went down the reservoir. We went all the way to the end. Literally. It turned into marsh and the canoe was only a few inches over the bottom. Matt and Taco and I followed it past the shallow parts to a little stream that was feeding into it. Then we ran into a dead end because a tree had fallen across the stream and we couldn't get through. It was so narrow and shallow that we had to go backwards for a ways till it was wide enough again to turn around. It was really cool to see the fish and rocks and water plants. Then we paddled back to the dock. We were out there from like 12:00 to 4:30! No one flipped! It was awesome!

Funny sayings from the day:
Michelle as she is picking up Lilah and we are all standing there around a canoe after the initial greetings and questions about the baby's general welfare: Is the car seat inside?
Matt: yeah by my desk.
Michelle as she is walking into the classroom to put Lilah in the car seat: Ohh.. I hit a deer this morning on the other side of the car there, I hope it isn't too bad.
All of the interns look at each other shocked at how off hand Michelle just mentioned that she hit a deer and then look at Matt who is shrugging his shoulders. Every one bursts out laughing.

Beth after Matt told us about some really "gnarly" white water rafting stories from when he was a river guide: Isn't that dangerous? I mean people die from that right?
Matt in a voice that both communicates "duhhh" and "so...": yeah.

Giggles in the canoes... water "fights"....quoting "Oh Brother Where Art Thou"...singing...group hug...

Taco as we are in the canoe paddling away: Hey Sarah...Remember when I told you I had done this a couple times, I meant literally a couple times. Like two or three.
Sarah: Thanks for telling me this now Taco. Now that I already put my confidence in your abilities and we are out here on the water.

Guess you had to be there for all of those funny moments. sorry...
One regret... no one was brave enough to bring their camera out onto the water so there are no pictures. bummer huh!
The day ended with free Chick-Fil-A!
Did I mention that I love my job? Because I do!