"Being a family means you are part of something wonderful. It means you will love and be loved for the rest of your life. No matter what." ~Author Unknown



Sunday, February 23, 2014

Learning to Ski, and Learning to Like It

This week was our mid winter break, and we decided to join some dance friends on an up north ski trip.  Last year Adrienne went with them and had a fabulous time.  They have a large group that’s been doing it for years, and they have it all figured out! 

It’s no secret I’m not a skier.  I have skied, but I’m not a skier.  I feel very out of control and unnatural on skis.  I have conversations with myself like…”You are fit and coordinated, you can do this.  You just need more practice, fall a few times and get up.  No big deal.  Although, you have lived 40 years and skiing has never added any positive value to your life, so why bother?  I’m sure there are other mothers that sit in the lodge all day.  Just tell people you had a bad knee injury training for the Olympics.  Bottom line, your whole family is doing it so get your ass out there.”  And so, Jen the skier was born.

The first day was met with hopeful anticipation.  Sof was super excited for ski school.

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We got Sof signed in, and were told to meet at the bottom of the bunny hill. 

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She joined her group and didn’t look back.  I was so thankful for this confident little girl we have.  Not only was she excited to try something new, she didn’t need me to be there to do it. 

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She spent three days(one full, two half) in ski school.  By the third day she was using the chair lift and doing the same green runs her momma was still working on!  She was owning the hill and she LOVES it!

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The first day for me was still a struggle.  My boots were hurting my ankles, I was creeping down the easiest hill, and I wasn’t willing to try any new hills.  By the second day I started off much the same, but slowly gained some confidence.  I got bored on my same hill and let Adrienne show me some other green runs.  At the end of day two I thought, “I could actually keep doing this, I’m not ready to be done”. 

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Mark and the big girls took turns skiing with me.  Adrienne and Lexi like to do the “terrain” runs. That means they can do things like ski off a picnic table.  No mental struggle there…I won’t be joining them for that.  At the end of day 3 they all left me to myself(at my urging) so they could do some more challenging stuff.  I stayed on the green runs I was comfortable with.  Once again, I really wasn’t ready to be done at the end.  I’m no Olympic skier, but I can appreciate the fresh air, family time, and challenge of the hill.  I actually look forward to doing it again. 

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Other trip highlights…

Bedtime snuggles before exhaustion takes over.

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Sadie and Adrienne checking in on Sof at ski school.

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Tubing fun!

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Nighttime shenanigans.

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Breakfast buffet…my kids LOVE a breakfast buffet.

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Pool and hot tub time at night.

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Coloring in bed.

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We had such a great time.  You can bet we will be doing it again next year.  I may even be ready for a blue run by then…we’ll see:)

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