6:17 pmOwning
A couple of my uncles are in town for their annual ski trip to Utah. They come dang near every year right around the time of my birthday. They. Are. Sweethearts. Seriously, I love those guys. And while I intend to sit and write a proper post in the next few days about my adoration for my uncles, for now I will just chronicle the ski outing of this afternoon.
I hadn’t been skiing in 8 years. I’d pretty much sworn it off. I’m not good at it. It doesn’t seem to come naturally to me like it does for others in my family (and for Jon, even!). But my sweet uncle Matt told me that he would treat me to skiing for my birthday, and how on Earth could I say no to that? I can’t say no, is the answer. The uncles were only here for four days, and if I wanted to spend any time with them, it would have to be on the slopes. Breaking bones. Acquiring concussions. And so I went.
And so did my kids.
Here is where you learn what a bad mommy I am… we live in Utah (frickin UTAH!) and my children — ages 8 and 6 — had never been skiing before this afternoon. I know, what the crap, right? But today was the day. Today I would take them up there and spend $3,000 on rentals and half-day passes, and then force my screaming children onto ski lifts, and then force them down the bunny hill, whacking them coercively with a ski pole, until they were bloody… but skiing! At least this is how I imagined it would go. Because I’m a total pessimist. Because I always imagine the worse possible circumstances before going into an adventurous outing like this. But guess what? Go on, guess!!
Well, my kids are flippin’ awesome. They ski like they mean it. They ski like it’s sort of in their blood. They ski like they are totally NOT related to me. There wasn’t a single tear. Not a single whine. Not a single outcry of frustration. Nothing. They loved it. They owned the bunny slope, people.
Uncle Beezer (no, not his given name) took Jachin, and Uncle Matt took Zoe, and off they went.
They were skiing by themselves by the end of the first run. It was insane. They were giggling and grinning with pride as everyone cheered them on. They were unstoppable.
(It is important to note here that Zoe credits much of her skiing success to the fact that she rented some SWEET pink Barbie skis. Regular dumb skis would not have produced the same level of skiing awesomeness.)
Since the day was spend completely on the bunny slope, I incurred no serious injuries. I handled myself well. No one was cheering for me, mind you, but a day on the slopes ending without full body traction is a good day, indeed. Here’s the gang, chilling out in the lodge afterward, taking in some hot cocoa and stories:
Front to back: Jachin, me, Uncle Beezer, Paige (who is totally faking being asleep), Zoe, Jeff, my mom, and Uncle Matt. Bless us all and our aching old bones… what a great day.
more pics up on flickr.
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i miss skiing. a lot. and apres ski. no better feeling on earth than taking off ski boots and slipping into clogs at the end of the day.
Comment by kate — March 5, 2008 @ 6:29 pm
You know what sucks?! I had a ride to Utah last weekend and turned it down because mom had work and you have the kids school and I didn’t think that there would be much to do with everyone being busy. Tony had even arranged time off work so that I could go by myself for a little r&r. Parley has been asking to go skiing for about 2 years now but since I’m not very good I haven’t taken him. I totally would’ve taken him out of school for a few days to go and see everbody and go skiing.
Comment by Sam — March 6, 2008 @ 7:12 am
So, what do I see so interesting and motivating in this tale of something in which I haven’t the slightest interest (skiing)? EASY! You guys are all so wonderfully happy and involved in each others’ joy. A portrait in a family in love and loving. I don’t care if you are at a tiddly-winks resort … you are all SO beautiful!
Comment by John-Michael — March 7, 2008 @ 7:28 am
I’ve never been skiing. I’m afraid. I’ve been snowboarding! I can do that. Sort of.
Sounds like an awesome day. I love the photo!
Comment by Leslie — March 14, 2008 @ 3:56 pm
[…] week the uncles came out for their annual ski trip. Last year we got to go up with them one day and they taught my kiddies how to ski (because while we live in Utah and are surrounded by mountains of powder 11 1/2 months out of the […]
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