Karlie LOVED to go kayaking and when we lived in San Diego we went often on Mission Bay. After we moved out of our house and became a part-time resident in a condo we needed a smaller boat so we opted for an inflatable stand up paddle (SUP) board. Karlie quickly adapted and LOVED going out on it.
After we said goodbye to Karlie and adopted Sunny we started taking her on the SUP board. Unfortunately on our first outing she stepped right off the board and went under the water. Thankfully she was wearing her life vest so I grabbed the handle on top and lifted her back on the board. She had a look on her face that said, “what just happened?” Luckily she’s managed to stay on the board every time since that. She doesn’t quite love kayaking like Karlie did, but she seems to enjoy being out on the water as long as the waves from the big boats aren’t too high.
Since being back in San Diego we’ve taken Sunny out on the water a couple times. Every time we go it reminds me of Karlie. Part of it is that my view of Sunny from behind sitting on the front of the SUP reminds me of Karlie. She looks SO much like Karlie from that angle. And she is wearing Karlie’s old life vest since I forgot to bring hers with us. All the feelings and emotions of saying goodbye to Karlie come rushing back. I love Sunny, but I still miss Karlie immensely. I really don’t think that will ever go away. She was a huge part of my life and the memories are everywhere, especially here in San Diego.
Despite that I am enjoying taking Sunny to all the places that I shared with Karlie. I am so thankful that Sunny loves to go hiking as much as Karlie did. It’s fun to take her to our favorite places. It reminds me of the fun we had with Karlie while making new memories with Sunny.
On our last kayaking trip I told Sunny all about Karlie and our last time on the water. Sunny may not have understood everything I said, but she listened and it made me feel good to talk about Karlie. So almost two years after saying goodbye to Karlie I am still working through the grief and sadness. I am so luck to have Sunny to make me smile and get me out to all our favorite places.