snow bunny.

its been two years since i have been on skis. before that, it had been YEARS since i willingly strapped my feet into silly boots attached to matchsticks and threw myself haphazardly down snow-covered mountains. (i was in middle school and obviously invincible) my most recent excursion on the slopes, while it was a lot of fun, lasted just a few hours and ended with burning thighs, frustrated tears, and many many spectacular wipeouts.

i'm what you could call not-very-good-at-skiing.

so when my in-laws proposed a long weekend ski-trip, i was a little nervous. ok i lie. i was borderline terrified. i didnt know what to expect, or what to do, or what to PACK. i stressed for at least a week leading up to the trip. but eventually i figured i could maybe spend a couple hours on the slopes, and then hunker down with a good book and a giant mug of hot chocolate in front of a roaring fireplace somewhere in the lodge and wait out the rest of the weekend. the hubs would be able to ski to his hearts content, and i wouldn't be at risk for any broken bones. it would be wonderful, relaxing, and fun for everyone.

so imagine my surprise when on the afternoon of my first day on the mountain, not only was i still skiing, but i found myself here:

the camera adds 10 pounds, and the winter coat adds another 30.  

that is the top of a black diamond. for those not fluent in ski-speak, a black diamond is one of the toughest designations a trail can recieve. see that thing that appears to be a sheer drop-off behind us? that's exactly what it is. i had my sister-in-law take this picture of us just in case i never made it to the bottom.

and then, i skiied right off the edge of that mountain. and amazingly, i made it to the bottom. upright. no flailing, no falling, no having to embarrassingly gather my skis and poles from all over the mountainside while everyone on the lift laughed at me. we were all equally surprised and impressed.

and then i did it again.

by the end of the trip, i was the one convincing Mark to stay out on the slopes a little longer, saying things like "let's just do this black diamond two more times before we head in for the day." for serious. ask him. i couldn't make this up if i tried.

there were no tears the entire weekend. i only wiped out twice, and my skis stayed on both times. i really only lost control twice and a half other times. and thanks to an afternoon rain shower on the second day, i also had plenty of time for hot chocolate, reading, "racquetball," swimming, and chillaxin' in the hot tub. my only regret is that i never found that roaring fireplace.

so what's the deal? why the sudden big difference in my skiing abilities after a two year hiatus? i honestly have no idea. my best guess is magic. or aliens. (or p90x) but whatever the reason, i'm thankful for it. because all my fears and nervousness and stress about this long ski weekend turned out to all be unfounded. i spent a wonderful, relaxing, fun winter vacation with my husband and his family, and i'm kind of excited to do it again sometime. if only to see whether or not this whole trip was just a fluke.

and in case it is, i'll be sure to bring a good book to enjoy by the fire.