Thirty

Thirty.

 

Thirty years.

 

A third of a century.

 

That's a lot of water underneath the bridge.

 



 

Boyd and I have been married for 30 years.

 

It's hard to believe that much time has passed me by.

Am I really that old?

 

Do I really have 4 adult children?

 

Have I really been married longer than I have been single?

 

Yes!

 

And I have the most awesome husband around with four of the most delightful children walking the earth.

 

And let's not forget the grandchildren...almost 2 of them.

 

They are the gravy on the mashed potatoes of life.

The hot fudge on a french vanilla sundae.

The heated mattress pad on a memory foam mattress.

You know, taking something great and adding to it.

 

Yes, it has been 30 years and I am blessed.

 

Thank you Boyd.

 

Thank you God.

Soldier Hollow

One day I got a wild hair. Why not try cross-country skiing? After all, it looks easy...kinda like walking with skis on.

 

Right?

 

Not quite.

 

I also had a secondary motive. I hadn't seen the sun in weeks and it was starting to get to me. I needed sun! Vitamin D! Shadows!

 

I called my brother, Jon, and we set up a date to go and take a lesson and try our hand at a new craft.

 

We took a one hour lesson with a great instructor and then she left us to our own devices. When she left us to go back to the lodge, I felt panicky. It felt like I was letting my mama leave. I wanted her to hold my hand, encourage me and make sure I didn't fall.

 

My confidence was shaken and I spent the next hour slipping, sliding and falling on my fanny. I was getting pretty frustrated.

 

Jon and I took a break and this is when we took a couple of pictures.

 

Had I been by myself, I would have gone home right then and there. However, since Jon had not only invested money, he had invested time, I felt I should give it another go.

 

Wow.

 

I did worse than before. I kept falling and my confidence was completely gone.

 

Jon suggested that we try skiing in the tracks to see if things would go better.

 

And then the day changed. I could stay upright for longer than 5 seconds! I was able to work on my form! I wasn't fighting my skis that wanted to point out instead of straight!

 

And I got the most serious aerobic workout of the winter. After an hour of practicing in the tracks I was exhausted and ready to go home. Plus I was so hungry I felt like I could eat the paint off the walls.

 

I am pretty proud of myself for trying something new.

Will I go again?

 

Most likely.

 

And Jon and I had a blast! Thanks for going with me.