Adventure 7/52: Freeloading and skiing in Colorado

This picture was taken seconds after I fell, face-first, into a thigh-high snow bank after saying to my snow-shoe companions, "Let's see if these snow shoes really work." Answer: No. So, I turned over and made a snow angel :)

Veggies: Getting them back into my life again ... many salads to celebrate the warmer temperatures.

Wine: Strange dry spell recently. Colorado involved beer and "yummy" drinks (delicious concoctions involving flavored vodkas and juices).

This is a 2-for-1 adventure (but I’m counting it as No. 7 only): Adventure 7a was acting upon my sister-in-law’s invitation to stay at her sister’s house in Colorado. For a non-assertive person like myself, following up on an invitation like that is pretty out-of-character adventurous. I tend to convince myself that when people offer things or invite me places, they don’t really mean it and secretly hope I’ll forget as soon as the words pop out of their mouths. I decided to take her invitation at face value and asked if it was possible to stay there for a few days during DP's spring break. So glad I did – the house, the scenery and the company (8 other family members joined us!) was just the R&R I needed after a stressful few months at work.

Adventure 7b was attempting to downhill ski again. I love all kinds of outdoor activities, but downhill skiing is far from my favorite. (Maybe it has something to do with the time I plowed straight down the middle of a hill at lightening speed and gave my ski a kiss at the bottom. Hello, fat lip!) Watching the winter Olympics and relentless hounding by skiing family members finally convinced me to join them for one day.

After a disappointing lesson in which I think became a worse skier for its two-hour duration, I hit the bunny hill hardcore with my nephew, a first-timer. By the end of the day, we were ready to hit a green trail with the other skiers. DP was kind and slowed down to my pace, and the scenery was gorgeous. But after making it to the bottom sans dramatic crash, I was ready to take off my skis and have a spiked hot chocolate. And I happily opted for a hike when others went skiing the next day. I’m glad I tried to ski again, but I now know, without any doubt, that my heart is in the ocean waves rather than on the slopes. I'm still dreaming about my next surfing adventure...