I know that we don’t exactly live in the best area for
downhill skiing or snowboarding, and our chauffeurs for the only two trips
we’ve been on will soon be away at college for the rest of the winter; but
Michael, Rowen, Tim, and I really need to find a way to go snowboarding more
often than once a year!
I was easily the most fired-up traveler this morning when we
met up at Michael’s house by shortly before six. Several teens, including Tim, tried to
suggest that they were sleepwalking; and didn’t plan on waking up until we got
to the ski center. While Dawn went home
to Woodvale with Violet, Dillon, and her brothers tonight; she came in the
minivan with Jake, Stephanie, Michael, Tim, Rowen, and me for the trip to Blue Ridge. That
was as much for Jonathan as Dawn; and he went with Chris and Martin this
morning while Josiah and Christina had Caleb, Erica, Anna-Marie, Calvin, and
Rebecca with them.
We’d ended up with two more groups of teens going along by
this morning, which had been a fun surprise for me; though Michael, Rowen, Tim,
and I didn’t end up spending much time with any of them – not even Jenny and
Garth. They were with Jenny’s brother,
Doug, and Alicia Jennings; while Michael’s cousin, Mitch Bassett, had another minivan
load that included Tim’s cousins and all three of their respective girlfriends
or boyfriend.
The three-hour road cruise was fairly quiet and
uneventful. We made one pit stop in Crystal Springs for washroom breaks and
breakfast to go; and were at the ski center by shortly after nine. Thanks to extended holiday hours, we’d missed
the early rush; and it really didn’t take all that long to buy our lift tickets
and get set up with rental snowboards and gear.
Dawn, Rebecca, and a few others were either taking a first snowboarding
lesson or a refresher; but Michael, Rowen, Tim, and I just hit the slopes and
started playing right away.
Rowen and I definitely found that snowboarding with Michael
and Tim this time was more fun than it had been on our first trip. I’m sure that they felt that way too; though
it was obviously different for them than us.
One thing that was exactly the same was the daredevil, thrill-seeking
streak the four of us share. Even at a
small ski center, there are enough opportunities for that; and we took
advantage of all of them. I’ve really
discovered in the last year that I really love getting airborne – whether on a
snowboard or a bike. Rowen loves doing
jumps too, but she probably leans a bit more toward Tim’s love of flat-out speed. Michael loves both too, but what was really
amazing for us today was how great it was whenever we were snowboarding
together.
That felt exactly the same as Tai Chi together with the
added adrenaline rush from the speed and jumps.
Tim and Rowen looked good together too, but it wasn’t the same because
they were having the most fun when they were competing against each other – our
Michael and me. All of that competition
was fun too, but my favorite moments were when we were creating something
really cool together – speeding down the hills in perfect synchronicity or
doing side-by-side tricks and jumps. We
weren’t the only teens in our Witch Falls group to show some real talent for
the sport; but we were the best – and that isn’t just my opinion; since we were
told that at least a couple-dozen times by our cousins and friends.
I’m going to add a comment here about the snowboarding
talent of just one member of our group because I can’t resist recording this
for posterity. The MVP winning leader of
our Championship High School football team will not also
be having a future career as a professional snowboarder. He would agree with that, and had fun today
anyway; but not because of his skill at the sport. During the handful of times we were nearby
when he was lumbering down the hill, the entertainment came as much from
watching the skiers and snowboarders around him as it did from observing his
efforts to stay on his snowboard and not run into anything – or anyone.
Tim thought that we should have gotten Kyle dressed up in a
white snowsuit because that’s all he would have needed to look like an
abominable snowman on the slopes; though that didn’t keep young kids from
watching him with wide, astonished eyes.
It really was a sight to see; and Kyle was definitely the only guy I’ve
ever seen on a ski hill who looked like he needed one snowboard for each
foot. Okay, I don’t exactly have a lot
of experience with that, but there probably aren’t that many guys as big as
Kyle or his Dad who are even willing to try snowboarding; and even fewer with
any major talent for it – regardless of how talented they might be at other
sports more suited to their size and abilities – like bench-pressing farm
equipment. ;^)
While I spent most of the day playing with Michael, Rowen,
and Tim; we had some fun with Jake, Stephanie, Violet, Dillon, Rebecca, and
Dawn too. That included some snow time;
our afternoon break; and having dinner together. I wasn’t sure this morning how much fun
Rebecca or Dawn were going to have today; so it was great to see and hear that
they were both having a blast. Dawn had
found a new friend during her lesson; and Rebecca spent a lot of the day
snowboarding with Chris, Martin, and Jonathan – and a couple of sisters that
hooked up with them. Since my cousins
were the primary targets of the girls, that left Rebecca with Jonathan. That actually worked for them, though not in
a romantic way – they’ve just re-discovered that they like each other as
friends.
That’s why it didn’t feel weird being around them; though I
can’t say the same for anytime we saw Jenny and Martin anywhere together while
she was with her boyfriend and he had another girl doing her very best to charm
him. That definitely was strange, but
I’ll leave that there since that was barely a blip in an otherwise really great
day.
We pretty much had a perfect weather day for snowboarding,
and it was easy to stay warm while we played.
Some of the others took longer breaks, but Michael, Tim, Rowen, and I
didn’t even stop for long at lunchtime; making dinner the only time we were off
the slopes for more than a continual half-hour.
That allowed us to get a lot of runs in before we needed to turn in our
gear and meet up with Jake, Stephanie, and the rest of the gang.
Before I get to the trip home part of the report, I should
mention that Michael and I had a bit of alone time after dinner; though I
guarantee that we weren’t doing the same thing that Rowen and Tim were when
they found someplace to hide while Michael and I continued our snowboarding. The reason I bring that up is because we
found a little trail through the woods with a little jump that was only dimly
lit and not being used by anyone else because of the comparative darkness to
the main runs; and that allowed us an opportunity for some bonus play
time. We were good while out in public,
but couldn’t resist trying a few aerial flips when we had the chance. I would have loved trying that with a little
Magi power too; but I couldn’t be far enough away from Mom anywhere in the
world to do that without her knowing – and she’d definitely have a problem with
Magi-powered snowboarding tricks.
We’ll just have to save up that kind of fun until after
we’re adults too!
For the trip home, since Dawn was heading back to Woodvale
with Violet, Dillon, Chris, and Martin; we had Rebecca in the minivan with us
while Jonathan went with Josiah and Christina.
Michael was in the back seat with Rowen and Tim while Rebecca and I had
the middle seats, and though I would have liked to have that cuddle time with
him; that worked out better for Rebecca, and I was still able to recline my
seat and hold hands while we talked with everyone.
I skipped the football news of the day to this point because
Michael and Tim had settled for checking on the scores and catching some
highlights during our breaks and dinner.
Rowen, Rebecca, and I weren’t quite that lucky during the long drive
home because the boys had access to a radio station and a smart phone so they
were able to listen to most of the Holiday Bowl between Arizona State and Texas
Tech while getting the game data and some replay videos online. Maybe I should have included Stephanie with
the rest of us girls, but then Jake didn’t really care about the game; and
they’d turned the sound off on the front speakers so they could talk without
the game play-by-play getting in the way.
The football action didn’t keep Rebecca, Rowen, and I from
chatting anyway; but Michael and Tim still made sure that sports-talk was
included in our conversations; and we didn’t get into any girl-talk that might
have embarrassed them – like Rebecca’s day with Jonathan or about the girls who
happily chased my cousins right up until they left for Woodvale. New Year’s Eve and Day were hot topics;
partly because Rowen and I are going to the party at the Inn this year for the
first time since I moved to Witch
Falls – along with our
parents and sibs. My Mom and Dad are
hosting a New Year’s Day Football Bowl game party; and Michael’s and Rowen’s
families will be at our house. Tim’s
coming to that too; but he and Rowen may split their day between my house and
his Uncle and Aunt’s house because of the party going on there too.
We made another stop in Crystal Springs
for washroom breaks and to pick up food and drinks to go; and then continued to
entertain ourselves during the last half of the trip. It was past-midnight by the time Jake dropped
Tim off at his house; and close to half-past by the time we had the van
unloaded and Michael walked me home so we could have a bit of privacy for our
goodnight kisses. That was nice, but
after a bit more than six hours of travel time and a full day of snowboarding;
we were both tired enough not to be interested in any extended play time.
Mom and Dad had gone to bed sometime earlier, but Mom came
up to my room to check in with me shortly after I was changed and getting into
bed with Mandy and my computer. We had a
short chat; exchanged condensed versions of our daily reports; and then she
headed back to bed while I got started on the short version of my nightly
computer checks. That included
confirmation that Dillon and my cousins got home safely to Woodvale; answering
some messages from around our collective families; and dealing with a quick and
fairly easy family business issue. It’s
coming up on one-thirty very fast, and I’m in for two more late nights in a row
now; so it’s time to wrap this up and get some sleep.
I definitely do not want to fall asleep before midnight
tomorrow night and miss out on my first-ever New Year’s kiss with Michael!
And on that note; I really gotta go, so...
...Live long and prosper, fellow Magi of the Light!
