Sea, sand and a face full of salt water—what class do you think I took this morning? Did you guess kayaking? I had signed up in advance for one of the Adventure Experience courses, and it was completely worth the effort. My kayak partner Julie was very strong so we were very into the paddling. We even got to go inside a cave at La Jolla Cove that was guarded by a very vociferous sea lion. We even stayed fairly dry until the very end, when we got turned sideways by a wave and knocked over. Luckily there was a coffee shop by the bus, so I held my tea until my hands warmed up during the drive back to the hotel.

In case you can guess my pattern by now, I headed for the Expo hall after a nice long, warm shower. Sadly, I forgot my wallet so I shall have to finish my shopping after my afternoon classes. On for today—Masala Bhangra Workout with Sarina Jain, followed by a nice stretch class with Scott Cole. I saw Sarina doing a few minutes of her workout at the performance booth in the expo hall, so I am definitely looking forward to the class. I might not have the moves, but I will have the right attitude.

There are no official parties tonight, so I shall go for dinner in Hillcrest with a friend from Belgium. Hillcrest is a very nice area of San Diego that’s perfect for night-life; restaurants, clubs and people-watching galore. Years ago my friend Raymond was looking for somehow to help write the sales blurbs for his fitness music business, Multitrax, and I signed on. Even though he sold it a few years ago, he still takes me for dinner every year, plus I get Belgian chocolates at Christmas. Good deal, eh? How obvious is it that food is on my mind?

I guess I’d say today’s theme is friends and fun. Ever since IDEA started the Adventure Experiences, there’s been an extra dimension to the convention that really helps you to get to know the area, as well as get outside the hotel and convention center walls. And I always go home happy to have seen so many of the friends I’ve made over the years. On that thought, this year I was a mentor to five newcomers through the IDEA volunteer mentor program. I got the privilege of making new friends, and I hope they got a good introduction to the convention. I hope that even more newcomers sign up in future because it’s a great way to network.

Time to go to class, then get my wallet for some final shopping.