Making Memories

Chapter 37

"Ready to go paddle boarding?" I asked. It was bright and early at 6:30 AM.
"Ugh, it's too early." Woods groaned.
"I'm usually the night owl, this is weird for you." I said.
"It's the time change, it's messing with my schedule." Woods said.
"Oh, bullshit. We've been here for a couple days, now get up." I said, pulling on his arm.
"Alright, alright. I'm up." Woods said.

We head out to the lake in our swimwear. We get our lesson on paddle boarding first, then we're out on the water. Our instructor is only with us for about five minutes. Then, he's gone. Knowing me, I'll fall off the board because I have the balance of a newborn deer. My best friends from high school would know that because I trip every time while running on the track. Those were good times. I miss them. When I get back home, I'll invite them out to come hang out if they're all available. The instructor hopped off after five minutes then we're on our own. Woods and I paddle in unison. Woods messes with me by rocking the board.

"Woods!" I exclaim.
"I'm just messin' with you." Woods said.
"Don't do that, I almost fell off." I said.
"That would've been hilarious." Woods said.
"Oh yeah? How about this for hilarious?" I asked, pushing him hard into the water. Woods trips and falls into the water. He resurfaces.
"Hey!" Woods exclaims.
"Haha, take that. Revenge is sweet." I said.

Woods pulls at my ankle and I fall into the water with him. I scowl at him and shake my head. He moves my wet hair behind my ear and kisses me. Okay, I forgive him now just for that. It wasn't even that big of a deal. I just love being dramatic. We get back onto the board and continue paddling around. Woods takes off his life jacket so he could back flip into the water. That was so hot. Then he suggests:

"You should try."
"I'll probably break my neck." I said.
"It's simple. Jump high enough wear you can fold you knees into your body, then just fall backward." Woods explains.
"Oh, I'm not sure." I said.
"Come on. I'll help you." Woods said.
"Ugh, fine." I said.

Woods climbs back onto the board. He stands next to me. Our backs are to the water. Woods takes me through the back flip step by step. When I think I'm ready we flip together. To my surprise, I do it on my first try. I didn't think I could do it at first. Woods applauds my form and performance. My heart is beating out of my chest. I did that. I did something I never did before. I give Woods the tightest hug because I had just survived one of the scariest moments in my life. I know it's just a back flip, but it was scary okay. We climb back onto the board and paddle back to shore. While on the shore, we make a few friends. It's another newly wedded couple who'd like to stay in touch when we head back home. We got their social media handles so we could keep that contact. We give them a hug and say goodbye.

We head to lunch at a nice, cozy restaurant. I get a steak with a side of potatoes. Woods got salmon covered in lemon. It looked so good. We dive into our food, loving life. We finish lunch and head out to do our next fun activity. I planned for us to go parasailing. The boat starts up and we start flying. I hold Woods' hand and in my other hand is the go-pro. I film us and the surrounding area. The ocean is so blue, the perfect shade, my favorite color. We finish parasailing. I put my hand in the water as we fall slow down. It looks so pretty. Man, I love New Zealand. Like I keep saying, I never want to leave this paradise.

We go to shore and dry off. We head on over to our hotel to put on some clothes then go have dinner at a romantic restaurant. I have tradtional Maori food because while in New Zealand, I gotta have some of their amazing food. It's so good, I love it so much. After lunch we head back to our hotel room as I'm planning our next activity. We'll be driving off roading jeeps. I heard there's a place where you can drive these jeeps in some decently deep water and just have some fun. I thought it'd be good for Woods and I to do something like this together. Though, I'm afraid to do this, I know it'll be worth it in the end, just like the majority of things we've done.

That morning, we head out to Off Road NZ to begin our adventure. I let Woods drive first because honestly I'm scared to drive on the left side with a right hand drive, even though it doesn't matter out here. We're in the beautiful New Zealand bush, as the guide describes it. Today is a day to have fun, and feel like we're gonna die.

We drive through giagantic puddles. At one point, we're driving at a 45° angle. This scared me even more because it felt like I was going to fall out of the window. Then, the guide messes with us by shaking the jeep. I scream and the guide laughs at me.
"Oh my God, stop! You're gonna tip it!" I exclaimed.
"Stop worrying, there's no way this thing will tip. There's enough weight to the jeep, plus the weight of you two will not allow it to tip over." He said.
"Babe, calm down." Woods said.
"This is just the beginning." I said.

We finish this course and it's time for me to drive the jeep. I follow the guide slowly at first, then he told me I can speed up. I drive right through a giant puddle and I feel the splash of water hit my arm and part of my face. Now, it's time for the scariest part of it all: the near 90° degree drop. The guide tells me to take it very slow, then let gravity take us. I drive up, lining up the wheels to the metal. When we're ready I drive a bit more forward, then gravity takes us down the hill very quickly. That did something to my stomach. It sent my stomach to my throat, or at least it felt like it.
"Good job, baby." Woods said, giving me a kiss on the cheek and a high five.
"Yeah, I did that. I never thought I would do it." I said, high fiving him back.
"You're very brave." Woods said.
"Just wait til tomorrow. Our final activity is rapelling. We'll be rapelling at various heights. Starting at 20 feet, then 60, then all the way up to 200." I said.
"You're going to face your fears. I'm so proud of you." Woods said.
"Thanks. The best part, we'll have an amazing series of vlogs to come out when we get home." I said.
"Hell yes. I bet they'll love seeing the adventures we've been on." Woods said.
"They definitely will." I said.