I got my ass spanked in the terrain park at PCMR today. Not that I crashed or anything major but with hyper adrenaline charges pumping, I was whisked into the park and pride forced me to step up – on 4 trips through the beast. It was Jonesies. Three years ago this was the baby park. Now it’s the medium-sized one but you could have fooled me. #1 – I cleared the knuckle each time but came down on my tails before correcting my balance. The PSIA clinician said I was an ACL accident waiting to happen. Not good for the psyche when it was right back up for round two. Bigger, faster and more centered, I nailed all three landings but damn those can still feel like someone is drilling into your feet from below. #3- first jump came up short and I landed on the knuckle. No biggie really but being concerned about clearing the next jump, I started my straightrun from that rollover. I was flying and then I was flying. I caught so much air it scared me. I nearly hit the flats after the landing. Not good. I pulled out to the side and steadied myself for going sideways on the ”beginner” box. No problem riding straight on the 2-foot wide feature of flat white plastic with metal edges. But popping onto it and twisting 90-degrees so that I was perpendicular to it was another animal. Four times I tried; three I wiped out on my left hip and once I stayed on my feet- barely. My ankle, arm, hip, middle back and neck are all a little achey tonight.
I must be touched in the head because I really want to go back and conquer that beast. I bet if it was a sunny day, things would be different! Instead, the light was flat, it was snowing and frickin’ cold. Plus, my hip flexors are weak from lack of training and I seemed to be working hard for each 180 and pop.

Back at the ranch, I found Lucas sheetrocking my new addition. It’s coming along- slowly as always- but it’s beginning to transform into something resembling a living space. The plan is to acid stain the concrete floor tomorrow. I can’t wait. A new DIY project for Jill! So far, I’ve installed switchplates, lighting fixtures and painted and installed an organizer in my closet. I would have done more if there was more to do. We’re moving soooo slowly. I can’t believe it’s taking more than 6 months. That’s crazy.
Ryan’s well and has been a huge help with the baby. For example, he drove up from Salt Lake to pick her up from the sitter’s yesterday while I was stuck in SLC shopping for supplies. He came up tonight to watch her so I could make my digital photography class but I blew that off and we hung out for dinner instead. I do want to get a better understanding of my Canon but the class is boring and filled with that photograher’s gibberish like F-stop, shutter speed, histogram, spot metering that puts me to sleep. After a day like today, I’d fade fast. I think I need a one on one to ever understand the mechanics of anything non point-n-shoot.
We spent three hours last Saturday shooting around a drab park (it was starting to snow, everything was dead (or hibernating), grey and still. Plus, I was freezing. It must have been in the 20s.
Here’s one of my shots. What do you think? Do I have talent or what?
I am going to try to go back next week but I may have lost my way.
Updates:
Skiing’s still really nice although the powder is now packed powder and locals are sitting things out until the next big dump. Tuesday maybe?
Sage said mama tonight and for the first time I seriously think she gets what it means. She has said it in the past but then it was more like part of her babbling. Today at dinner Ryan asked her, “Where’s mama?” Sage looked right at me and said, “Mama.” I know this shouldn’t be so exciting but when you’ve waited nearly 19 months and everyone starts wondering why your baby is ‘slow’ at speech you can’t help but swoon over the accomplishment. She has been signing for communication. She knows the signs for milk, diaper, more, please, cheese, juice, sleep and mama. I so love being able to give Ryan shit about baby sign language. When I took my class and tried to teach him some words he said no way and that he would have to see it to believe. Now he believes.
She walks, she crawls up steps, she loves bathtime, sleeps 12 hours a night and is still mostly eating food from the baby jars. She likes them and they’re all natural so why not. This way she’s guaranteed to eat her veggies (unlike her mama). And speaking of eating, Sage is 24 pounds and 32 inches. She has outgrown clothes from my almost 3 yr old niece! The two babies are now about the same size.
Tenaya’s starting get some payback for all of these months of (relative) inattention. The baby is tossing balls to her and Tenaya retrieves. ok, gotta go. Have to sleep. After three nights in a row of a mere 5 hour shuteye, I popped an Ambian and am now about to tuff my face into this keyboard. L8tr!