I've been meaning to post this one since this past summer. I went swimming in the ocean. This has been one of my biggest fears ever since childhood. Every year my extended family would go to the beach. All of my cousins and my sisters loved going in the ocean, but all I could think about was sharks and tides, so I'd wade, or let my Dad carry me in, but I was never one to go in deep with the others. Usually, I was one the beach for about half and hour and then back in the condo reading. But I always felt like I was missing out. This past summer, I went to the beach with my husband's family. I was laying out on the sand and getting very, very hot. So when my sister-in-law urged me to take a dip, I actually agreed. I stayed in the water a total of 10 minutes. Surprisingly, it was pretty fun. The water felt great and we went in deep enough that I couldn't feel the bottom. But after those 10 minutes of imagining huge sea beasts grabbing my leg and pulling me down, or a nest of jelly fish floating by and taking hold, I had to get out. When I did, my heart was pounding so hard that I'm sure anyone could have seen it beating against my chest. I hadn't realized how physically afraid I was to go in the water. But I'm glad I did. Maybe next year I'll make it 15 minutes. Pictures to come as soon as I find them.