Warning: Boogie boarding and riptides don't mix

Well I almost got my cousin killed during her visit out here last week. She and I almost drowned in the ocean off Coronado Island — two times to be exact. Yeah, exactly. The first thing I remember thinking as I was being twirled in a washing machine of salt water was, "I hope she knows to hold her breath." 

We laughed about it after saying our prayers to the Lord...ONLY because we didn't know what the heck was going on when two lifeguards ripped off their shirts and swam out to us. 

Only seconds before McKenzie said something about not being able to touch the bottom. I kind of glazed over her comment because I was busy watching and listening to the two guys next to us hanging on their boogie boards. The one guy said to the other, "Are you Ok? Are you just going to wait here?" And I'm thinking what the heck is he talking about. Then I look towards the beach and see two lifeguards jump out of the truck, rip off their shirts and run out to the water with their flippers and stuff. All the time in my head I'm panicking, thinking what's going on? I think immediately — SHARK!!! I start to think "Oh my god, this guy just got bit by a shark." I immediately lift up my legs out of the water and scan the area. (I think this is when McKenzie said she couldn't touch.) 

So the lifeguards get to us, and right away I'm like what's going on. He calmy says, "Ok you guys, there is a rip current...LOOK OUT!" McKenzie and I turn to see a HUGE WAVE about to pummel us into the ocean floor. Within seconds I'm in the washing machine thinking "Oh my god, I hope McKenzie is holding her breath." My stupid boogie board is yanking me around. I pop up and immediately look to find McKenzie. I see her standing a couple feet away wiping her tangled hair out of her face. She's looking REALLY scared. I'm like "Are you alright. I didn't know what was going on. I thought it was a shark. Did you swallow any water." And she says, "Let's not go out that far anymore." The thing is though, we didn't. We got carried out without knowing. 

We almost drowned a second time when two waves came in at once. We rode the first one and the second pummeled us and flipped us around. Since then, McKenzie tended to run from the waves first...then rode them in. But we still had a great time and had no drowning scares the following day — though the riptides were a lot bigger. We mainly had to worry about other boogie boarders running into us or us running into innocent bystanders. 

But all in all, it was an eventful week — for her especially. By the end of the week, we were pooped, sore and tan. We went to Sea World Monday, Disneyland Wednesday and spent the rest of the week boogie-boarding in the ocean. On Saturday, I went to the pool for an hour and she was on YouTube looking up anything and everything on The Jonas Brothers. I then got her off the Internet to go see Hancock. By Saturday night, I knew all about The Jonas Brothers and how much she hates Miley Cyrus. 

I put her back on a plane to Wisconsin early Sunday morning. Even she said the week went by really fast, and she was worried about getting homesick. I'm glad she didn't. I guess she wants to move here now — she's 13. We already have two things planned for her next trip out here — horseback riding on the beach (her dream) and Medieval Times.