Papa's dream

When Doodle was little, maybe less than a year old, we bought her some kid-sized cross country skis. J learned to x-c ski when he was very little, and has always dreamed of teaching his kids to ski. Well, it seems this is the year. We've tried to get Doodle on her skis before, but she hasn't been interested. Until we tried this weekend...

...she loves it! Okay, sometimes she loves it - if she's well fed, it's not too cold, and especially if she's going downhill between Papa's legs. Fast = fun for this three year old.
She was laughing hysterically with every fall, and falling that much more. But she was having fun, and we all got outside for a couple of snow outings this weekend. I think we're going to make this a regular thing...
...much to one Papa's delight.

Skiing!!!

Okay, so remember my whining about how I haven't been skiing since 2003, and aren't I pitiful?

No longer!

I went skiing yesterday. It was great.

Saturday we were at a friend's 8th birthday party. J and I were chatting with the parents, and he asked them if they would be skiing on Sunday. They said yes. J asked if I could go with them. They said yes.

I said "what? But... but..."

J said "you want to go. You should go. You're going."

And so I went.

It was great. Nice and sunny and clear, and not too cold. The snow was nicely groomed and not icy. I did maybe 10+ runs... I lost count. That's how much fun I was having.

Oh, AND I'm actually an okay skier. I really didn't know how I would do, since it had been so long. But I did really well. No falling. Went fairly fast. Even tried a couple black diamonds, and *had fun* on them. I think maturity and a better sense of my own body has really helped my technique. Which is nice.

So I did it! I went skiing! Now I definitely won't wait so long to go skiing again. Thanks, friends!

Skiing

I really need to go skiing sometime this winter.

Why, you ask?

Well, because I haven't gone downhill skiing since moving to Utah. Ridiculous, I know.

I learned to downhill in junior high. Our ski club went up to the nearest mountain every Friday after school for night skiing. It was the big social activity with my friends - EVERYONE went. I skied nearly every week for three winters. Then high school came and most of my ski buddies were at the other high school. My high school didn't have a ski club. My ski trips dwindled down to 1-2 per winter, when a couple of friends and I would pile into my little Tercel with near-bare studded tires and slowly wind our way up the mountain for a day of fun. I missed it.

College on the California coast meant I went cross-country skiing twice while there, plus whenever I came home. The one time I went downhilling was my first road trip with J, when we skied Mammoth.

That's the last time I went downhill skiing. Mammoth Mountain, March 2003.

And here I am, living in the land of "the greatest snow on Earth". It says so on the freaking license plates, yet I have barely touched the snow. *Sigh* Anyone want to help me fix this?