Mom/Daughter adventures began in the Keys at Sunshine Keys RV Resort on warm, beautiful day. Kevin wasn’t feeling well, and after spending a few days in the trailer, waiting that out, we were ready for fresh air and sunshine. So, Kaitlyn and I took our brave selves and went kayaking… On the Atlantic, in the middle of the ocean… and the Gulf of Mexico. Alone. It was liberating!!!!

I have to admit I was nervous, but I was determined to show Kaitlyn that women were perfectly capable of doing what they set their minds too. We rented a kayak from the marina inside the Sunshine Keys RV resort (Keys Boat Tours- https://keysboattours.com), which was very convenient as we were staying there. They were very reasonable for the afternoon and the owner was super attentive, helpful and kind (great customer service!). We started out slowly, trying to set the pace for ourselves. We made some ground rules (my hyper teenager, could not dance in the kayak, jump out of the kayak or scream bloody murder if we had a scare with a critter beneath us). We had to be calm, remain calm, enjoy the quiet and the scenery.

We managed to do all of this, except I had to remind both of us that NO, we couldn’t jump out of the kayak, into the Atlantic Ocean to go scout out an island (isle? mangrove? sandbar? yes, it was that small!) We started south, turned east and made a complete circle, which probably equaled about 7 miles total when it was all said and done. I was worried that I would be too tired in the arms from paddling, to make it longer than an hour (hahaha), but man, I felt fantastic. We took our time, stopped and rested while we floated and took in the views, and critter watched (needle fish and rays are soo fun to just observe in their daily lives). We managed the entire loop in just about 3 hours.

Kaitlyn felt empowered and grown up. She was truly awake and aware of her surroundings, and as a mom, this is something I have been working with her lately to ensure she’s stepping into being aware of her surroundings as a growing young lady. When you struggle with learning disabilities, and anxiety, it’s an every day event to step up, especially with new things. You know the sayings, “I’m not going to be around forever”, and “It’s time for you to step up”, into responsibilities and adulthood, and being a mom, it’s important to me that my daughter feels confident in what she can do (both mentally and physically). This day… met all of my expectations and then some.

I know that Kaitlyn will never forget this adventure with Mom, nor will I. I say it was liberating, because it was; for both of us. I realized my daughter has watched me all these years, and is ready to step up and out in making decisions for her own safety. Mom WIN!!!!

You can see the entire adventure in the video here:

As you can see from the video, the colors were spectacular and the moments we created as a team were memories neither Kaitlyn nor I will ever forget. Can’t WAIT to get back to Sunshine Key RV Resort, and kayak. This time, we will have Dad with us, make it longer, or do it more often, and see new areas. I bet, I convince myself to try kayaking for an all day tour. Have you done this yet, be it for a short trip, or an all day adventure? Where did you go? What did you see? Please share your adventures in a comment, Kaitlyn and I would love to hear about it, and find new places to explore! We hope you will subscribe and follow along on our adventures through YouTube as well