Ober G'burg 1/27/07

LEVEL: fluff
Temp: 55* - 30*(night)
Group: Brent

So I did it. I swore for years that I would NOT conform and go back, but I did, and the lesson learned: I liked it. I really did. It is now crowding my thoughts, and I can't wait until the phone rings with the next invite. More than that, I can't wait until I can navigate the lift alone; that will open the world up a bit.

I quit playing in the snow during my late teen/early twenties. Let's face it, I sucked at skiing and wanted to be better than I was. I swore it was not for me; I quit it, just like I did many other things in my life at that time. It was easier not to want to be good. Later on, many of my friends took up snowboarding. I swore I hated the snow and wanted no part of it. After all, I really DO hate being cold. I can't remember all the invites I have had to join in the fun, but I always have declined.

In one of those rare moments of clarity and a sense of self preservation, I realized that I needed to find an alternative winter sport. Not to box boating out, but rather give me something else to do when there is no water in liquid state. Something to get me out of this damn house during the winter and make me live instead of letting Old Man Winter run a train on me.

Snowboarding it is. Brent promised me all the horror stories of learning to board (ride? What is the cool lingo?)would not be part of my fate. I was skeptical. I mean, could ALL those people be fibbers? The date was set and we were off, late, but off nonetheless. We drove straight up the hill, parked the big Dodge (which I simply LOVE to ride in)and unloaded his gear into the Ski Patrol hut. Paperwork completed, I was off to get my uber geeky rental gear. Thankfully a good friend loaned me some pants so I did not look like a complete dweeb. I hit the slopes with a touch of style.

I was uneasy about the whole process to tell you the truth. Not scared, it's not REAL water mind you, so what damage can it do other than bruise and break me. I can live with that. Seriously, I was never scared, which is really unlike me. Normally fear creeps into my throat and puts me on edge. I think I totally trusted Brent to keep me safe therefore, the process was mostly fun. We walked around with our boards attached to us for 10-15 minutes then Brent started talking about getting on and off the lift. This threw me. I needed more practice, more time, there was no way I could make it down that mountain without humiliating myself. I was on the verge of saying I was not cut out for this when I decided to simply trust him and do what he told me to do. The ride up was as fun as I remember. I love being high, add motion, and life is good. We slid off and the fun began. I let down my inhibitions and fell into being in the moment and learning the art of learning something new. It was exasty.

The eveing came to a close with a few beers and a pizza with friends. A short Dodge ride together and he dropped me off at my car. I was on cloud nine all the way to JC. The bed was warm, Honey cuddled, the pups snored, and I fell from the verge off into some serious fun.