How I Overcame Lazy This Week: I Got Me Some Friends With Benefits

Yes, I am married to my best friend and I do get benefits.

But I’m talking about different friends and different benefits.

It’s good to have friends with cool toys that are generous enough to let you borrow them.  Like the kayaks K’s co-worker kindly lent us a couple of weeks ago.  This is the second time she’s entrusted them to us.  The first time we used them on a cold, leech-infested reservoir in northern Utah, then on a man-made neighborhood lake here in town (which we found out was NOT legal!).  This time we finally got it right and took them out to Lake Mead.

Me and Z.
She insisted on paddling "by herself."

It was one of the most enjoyable summer outings I think we’ve ever done as a family.  We launched the kayaks near a marina where the personal watercrafts also shove off.  Then we paddled to some nearby islands and spent the morning just swimming around, watching the jet skis zip by, the fishing boats put-put along, and a crane or two swoop in to join us on our private little beach. 

K and R.

Another way we recently took advantage enjoyed the generosity of some friends was  by using their pool while they were out of town.  We regularly enjoy going to our nearby community pool, but it was so nice to go to a private residence and just do our own thing with no rules and weird stares from people as I do my water jogging and pool plyometrics.  (Pool workouts rock!)

Thanks to my brother, we made use of their timeshare (right on the beach!) at the Oregon coast for our latest family reunion.  When I grew up in Washington on the glorious Columbia River, our family did not own a boat but pretty much every other family in town did, so I still got plenty of water skiing, wakeboarding and tubing in.



This could totally be me!



I’m telling ya, the expense, maintenance and storage of too many recreational toys is wack when you can just mooch off borrow from generous friends, family and acquaintances.

So, hey, if anyone out there has anything like a windsurf board, 4-wheeler… mountain cabin in Aspen, that’s just sittin’ around gathering dust, we’ll put it to good use for you!