No Regrets

A year ago, we were just returning home from our trip out to Denver, Colorado to attend the National Western Stock Show.

While we were in Denver, we rented a car and spent one day exploring Colorado and showing the boys a glimpse of the West.  

As we drove through the countryside, we were surrounded by snow blanketed mountains with ski slopes on both sides of the highway.  

That trip was a weekend packed full of memories, and we added a bunch of items to our bucket lists.  Both boys were infatuated and dreamed of the day we would go back to Colorado to show at the NWSS, explore more of the West and try their hand at skiing.

I am known as the person who always says "NO" in our house.  

I am the schedule maker and the bill payer.  I am surrounded by men that have big dreams and lots of expensive hobbies.  So, most times that means I am the reality keeper.  

It's not like we don't do anything...it's just that there is always more to do.  

I recently saw a quote and it really got me thinking.  

The only things you regret are the things you don't do.
- Michael Curtiz-

So when Daniel called me on Friday morning and said he wanted to go skiing on Saturday, I only resisted a little bit.  

I am not extremely adventurous and I am usually perfectly content to sit on the sidelines and watch Daniel and the kids having fun.  

Daniel is old and nursing a bad back.  He has absolutely no business strapping skis to his feet.  Daniel had intended for the boys to ski or snowboard and for us to sit and watch.  He knows his limitations and surgery just isn't in his plan for this year.  

However, I really wanted to ski...I know...my family was shocked too.

And...I only had very slight reservations about Daniel skiing.  If we were going to do this as a family, then we all  needed to be a part of it.  Besides, it's not very often that Daniel shies away from activities because of his back, and since he was nervous about it, I knew he would be extra cautious.  

We broke the news to the boys on Friday night and you would have thought it was Christmas Eve.  Walker even went to bed early because he was so excited he wanted to go to sleep so morning would come that much faster.  

Walker decided he wanted to snowboard and the rest of us decided to ski.  

None of us have ever skied before, so we had to have our hands held through the entire process.  

Our snowboard and skiing instructors were great and got us out on the slopes by 10:00 a.m.  

​We were on our own for a day of adventure.

Walker mastered the snowboard really quickly and had no fear on the beginner hills.

Isaac was very determined.  I wish I had gotten a picture of his face.  He really improved throughout the day and was the first one to go to the bigger hills.

Daniel and I had our challenges.  Those bunny hills look a whole lot bigger when you get to the top.  We never completely mastered the turning or stopping.  The weather was great, so the slopes were very busy.  It became a game of dodging the other skiers and observers camped out at the bottom of the slopes.  

As the day went on, our confidence increased.  That is until the temperatures started to drop and the slopes started to ice up.  Accomplished skiers love this, but rookies have issues stopping.  

We all had our fare share of falls throughout the day.  I even ended upside down stuck in a fence.  I was just like a fish caught in a fishing net.  My family thought that would be the end for me, but I got right back up and headed back up the hill.  

Again...they were shocked.  

Walker took a tumble and hurt his wrist.  He made it back down the hill (you don't stay down on the beginner hill very long because there is another skier right behind you that doesn't know how to steer or stop either).  He was hurting pretty badly, so he decided to sit out for a while.  

He was really frustrated.  He loves the snowboard and is really good at it.  He wasn't ready to call it a day, but his wrist just hurt.  There weren't any indications of a serious injury, so I encouraged him to give it another try.

This was a very special day for us.  Not one that will be repeated often.  When we were done, we would leave the slopes not to return for a long time.  We all wanted to give it our all and leave with no regrets. 

I didn't want Walker to quit out of fear.  He told me he wasn't afraid of snowboarding, he was just afraid he would fall again and hurt his wrist.  I told him I wanted him to do one more run.  I didn't want him to leave this experience in fear.  I knew if he did, there is a good possibility he would never try it again.  

He finally got up the courage to give it one more try.  

He went down the slope very slowly, but he made it without falling.  That is all he needed.  He kept going, and going, and going.  ​

We were on the slopes for over 8 hours. 

Skiing is hard work!

We all had a blast and wanted to leave with no regrets.

This meant something different for each one of us.  

We all pushed through a lot of fears and accomplished greater things than we imagined we would.  We learned we will probably always be content to stay on the beginner hills right here in Ohio. 

We quit when we were just too exhausted to continue.  There was still time left in the day, but our bodies were revolting.  

We all took some pretty awesome tumbles, but nobody sustained any lasting injuries.  We are all walking a little slower today, but will recover.  Daniel took a beautiful tumble on his last attempt, but he got back up and his back survived.  

Victory all around!

Sometimes life means saying "yes" and leaving the excuses behind.  

We will never regret hitting the slopes, and even if we never get the opportunity to ski again, we have no regrets.

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