Even the smallest person can change the course of the future.

So recently (as in two blogs ago) I decided to make the titles of my blogs quotes from movies. If you guess the correct movie, you get a high five! ( or a gold star). Anyways, I just wanted to update any readers on that little tid bit.

In my blog about Oliver, I mentioned how we had almost died together. Amazingly enough, I find myself with no pressing assignments or issues and I have my computer so I figured now was as good a time as any to explain.

Again, like many of my posts, this involves Hawaii. And so I begin:

When we were still in the stages of planning, we made a list of things we wanted to do while in Hawaii. This list included SWAT Meet, Dole Plantation, Scuba diving, snorkeling, tanning, boogey boarding and etc.

Two days before leaving Hawaii, we were scheduled to go scuba diving with a local place. Nervous, but excited for the most part, we set out that morning determined to have a good time and not focus on our nerves. We get to the store, and our instructor is late. After we finally get our suits and all the heavy equipment, we load into this huge van and go get gas. Then we headed to a beach somewhat by Shark's Cove. We get out and get all our stuff on and our instructor (some chick named Charlie) realizes in her frenzy, she had forgotten all of her own equipment. So us four girls, sat there on a wall with our very flattering scuba suits on while Charlie drove back to get her gear.
On the way to the beach, Charlie had breifly gone over how to scuba dive for us novices. This did nothing to calm our nerves.
So anyways she gets back and we get our fins, masks and oxygen tanks on and follow her down a hill into this cove. I vaguelly remember her telling us how to go around the huge rocks until we got into deeper water. Kj and Oliver head out first and I follow while Charlie stays behind with Lisa.

I put my mask on and try to get used to the unusual way of breathing into my tank, when suddenly I feel myself getting unstable. I pull my head out of the water ( I was in about waist deep) and look for everyone else. I cannot see Kj OR Oliver, so I look back to Charlie in Lisa who were some feet behind me.
The next thing I know, the water starts to get really rough and I can feel /hear myself starting to get freaked out (I'm still breathing into my tank which is really loud).
All I can remember is the waves getting out of control. They were huge and I couldn't do anything because of my bulky equipment and fear. The waves would build, pulling me into them then crash down and pummel me against the huge lava rocks I have been trying to manuever around minutes before. Back and forth. Back and forth. I sort of remember wondering where Oliver and Kj were, and if they were getting hurt as much as me. I can still see Lisa and Charlie, Charlie motioning and telling me to come back. One problem. I can't.

I honestly feared for my life in those few moments that felt like forever. I remember the waves being so so big, me having to hang onto rocks so I wouldn't get pulled out to sea, then slamming into rock after rock with water drilling into me. After a while, I was able to get back to shore and I was trying to hold back tears. I don't remember Oliver or Kj coming back in, just that we waited for them then headed back up the hill. I went to take off my fins and realized that I had lost one, along with my goggles. I can imagine my tank being pretty banged up as well.

At the wall that we had waited at before, us friends were all silent and shivering as we took off all our gear and put them in piles. Charlie tried to get us to go back out. Fat chance Charlie. Some other scuba divers that we had seen at the store earlier and who had gotten into the water much earlier because we had to wait for Charlie, came up the hill and asked us if we had felt the water. They (liscenced divers mind you) had been deep under water and felt the water all the sudden change and had had to get out of the water. This made us feel better and less like babies. Liscenced divers were scared.

Needless to say, we didn't get back in the water that day.

There's is my actual near-death experience now in cyber space.
I'm gratefull I didn't die that day, though I was bleeding from my hands where I had no protection from my suit. Janelle took us all back to the store and got all of our money back (she had paid for 1/2 for everyone as a gift for us.) even though they have a policy where they don't give the money back if the scuba students had gotten in the water.

To this day I still remain somewhat weary of water and big waves.
I hope everyone can understand my ramblings :-/
Here's a shout out to Lisa and Oliver for being there!

Aloha
ps. what is that shining ball in the sky? Is that the SUN?!