I was saying this (maybe not in as much detail) to my lovely cousin, Chrissy and she reminded me of our winter adventures we have been taking part in the last month or so. How could I not have thought of that? This blog started out as my "letters to home" and how could I not share with you what I have done my first winter?
So I think it is quite fitting that I share with you everything that has happened to me recently:
First thing Chrissy and I partook in was sledding. She texted me out of the blue and asked if I wanted to go sledding in my backyard. The fact that I hadn't known I could sled in my backyard got me excited enough. After about twenty minutes we realized we were not strong enough to pack the snow ourselves. *insert weak girl joke here*
We went to Chestnut Ridge, a beautiful park not far from Eden and used their designated sledding hills. It was a-m-a-z-i-n-g. It's nice to know there are still things you can do for free that truly bring you joy.
I wiped out a few times and had a few near-heart attacks walking back up the hill but in the end was nothing but happy.
Next, we went to my first winter festival. It was cold. Like reallllllllly cold. Oh and it was in the middle of a snowstorm. Still fun, just cold. I saw my first quidditch match there and it's really hard to follow (but still awesome, of course). Unfortunately I had to work so I didn't get to stay for too long.
A week or so later we went tubing. This kiiiiiiiind of blew sledding out of the water (or snow, I guess I should say). There was no walking up the hill (you just sat in the tube and a pulley system pulled you up nice and slow). It was quite adventurous as I found out going down the first hill. It hurt. But was awesome. We went fast and got a lot of air. Both Chrissy and I mustered up the courage to go on the "extreme" lane and let me tell you...extreme was an understatement. At one point the tube was off the snow and I was off the tube. And what goes up must go down. My face went down, specifically. As in, it slammed against the tube as my airtime ended. I'll admit it, the more pain I felt, the more bad ass I felt, too. I still can't describe exactly how much fun I had, but I think Chrissy knows, regardless.
The next winter festival I went to had the perfect weather. It was sunny, about 25 degrees. Chrissy and I sawed our own chunk of wood and they branded a snowman on it.
Our latest winter adventure was more educational than the rest. We went out on Lake Erie (literally were WALKING across the lake) and spotted the ice volcanoes. If you don't know what an ice volcano is click here (The guy talking was our guide!).Chrissy and I went out with about 40 other people (most of whom fit into the senior category) and observed the volcanoes. Here's a picture of one:
Pretty much everyone fell at least once. Chrissy and I both took a few spills but it was just too cool for that to bother me at all. It was really interesting and quite beautiful. End that with some Tim Horton's to warm up and it was just about perfect.
It's easy to get jaded in winter. It's simple to say you hate it and wish for spring everyday. I find myself doing that from time to time (there seems to be a direct correlation between these feelings and how much snow/ice is on my car) but when you do things like like I've been doing, really enjoy it, it doesn't seem so bad. It's the same with any season. I really, really don't like summer. Well, Eden summers aren't bad. But Florida summers are just rotten. Maybe, though, if I actually did some summer activities, things that can't be done any other time, I might warm up to it a little bit (pun INTENDED!).
So here's to winter! You rock (about 65% of the time)! And I'm glad you're here.
Happy winter, everybody!
P.S. To Chrissy, thank you so much for doing these things with me. I know I say thank you all the time but I hope you realize that this really does mean the world to me. I am going to miss you so much when I go back to Florida.
What a great post! You really have done some amazing things for a Florida girl experiencing her first winter up north. You've done more things this winter than I ever did growing up there. I'm so happy for you and wish I was there snapping pictures of you and Chrissy!
ReplyDeleteYeah I'm so not good at taking pictures. Those two pictures I posted are the only ones I've taken in months. Oops... Chrissy took some on her phone of the ice volcano day, I'll see if I can get a hold of them!
ReplyDeleteKayla I was laughing the entire time I read this! You definitely captured our ridiculousness. T-bog has now officially been coined. Thank god for me having a Florida cousin as an excuse to do all these things!
ReplyDelete-Chrissy