Oru X Outessa at Kirkwood

Sweaty. Dirty. Happy. Late nights, early mornings, lots of talks, walks and time on the water. An adventure filled weekend getaway in Kirkwood, CA with a bunch of other like-minded ladies. It couldn’t be more perfect.

The very first Outessa event was filled with so many happy moments, learning moments and memories to last a lifetime. I spent a good majority of my time on the water with Oru kayaks, which was an excellent place to be, it was pretty warm out. After setting up at least 20 boats (okay, okay... the boys did most of that part), women started rolling in and the classes began. Each class was about an hour long, where the guys (Andy and Berto) taught some kayaking basics, as well as some rescue techniques. I’m no expert on the water per say, so I got to talking with the ladies.

With every group, I tried to meet and talk with as many of the ladies to learn where they were traveling from, what they did for work and most importantly, what was bringing them out there. A lot of ladies had a very similar reason for needing or wanting the long getaway weekend. Divorce, cancer, a break up, the loss of a loved one. Everyone had a story, yet every one was brave and willing to take a risk and put themselves out there. Some were out there for a mother-daughter bonding trip and some just needed a break from the routine of the daily grind. While most of them really loved their jobs, they know the importance of putting yourself first and doing exactly what you want. I feel really strongly about this, because I too, really love my job.

However, I love to break it up with experiences that are going to challenge me, discovering new scenes, and meeting new faces especially in the time of hardships. This event came at a perfect time in my life, and gave me a new fire and a lot of that came from talking with all the ladies I met. They inspired me. They were all strong, brave women with so much drive. I want to be more like that.

Outessa plans on doing these events every year, and I would highly recommend attending one. I promise you won't regret taking a weekend away for yourself.