I don't want this feeling to go away...

Dear Em,
We didn't get out kayaking as much as I would have liked this year, but our summers just get so busy. When the forecast predicted weather in the 80s, I wanted to ask Daddy if we could go on one last kayaking adventure. It turns out he was thinking the same thing & asked me before I even got a chance.

I wanted to try out someplace new this time, & I asked him if we could go to Worden Pond in South Kingstown. We actually sat in the parking lot of Worden Pond, looking at the beauty of the water, making a pro & con list when we decided to put an offer in for our home. I thought it would be fun spot for kayaking & offered you the opportunity to get out of the kayak & swim.

You & I started in the double kayak with Daddy in the single. The water was like glass, & the surrounding foliage was gorgeous. You pointed in the direction you wanted to go in, & we paddled out. Worden's Pond is quite large for a pond. The spot you pointed to across the pond didn't seem very far away at first, but it took us forever to get there. As a result, you changed your mind about where you wanted us to paddle at least six times.

You jumped in the water for a second to go swimming before declaring that it was too cold. You spent most of the rest of the trip wrapped up in a towel. You put your feet up, sat back, & relaxed.

You don't tend to relax for very long. Dissatisfied with the speed & direction we were going, you decided to paddle yourself.

You quickly realized paddling is a lot harder than it looks, & told me we were just going to wait for the kayak to float where you wanted it to go. I took over the paddling at that point & you occupied yourself by taking photos.

Daddy got to be apart of a little mini-photo shoot (I love how you captured his reflection in the water), before you took a series of selfies (um, who taught you the duck face pose?!).

I asked you to take photos of the multicolored foliage, but you told me it was too far away. A couple months ago, we drove past Worden Pond, & our friends laughed at us for calling it a pond. It's pretty massive & looks more like a small lake. I guess it's not classified as a pond because of the size, but rather the depth. It's quite shallow. I'm pretty sure I could have touched the bottom at all spots. In fact, the middle of the pond was so shallow, you & I got out.

We picked up shells, wondering how so many got in the pond in the first place, & explored a little.

Daddy & I switched kayaks at that point, & you tried paddling again. Notice Daddy's defensive stance & also the fact that you're facing backwards.

Once again convinced that paddling is for the birds, you left the hard work to Daddy & put your feet up.

You also ordered Daddy to put his feet up.

You were pretty antsy at that point & kept trying to "rock the boat." We put on what we hoped would be a calming Jack Johnson Pandora station. The sunlight sparkled on the water as we paddled back to shore. Jack Johnson's Upside Down came on. As he sang, "I don't want this feeling to go away," I knew exactly what he meant.

I love you so,

Mommy