I had plans, Gandolf.

Happy 2013, everyone! ("Everyone," she says, as if she actually still has readers...)

I tried something new on January 1st: SNOWBOARDING!

I tried skiing, like...five years ago? Maybe six? I kinda liked it (ish), until I twisted my knee. It really hurt, you guys, and I was new enough to skiing that it was easy enough to say, "I do not love it." Skiing is cold, and expensive, and your knees are at the mercy of the mountain (and also, at the mercy of my lack of skill).

Anyway, I've carefully avoided skiing over the years, and not without snide remarks from my skiing friends. (Let me be honest, most of my friends love winter sports. It makes sense, living where we do.)

This past fall, however, a couple of my friends talked me into trying snowboarding. They sweet-talked, and I took the bait! I agreed to try snowboarding, and I've been nervous ever since! (I may or may not have had a nightmare or two about boarding off a cliff right around Thanksgiving.)

Nightmare or no, I'm a woman of my word, so when my friends made plans to do a half-day trip to Kelly Canyon on New Years Day, I went along for the ride. (I was so nervous I had zero appetite that morning. Being a terrific worrier is lots of fun, can you tell?)

Anyway...long story short: I really enjoyed snowboarding. A LOT, I enjoyed it! I'm really looking forward to going again, which is the last thing I expected. I was planning on "going along for the ride," and then politely telling my friends to lay off me when it came to ski mountains, etc.

But I was wrong!

That's not to say that I'm super terrific; I'm not. BUT! I was able to get up on a snowboard, and to go down the slopes (albeit slooowly), and I've got a long way to improve...but I like it!

I. Like. Snowboarding.

Learning...

They told me it's okay to fall...
I spent a good portion of my time on my bum.

I have terrific friends...
moi, Michelle, Christina,
Mark, Brooke, and Keri.

Last night at the temple, Mark and Christina got the grand idea to go night skiing at Kelly tonight. And I was excited! We even talked Michelle into trying snowboarding! It was a win!

And then...this afternoon...winter reared her ugly head.

I know, I know: snow is good! I understand that, now that there's a winter sport I enjoy! But we are currently experiencing a winter storm they're calling Gandolf. (Who is this "they" anyway? I think it'd be fun to name storms!)

Gandolf is shutting down roads all over the state, ergo canceling my evening plans.

Darn you, Gandolf!

(Silver lining? I got to say the sentence above.) #imanerd