Is this heaven? (Not what you're thinking).

Picture this.  A beautiful Sunday at Arapahoe Basin.  Sun shining, people smiling, and an excited (and over-confident) Colorado newbie.

I make a cute snow bunny, right?  This ensemble took careful consideration and planning.

Still have that picture in your head?  Ok, good.  My good friend, Jessica, lives in Denver too.  We grew up in Mississippi together and have been hanging out a good bit since I moved .  So we hop on the lift and head up the mountain.  Our friend, Betsy, lives in Avon and was meeting us at the lift a little later, so we decided to squeeze some skiing in before she got there.  It has been quite a while since I have been on skis, but I was confident that I would pick it right back up.  WRONG.  So I take off down a green...you know, just to warm up (or so I thought).  Jessica chose to take the blue and we agreed to meet at the lift.  At this point, I'm feeling great.  There are people everywhere and I'm just taking it all in....until I realize, "Hey, I'm going pretty dang fast...I should probably slow down."  But I can't.  My legs don't seem to agree with me.  So what choice do I have but to fall, right?  Wrong.  I busted.  Skis fall off and everything.  So I gather my things and walk a little uphill to a flat surface to put my skis back on.  I then realize that I had taken a wrong turn and was headed towards a blue.  So what do I do?  Walk on over a little more to hop back on the green.  Ok, so I fell.  No big deal.  I get going again and pass a ski instructor with a little girl who is probably about 6 years old (this will be important later).  Once again, I get going too fast.  Why does this keep happening?  Only this time, I'm way more out of control than the first time.  As I start freaking out, I don't just fall...I REALLY busted this time.  Face down, toes pointed downhill, skis off (but still have my poles!) and uphill.  I open my eyes and see white everywhere.  Is this heaven?  Did I just die?  Oh wait, no...that's just snow.  Whew!  A nice man brought one of my skis to me and asked if I was okay.  Mortified, I lied and said, "Yes, I'm fine, thank you...decided to ski this year instead of snowboard...I've snowboarded my whole life."  That statement is a complete lie.  I have never snowboarded in my life.  But it saved me embarrassment...or more embarrassment I guess.  He then asks, "Where's your other ski?"  Hmm...great question.  I look further uphill and see that ski instructor with the cute little 6 year old (remember them?).  The 6 year old bends over and picks up my ski and brings it to me.  Yep...officially embarrassed.  "Are you okay ma'am?", she asks.  "Yes, honey, I'm fine...thank you!"  Jaysus.  Could this day get any better?  You bet ya!  So I attempt to get my skis back on, but that doesn't work out so well.  So I move to the side and just sit down.  So frustrated at this point.  I don't have that much further to go to get to the lift, so I start walking (humiliated, of course).  I then see Jessica in the distance and she's screaming asking if I'm okay.  She kindly walks uphill and meets me halfway to help me get down.  My right knee was hurting at this point, so I decided to rest a bit before catching the lift back up.  We meet up with Betsy, tell her the story of course, and I begin taking sips out of my flask that is full of sweet tea vodka :)  Betsy and Jessica head up the mountain without me.

You're probably thinking that I'm finished for the day.  Wrong.  I decide to try again.  Betsy kindly agrees to take things slow with me.  So we head over to the lift line and while standing there, the snow just starts falling.  A blizzard, if you will.  We head up the mountain and get off of the lift.  I turn around and no one is coming up the lift behind us.  No one.  And then the lift just stops.  That's right...we were the last ones up.  Scary.  I had decided to wear sunglasses this day because it was supposed to be sunny and beautiful....not blizzarding (I realize that's not a word).  Well it's pretty much impossible to ski with sunglasses on while it's snowing.  Jessica offers up her goggles.  I argue with her saying she won't be able to see, and she kindly replies, "Yes, but I'm better on this snowboard than you are on those skis, so just take them and stop arguing."  Geez, I'm high maintenance.  So, Jessica takes off down the blues again and Betsy and I head down the same green.  I'm feeling great and just taking it slow.  I begin approaching the scene of the crime that occurred earlier....only this time it's more scary because the snow is out of control.  I know what you're thinking...."she fell again."  Nope.  I just sat down and took my skis off and slid/walked the whole way down.  Don't believe me?  Check this out.

It's a good thing I have such a positive attitude.  I still had a GREAT time that day.  It may have had something to do with the hot chocolate with peppermint schnapps at the end of the day...