Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Montana Moments

My family and I recently went on a vacation to Montana to celebrate my Dad's early 60th birthday. Anyone who knows me knows that I tend to severely injure myself when I snowboard. The first year I did it, I hurt my ankle. Second, I hurt my knee. Third, I got a concussion and last year, I dislocated my shoulder. Snowboarding has never been something I have done with ease. This year I mastered the mountain! I went out with my sister and Andrea, with the patience of a saint, instructed me in a language I could understand. I managed to find the balance in my body and after a few runs I was actually starting to see what all the fuss was about. My legs were burning, my abs were sore and I was having fun! I was going fast but I was in control...it was awesome. At one point I actually felt like I could do it all day long, I didn't, but I felt like I could. I went out again the next day, feeling confident and having fun. Falling only a few times, I was elated about my progress. In years passed I had spent more time on my ass in the snow than I had on my board. After a great day on the mountain I decided to reward myself with a cold beer and a dip in the hot tub. I was feeling just fine until about midnight when I suddenly started to itch. And itch. The worst part was I was sitting in a bar with my brother and unable to scratch or have him look at it until we got home. So, I drank more. Finally after stumbling home in the snow I got a good look at it and knew for sure.....I had hot tub folliculitis. It is an infection that is caused from being in a hot tub that hasn't been cleaned properly or used the appropriate amount of chlorine. It causes red bumps all over your body that itch like chicken pox. I spent the next day in the medical clinic getting some antibiotics and then it was home...to bed. I was so bummed. I had finally gotten a taste of what it was like to enjoy snowboarding but ended up in the clinic anyway. Well, there is always next year and at least now I know never to get into another hot tub. Good news is the folliculitis is gone now and I have a new outlook on conquering the mountain.

1 comment:

Grrpa said...

Yeah, honey! Welcome to the wonderful world that is snowboarding.... I am so glad you "got" it, becasue, in truth, you always "had" it, you just didn't know it. Kinda like life. And the good part is, I don't get blamed for making you nervous and having to break something! If you follow Andrea's example of careful, considered boarding, you will be well served. You'll have plenty of time to go nuts later and scream down the mountain LIKE YOUR BROTHER! I will eventually need someone to take over watching out for him, as I can barely keep up now. The secret is to only go as fast as you enjoy.
Love That Powder!!!