Snot In My Eyebrow

I can't believe I'm finally telling you that my scuba diving adventures are coming to a near end.


Yesterday was my final day in Ball Pool doing scuba diving exercises and skills.


Its bittersweet.











I started out my journey terrified. My body image and self perception dominated all hope of completing a class without crying in the shower alone.

But with the support of my friends, family, Justin, and my followers on my blog- I ended my journey with a smile.

Recalling to the very first day, I embarrassed myself.

Not like yelling down the isle during the middle of church embarrassing, but boobs flopping out during my swim embarrassing.

You really can't do anything else except for laugh during situations like that, well, and hope people at least think you have a nice rack. Just kidding, but really...

In the middle of my journey, I had lots of tears and failing memories. But I also had laughs and victories to share.

So now, I tell you the story about my final scuba diving adventure. I know, you can hardly wait.

****

I got into class early, so Carol asked me to be in the first group. I didn't really want to be in the first group because my buddy was in the second group.

Before class, I put a card on her bag. It was a sympathy card. "Sorry you had to be with the slow kid in class," I wrote. "But we had a lot of laughs. So enjoy the laffy taffy I got you. Thanks for being so patient. You were a great buddy!"

So I was partnered up with a new stranger. Someone who didn't understand my freak outs. Someone who didn't understand my underwater language. Did I mention they didn't understand my freak outs? Oh, okay, I did.

As a buddy team, we had to swim to the bottom of the pool. Once on the bottom, one buddy needed to remove all of their scuba gear. The last thing they removed was their regulator. And once they did that, we buddy breathed a lap around the pool.

Let me assure you that buddy breathing sucks, especially if you are a hyperventilating nervous stressful chihuahua like me!

So he went first.

We got through it alive . I only thought I was doing to die due to a of lack of air twice. No biggie.

Then it was my turn.

Everything was going fine until we were back in the deep end and I had to swim back down to my gear, finding the regulator first.

Well I couldn't find the regulator and my buddy wasn't close enough to buddy breath. So I grabbed the octopus regulator (the one you use to share with your buddy if your tank has one hooked up-- its yellow so stands out really easily).

But it wasn't on the right side of the gear, so I ended up breathing in more water than air. I started choking on the water I just breathed in. I searched a little more for my regulator, but couldn't find it so I swam up to the surface.

OMG, I thought. So glad for air....

I told Carol I couldn't find my regulator. She told me to look for it from the surface, find it, and then surface dive back to the bottom.

I looked and looked and looked some more...finally I spotted it, buried and blended in with my vest.

Down I went. Put my gear on. Done.

We had to exit the pool using only a rope (replicating an ocean dive) and people were making waves at us.

Well, all of the waves must have gotten the best of me. I was definitely breathing hard because I got snot on my face.

I was talking to Carol and the two student dive instructors and finally Carol interrupted me and said, "You've got some snot on your face."

"Where?" I asked. Always the first question, like just be specific the first time you tell me.

"On your cheek," she said.

Well which cheek, right or left? I thought rubbing all over my face.

So I pushed around on my cheeks trying to find this snotty mess.

"Now its in your eyebrow!" Carol said.

Wonderful. Boobs out on the first day snot in my eyebrow on the last day.

At least I'm consistent with letting stuff flop out.

Much love,
Ashley