skiing for the first time

Wow. Skiing. I knew before we got married, that Dar's family enjoyed skiing. And with Mt. Hood an hour & a half away, who can blame them? I was dreading my first ski trip. The option of bowing out never occurred to me actually, & as one of my dear brothers-in-law started gleefully rubbing his hands together at the sight of me on skis for the first time approached, it only got worse. I was pretty sure I was going to break something, or hate it. I'm not a great athlete, & I'm even worse at anything that requires coordination & balance. Combine that with a strong aversion to looking stupid, & I was convinced I'd be better off staying at home. But, I didn't want to be a wimp & I knew I needed to get over my fear & sigh, it's not a bad thing for me to look stupid now & then. So, I went along. And, will wonders never cease, I had fun! Part of that was the weather; we left a 5 day run of fog & chilly, damp weather in The Valley for brilliant, cloudless blue skies & 60's up on The Mountain. It was breathtaking. And as we glided silently up the ski life, over blankets of pristine snow & softly covered trees, I started to see why the Sinn's love skiing. Another part was Timberline Lodge--what an awesome place! A giant fireplace is always crackling, huge timbers the width of 6 of me hold up the roof, little, rounded hobbit doors guard little nooks & crannies of leather chairs, hot chocolate & coffee are available. It's everything a ski lodge should be. I'll be back. Never mind that I plowed into a few people promptly after strapping on my skis & that I hit the ground so often I lost track & random strangers were asking if I were okay after picking myself up off the snow yet again. It was a beautiful day, & I had a few moments of balance. I could barely sit down that evening & have more bruises than I've ever had at one time. But I'm going to go back.

 (doesn't he look good in ski gear? I thought so, too.)

Also, I love that I can wear a cool hat.