can't read my lifeguard face, is she asleep or is she awake?

Wow I have not posted in a very long time! When ali and I started our jobs we thought it would be so relaxing... Be on the beach all day, come home and lay around, read a book... But no. Our typical day goes like this:
745 get to the beach if doing rentals, 845 if high chair.
Work till 5, go to the office to sign out, get home around 6 or later.
Shower fast for competition, training, a potluck, dinner, whatever.
Go out.
Do it all over again.

While its crazy and busy, I love it. There really is something always going on and with 80 lifeguards, you can always find someone to do something with.

The past week we have had our lifeguard competition. All the guards are drafted by the supervisors onto one of the five teams. I was on team punisher and ali was on the sea monkeys. We had three different days of competition. Last thursday was the surf swim and 2K run. For the surf swim you had to swim out to a buoy in the ocean then parallel to the shore to the other buoy then back into land. Really, really hard. I ended up getting 8th so I was happy with that. Then the 2K run started and I thought I was going to die, my legs seriously felt like lead. I made it through though and got an amazing 25th place. Clearly running is not my strong point.

Monday was the run swim run, 100 meter dash and 4x100 relay. For the run swim run we start off running 200 meters, then swim 300 meters out to a buoy and back in, then run a final 200 meters. Again, so hard! I really need to get in shape haha. But I got 7th in that and then 7th or 8th in the 100 meter dash so I got some points for our team!

Last night was the final night - beach flags. This is the most fun event of competition because its like a game. We were all put into heats of twelve. We would lay down in the sand and make a little hole with our bodies so we were only laying in hard sand. Behind us, garden hose was stuck in the sand, but we couldn't see it. When the whistle blew, we had to jump up, turn around and sprint to get a hose. The catch is that there is one less hose than girls, so each round someone gets out. Each heat goes until there are only four girls left, then those four girls make it to finals. Well what do you know, beach flags just might be my calling! Never having played, I made it to finals and ended up getting sixth (should have done better). I kind of want to play it for fun which ali thinks is just really weird but whatever.

I'm also getting really buff. My arms are getting nicely toned but I'm fearing they will be manly by the end of the summer!! I can carry 3 umbrellas at a time (at the beginning of the summer I couldn't even carry 2) and I'm needing to learn how to double stack chairs because I think I could carry four chairs at a time instead of 2. My friend chris can triple stack chairs which is 6 chairs being carried at a time and this girl on staff can carry 9, yes NINE umbrellas at one time. I have yet to see it but I think I would be amazed.

Today is our day off so I think the plan is to go to the beach, go figure, to try and get our little tummies tan and just relax and read and listen to music like all those lucky vacationers we watch do.

Next week is a busy week with canada day (bigger at shore beach than the fourth of july) and the fourth. Ali and I will be having our own 3rd dance party here in HHI, don't worry chanpaign!

Keep yall posted...

can we 10 25 so we can get 10 6 in the dunes?

I'll give whoever knows what this post is entitled $5.. Oh shore radio codes and what we make of them!

Well officially two weeks are down now! I made it all last week surviving high chair guard... And after one day of doing rentals, I'm pretty sure I prefer rentals to high chair. Last week I treated two sting ray wounds, cleared the water for shark sightings, caught a loose dog, helped a little boy find his parents, and tell people that no, they cannot take the starfish and sand dollars from the beach. Oh very exciting things let me tell you! Unfortunately I started to get sick on wednesday and then felt really really bad thursday and friday so saturday I called in sick.. I went to urgent care and found out I have a sinus infection that is attacking my throat.. No wonder it felt like a thousand knives were being shoved down my throat!

Tuesday night we went to caseys (of course) which was soooo fun. We karaoked to oops I did it again, promiscuous girl, don't stop believing and one other song I don't remember haha...

Wednesday we had a lifeguard thing at this bar where we got free food so that was pretty sweet... But erica brooke and I went home early, stopping by the smokehouse to get some of that delicious corn bread and blockbuster for he's just not that into you. It was nice to have a girls night and just relax...

Thursday we had a surprise party at remys for doug. Sadly I felt really reaaally sick at this point so I ended up going home early. I'm just hoping I start feeling tons better before wednesday!

Next week starting thursday we have lifeguard competition. We are all divided into 5 teams; I'm on the punishers and ali is a sea monkey hahaha. Thursday is the 500 meter swim and 2k run, monday is the run swim run, 100 meter dash and 4x100 relay and wednesday beach flags! It should be really fun and if you are a top finisher you get to go to regionals.

It continues to be as much fun as ever on the island, and I will continue to update! As for now I'm going to bed, got on early wake up call!

Night!

1 week down, only 10 to go :(

Wow, I can't believe I've already I have been here for a week. I already know this summer is going to go by way too fast and I am not going to want to leave everyone I have met!

So ali and I made it through orientation. By the last day, I was sooo ready to be on the beach guarding. Our last day of orientation we shadowed two guards at the Sea Pines. They had to set up 80 sets (one set equals two chairs and an umbrella) so we got there at 7:45 and even with four of us it took to almost 9 to be done.

Thursday was our first day of work! ....and it rained. Haha it was definitely interesting because even if it is raining you still have to be on the beach. So for the most of the morning there was no one on the beach around me so I hung out with brooke, a girl doing rentals. Friday.. It rained again. Today it was beautiful! I actually had to assist people with things and went on the radio twice even though I probably sounded like a total idiot.

Tonight for training we had kayak relays. Omg, one of the most difficult things ever. Basically you have a team of six and one by one you swim out to the buoys in the water, go around it and come back. Once you get to the rest of your team in the water, you get out of the kayak and someone runs it to shore and brings it back. The waves were pretty big tonight so everyone was flipping over, getting run into, all that. But it was still a lot of fun! My team came in fourth out of nine or ten teams. It was just really fun being with all the guards.

Speaking of the guards, my fellow employees, they are so great. Its so refreshing to hang out and be friends with people who WANT to get to know you and be your friend. I don't think I have ever had as many people come up to me and say "I don't know you, what's your name?" I have already met some really great people and made friends and its only the first week.

Another thing - all the boys are good looking. I don't know if its that a tan boy is instantly that much more attractive but something is working!

Ali and I have gone out/have drank four of the six nights we have been here. Sunday, when we didn't know anyone and wednesday, when we had our first day the next day. Last night some boys came over and we just chilled and played drinking games, went on the boat and had golf cart rides. Tonight we have a potluck for all the girl lifeguards so we can get to know more people. I think the boys are pretty sad we are unavailable tonight, hahah..

Well I have so much more I could say about this job, but I think saying that I'm going to have the best summer ever pretty much sums it up... And. I have to go get ready!

Peace, love, baywatch

Rachel

beach life... not a bad life!

Hello from the beautiful HHI!

Well, ali and I have made it to the island... We made the wonderful 13 hour drive and got in around 12:15 on Saturday night. We decided to unpack then instead of waiting until morning, then went to bed!

The next day we got up and hung out for a little bit. Then we went and met emily at the beach where she was working. It was really fun seeing her and talking to her about the summer. After that we stopped by the Shore Beach office to check in and make sure we knew where to go for orientation, then went to lunch and grocery shopping. Our cart at Publix was seriously loaded and our receipt (which is now on the refrigerator) was like 3 feet long hahaha. Hopefully we can get by for awhile!

When we were finished with all that, we came back to the house and craaaashed. It felt so good to nap! For dinner we went to the Santa Fe Cafe with Ali's grandpa and his friend. It was delicious! We came back to the house and tried to go to sleep early because of our 7 am wake up call! Unfortunately that didn't go as we wanted and I don't think neither ali nor I fell asleep until close to 1.

This morning began our 3 day orientation. Our group is 6 guards including us. One of the girls, Martha, is from Wales!!! Allie I know you will be so excited about that. Another guy whose name I forget just graduated from iu, imagine that! Orientation was long (it went from 8 to 5) but it got us excited to actually work! Ill be working in a high chair thursday through saturday at different spots on the beach.

Right now we are sipping on some firefly and lemonade, eating chips and salsa and loving life. There is a guard party at Caseys, this sports bar and grill! Hopefully it will be fun and we will get to know some more guards!

Hope everyone is enjoying their summers, I know I am!