snow weekend.

With winter almost over, I finally experienced winter like I should have been doing all winter. (Only there was that lack of snow problem.) On Friday night I broke in my brand new $15 sled at Como Park. And I really broke it in....it now has a crack in it! Sheesh. I thought it was expensive, and then it breaks?

Today I did something pretty monumental: I used my cross country skis for the first time in seven years. You see, nordic skiing was a huge part of my life all through middle and high school - I was on the ski team for six years, 7th grade up to senior year. I was consistently a junior varsity skier even though my team won the state title a few times. (Hey! I helped cheer them on! That counts for something.)

As significant and memorable as that time was, I somehow managed to keep my skis shelved for ages. So when I put my boots in the bindings today I was a little nervous...but it would be like riding a bike, right? I was a little awkward at first, and the hill was tough, but soon I was remembering different techniques. By the end of my first lap around the course, I was feeling more confident. More polished. In fact, I felt...graceful. I was a skier. And then...I fell right on my butt. It hurt both my body and my temporarily inflated self esteem.

I didn't ski for too much longer after that. (It's hard work, yo!) And now that I officially feel Minnesotan again....I can't wait for spring.