12 Weeks: My titanium neck rocks the beach and saves the day

After postponing a trip in July, I finally got to the beach this summer.  The 8 hour drive was a breeze, no neck problems at all.  Well, that's if you don't count the crick I got in my neck from watching the bikes bounce around on the bike rack the whole way ;p.

We started off in Georgia for 5 days at The King and Prince on St. Simon's Island.  My first test was the daily biking around the island. No problems at all and it was awesome to be able to enjoy the area without pain or limitation.  We last went to Florida in March before the fusion and it was frustrating, to say the least. I couldnt play tennis, jog or kayak. I think to prove how well I was doing, I made sure to fit all of that in. Yep, I'm that girl.

We kayaked in the ocean for an hour and it felt great. I've not done very much at all with my arms so this was a good test for me.  Paddling felt great and my arm strength was as good as ever, as far as I can tell.  There was a huge sandbar at the beach so we decided to swim to it at low tide. I had no trouble swimming across, it was about 25 yards. Although both kids had boogie boards, the youngest started to struggle. He was with my husband who is not much of a swimmer, unfortunately.  So after I got across I looked back and saw him just kind of floating with the current pulling him away from us.

I ran out, dove back in and swam with my head above water straight out to him. I kept talking to him to reassure him I was going to get him.  Once I got there, I grabbed his board but realized the currents were much stronger there.  Even with both of us kicking holding the board, we made no headway.  I took off my water shoes, rested them on the board and side-stroke kicked as hard as I could towing him behind me. After about 5 minutes, I was able to get us back to shore.  He was pretty upset - a mixture of scared and embarrassed. After he settled down, I gave him and my husband a lecture about water safety.

Next up, South Carolina! I got the chance to practice my lying around in the sand skills.  Happily, they and my tanning superpowers are unaffected! Going to give golf a try...maybe titanium neck plate + idyllic location will finally give me some game.