This past summer was a great time for rowing.  I had a great time out on the water with my teammates and even got to spend a day in a double with Mami.  There was also the US Rowing ODP Camp in June, where I learned a lot and made some great memories!  And I can't forget my team's summer banquet which is always a blast!  But now that summer has come to an end, it's time to bring up the intensity of our training and compete at some regattas!  We've already raced at two and it's all building up to the final one of the season in just a few days! 

In movies, summer camps always appear to be the highlight of the season.  Exciting experiences, unforgettable memories, and lasting friendships are made.  I never really thought that I'd get to experience one, but this past summer, I did!  I received an invitation to US Rowing's ODP Youth Development Camp, as did one of my teammates, and in June, we went to Chattanooga, TN for a time that we'll never forget!  

This past month has been really eventful!  With the school year coming to an end and regionals coming up, there's just been a lot going on!  Here's what I've been up to lately!

Birthdays are always special occasions in my family, and they're always worth celebrating.  This is especially so when they mark a milestone, as is the case with my little sister's recent quinceañera!  To celebrate, my mom and I threw her a Jungle Cruise themed birthday party that she loved!

The day before Mother's Day my family and I were at rowing regionals, so I didn't have time to prepare anything for Mother's Day.  But Mami does so much for me, so I really wanted to do something special for her!  That's why I threw her a "teddy bear picnic" themed party a few days after Mother's Day to celebrate!

This past spring rowing season has been full of excitement! We rowed through fog, rain, and choppy water. Boats flipped, practices were tough, we raced in lineups that had no practice, and races where our boat had a broken part. We faced it all, and it was all leading up to this race: Southeast Youth Rowing Regionals!

Two regattas in two weeks; spring racing is coming to an end but we're finishing strong!  Both the William's Island Regatta and Dogwood Junior Championships presented their own set of challenges but we managed to push through and have made some great progress!

It's been a while since I've written anything here on Wild Escapades, and a lot has happened since my last post!  An entire season of winter training has gone by!  As have several eventful practices and even the first race of the season!  Let me catch you up...

This fall has been super busy and exciting, with three great regattas in a short period of time.  I've raced in eights, quads, fours, and even the double that I've been pushing for since last year!  We faced everything from horrible weather to equipment malfunctions, but we always pushed through and finished strong!  Each of these regattas has been an amazing experience in its own way, with much progress and much more to come!  

Here's what happened at the Secret City Head Race, Music City Head Race, and the Head of the Hooch!

Though my 16th birthday was back in January, my mom and I just returned from my Sweet 16 birthday trip not too long ago!  It was originally set for a ski trip to Colorado, but things kept coming up and it eventually turned into the complete opposite; fun in the sun going to Florida!  It was just for a few days, but they were packed with adventure and wildlife...I absolutely loved it!

Tasty dino treats, Jurassic activities, and pre-historic decorations all made for a great dinosaur themed birthday party for my little sister Ariana.  Planned by my Mami and myself, it was a fun day that we all enjoyed!  Here's what we did to celebrate...

2 days of great racing at the Dogwood Junior Championships were tough, painful, and exhausting, but despite all that, they were full of amazing memories and our team did really well, including my double that I finally got to race! 

Lots of wind, bone-chilling cold, and not a whole lot of practice all added up to two interesting regattas these past few weeks.  Here's what happened at the Percy Priest Sprints March 26th and at the race at Baylor a few days ago, plus a few interesting practices that led up to them....

​Now that the 2021 Winter training season has neared its end, I thought that it would be the perfect time to look back on the highlights of my first rowing seasons...  Some of the things, like the races, I already wrote about in previous posts, but there are other things that I haven't until now. 

My Mami's birthday was just the other day, and because she does so much for my sister and I, I decided to throw her the best tropical-themed party that I could!  I spent the entire day before getting everything ready, then when I finally let her see what I'd done, she was really surprised and loved everything!

The menu was based on this tropical theme, and was fruity and delicious, with the decorations being extremely festive!  ​

​My Sweet 16 was yesterday, and even though I didn't have a huge party, I still had a great time celebrating with my family!  We did a puzzle, opened presents, had cake, and had an amazing time together!

​This year has truly flown by, and Christmas was around the corner before I even knew it.  My family and I made some holiday treats, played a few games, watched movies, and opened presents on Christmas morning, enjoying all of it!  But the fun started before Christmas Eve, since we did a few other winter activities before that!

​This past Sunday my family made a short trip to Chicago to go ice skating and to the Field Museum, and even though the rain canceled our plans to go ice skating, we still had a lot of fun!

​One of the biggest regattas in North America, yesterday was my first time attending the Head of the Hooch!  There were over 2,000 boats competing from all over the US, and even a boat from Serbia! 

​This past Monday I was at rowing practice when I noticed a duck walking along the side of the road opposite to the boat enclosure.  He was calling out and eventually walked out onto the road and came up to us. I then noticed that he was a duckling because of his feathers and his wings, and after a while I noticed that he also had a bit of a limp.  My Mami and I brought him home with us and named him River.  He spent the night and the following day with us, and managed to find him a nice new home.  We later found out that he's actually a domestic duck, so it's a good thing that we did bring him with us!

​Last Halloween we had a ton of spooky decorations, and although this year, that wasn't the case, we still had plenty of tasty treats and had a lot of fun!  We also dressed up, carved our pumpkins, and watched the first Harry Potter movie! 

​When I lived in Florida, I used to be a ballroom dancer.  Now, that I've moved to Alabama, I'm a rower, and I love it, but I thought that I'd share some photos of my time as a ballroom dancer, including my 4 showcases and 2 mini matches at Luna Ballroom!  

​My second regatta, the Secret City Head Race, was October 16th, and it was a great day for rowing!  The weather was nice, the scenery really green, and it doesn't hurt that I medaled either :)  Here's a bit about my weekend racing at Oak Ridge!  

​Just a few months ago I started rowing and made the competitive team.  Last Sunday, October 3rd, I attended my very first race, and although it wasn't exactly how I'd expected, I still had a blast!    

​Another of my hobbies is writing, and so for one of my English projects in school, I was supposed to write a paragraph on the subject "making a friend", but instead I ended up writing a whole short story on the subject!  It ended up being a comedy, and I hope that you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!  Here it is, Making Friends: A How to...