Unexpected Adventure

 Some of the best life stories come from unexpected adventures. Last weekend provided us with yet another story to tell of a unique adventure. It is etched in our memories to be recalled along with other family stories.
  We were at a family reunion on a lake in Tennessee. We had brought our boat, as we have done for all of our lakeside reunions, and spent time on the water with various family members enjoying the ride, skiing, tubing, knee-boarding and swimming. The lake we were on was over 60 miles in length and most of the banks were rocky and steep with only a few marinas peppered along the shore and scattered houses high above on the foothills. We seemed to have the whole lake to ourselves.
  Saturday morning was a bit cloudy, but the temperature was quite warm and some of the younger cousins were eager to get out on the water. Adam went first on a tube and had a great time riding through the boat's wake. Evan's turn was next. As he rode along we saw rain in the distance falling in sheets and soon the drops were pelting us as well. That's when the thunder and lightning began and we needed to find a place to wait out the storm.
  My husband pulled the boat into a remote cove and set the anchor. He told us we needed to swim to shore since a metal boat on a lake in a thunderstorm wasn't a good place to stay. Our daughter called him "Captain Obvious" at this remark.
  We were all soaked already, so swimming to the bank wasn't a problem and we were soon climbing up the rocky shoreline as our captain made sure the boat was properly anchored. (My daughter with her underwater camera on her wrist.) By the time he was ready to swim to shore the boat had drifted closer to the other side so he was soon standing on the opposite bank with the rain pouring from the sky.
  Standing on that large, flat rock together looking out at the water and completely soaked we began to share stories of other memorable adventures. Biking in the rain and seeking refuge in a barn in rural Kansas, a boat on the ocean in North Carolina with waves crashing, a storm on a lake in Wisconsin and the wild ride back to the marina and driving through the Midwest in snowstorm. We've all had adventures like this at one point or another.
  The storm passed and we swam back to the boat. Climbed the ladder and continued tubing and skiing. By the time we were back at the dock we had dried off and laughing about our adventure. We shared our story with the other family members. For the six of us it will be a special story that we will remember and retell throughout our lives.
  Unexpected adventures make wonderful stories we can share over and over again. They shape our lives, make us laugh and connect us to others. Isn’t that what stories are all about?