SKI

During my Thanksgiving Break in 2015, Luke Miles (my current boyfriend) invited me to go on a skiing trip in Michigan with him and his family. I ecstatically said yes, and after just arriving home from my week long adventure, I am happy to say that it was really an awesome experience. It started on December 27 with a switch in Leitchfield, Ky. I stayed that night at 504 South Hamilton Street in Georgetown with Luke's mom Colleen and his stepdad Albert. Their house is so inviting; I feel right at home, and even helped make a batch of guacamole. We all sat on the couch side by side and watched the first Star Wars movie and the first half of the second (which I surprisingly really enjoyed!)

After a dermatologist appointment in the morning, Luke, Hal (Luke's dad), Cheryl (Hal's girlfriend), and I loaded into the "party wagon", an old suburban with wood interiors that set the tone for the whole trip. During our car ride, I was introduced to the National Public Radio. We listened to educational podcasts, stories of people's lives, how expectations affect our lives, and a hilarious Christmas improv show. This radio along with word games such as fortunately/unfortunately and syllable storytelling made for a really great car ride. We stayed the first night in a town called Brighton, where the infamous Faeth family lived. Michelle (the mom) seemed to be a pleasant yet lonely house wife, attempting to keep her rein in a household of five men. Dave (the dad) was quite simply loud. The oldest son Nick was the total cool guy, a football player with an aura of pure suave. Then there were Collin (almost 15) and Trevor (18). I think it is safe to say I am completely obsessed with these two boys. There is just something about them that really drew me in, especially while playing the game pandemic (read Luke's blog in the link to learn more about this game). We played this game probably seven times during the trip, but bananas or communism or first world problems or cat butts always proved to be stronger.

Fast forward to Tuesday morning at the bottom of the slopes of Schuss mountain in Michigan. I had just gotten all suited in my ski gear (who knew ski boots were so hard to get on) and Luke and I were ready to tackle the ski lift (only by day three could I get off of the lift without falling). I thought we were heading straight to the bunny slope for me to start slow, but apparently we had to go down what seemed to me an impossible hill to get to it. Luke tried to coach me down, but the only place I got was literally down on the ground, where I floundered for many minutes in my attempt to stand. My eyes were welling with tears; I was frustrated, and the whole escapade was seeming impossible and worthless. I put my ski mask on to hide my pain a

nd eventually got down, where Cheryl and Hal showed me the ropes. By the end of the day I was pizzaing down the slopes at a very slow but steady pace. The next day I spent the morning with Hal and Cheryl as they taught me more and more. Hal was a very good teacher, barking at me the whole time but always being encouraging. Luke spent the afternoon with me, and his feedback also helped me to gain more confidence and speed. By the third day, even though my anxiety was at an astronomical level, I pushed through and really enjoyed myself and my growing skiing ability. I was transitioning to french fries and riding the lift by myself, making conversation with many strangers.

That night for supper we had duck and Cheryl's supreme fruity salad. It was a meal of celebration, and I really was celebrating because on that first morning on the slopes I really thought that this trip would be completely awful. Luke, Collin, Trevor, and I rang in 2016 with mugs of orange juice and I got my first new years kiss. I played Halo and got three kills, and I sat in a Little Caesers for 2 and a half hours while munching on discounted cheese sticks. That morning when we left, I was happy to know I wouldn't be waking up to the sound of Dave's voice for a while, but I really was sad to leave. Back in Georgetown, I met Luke's sister Spring and she really made smile, the cherry on top of everything else.