Done! #50. Go skiing!

Things that will help give an idea of what my state of mind was going into this:

1. I don't especially care for the outdoors. I don't dislike the outdoors, but given other choices it wouldn't be at the top of the list of places to hang out or things to do. Unless those other choices involved, say, eating a mouthful of cilantro.
2. This winter has been especially hard on me. Maybe it's the getting older thing. Maybe it's because it got so cold so early. I don't usually mind winter, but this year, I'm feeling strong feelings about it.
3. Sometime at the end of the summer or beginning of fall, we were hanging out with our friends N, C and V who live in Wisconsin. We decided to plan a skiing trip far in advance. We put it in our planners / calendars. I love N, C and V, and would probably follow those cats anywhere. Except into a field of cilantro, of course.

So while the idea of going skiing made me cranky, the thought of getting to hang out with N, C and V helped curb some of those feelings.

We drove to a place called Devil's Head and after about an hour of getting ourselves and our kids into gear we were ready to go. We rode the magic carpet up to the top of the bunny slope and after some instruction from N (whose parents are Swiss and who learned to ski at a Swiss skiing school!) and C there was nothing left to do but go down the hill before the snowboarders behind us freaked out and plowed us down already.

And, wait for it, it was FUN! E got the hang of it quickly and though we had to bribe him to go down a few more time after lunch he ended up having so much fun he went down over and over again past the agreed upon number of required times. Of course, he did try to cash in on the many extra runs. I went down the bunny slope more times than I anticipated. Yes, I fell a few times, but I spent less time laying on the snow that I thought I would.

Me + skis

N, V and E heading back up the magic carpet.

The drive home. A pretty winter sunset through the frosty car windows.

I think it's safe to say that I might be the first person on either side of my family to ski. I couldn't help thinking of that 80s commercial (I'm picturing Spike Lee in it, but it could be one of those Bo Knows commercials) where someone says the line, "We don't surf in Brooklyn." We don't ski in Miami. But there you go, I skied, I survived, and yes, I would do it again. Here's to trying new things now matter how scary they seem or how old you are. I mean, what's the worst that could happen….?