Year 3, Day 1.5: The Maiden Voyage

Like I've shared in my previous posts, I've had anxiety around learning to ski.  My first year was not so encouraging... in year two, I made a little progress... so for year three, I was hoping it would really start to feel more comfortable.  (check this past blog post: http://adventuresoftaradactyl.blogspot.com/2015/04/year-2-wrap-up-this-might-be-it.html )

Captain Obvious Observations of skiing:  1) It's difficult to catch on to;  2) It's expensive.

I had borrowed my friend Anna's skis my first year, and I had rented a pair last year.  On a teacher's salary the last few years, I couldn't afford my own gear.  This past spring, I picked out a good pair of skis that I knew I could "grow into," so to speak, and put them on layaway.  They would be longer and wider than anything I had struggled with the past two years, but I knew that in the winters to come that I wanted to be able to ski both in and out of bounds, on groomers or back country powder.  I put the final balance on my credit card, and picked them up last week.

All this past week, I just admired them sitting in the corner of my room.  I actually owned them this time!  I was excited to finally have a pair to call my own that I could learn on, but even more nervous because I didn't want to have just invested so much money into something too advanced for me.  Last week there wasn't enough snow up near Long's (my close weekend go-to hiking area) to even think about skiing, but I was determined to keep advancing and excited just to carry them on my back while I hiked up for the added weight.

In the back of my mind I was still nervous to click in for real and take a run.  Yesterday was the day to finally face any fears I was having.  Not only was I going to test them out, but I was giving skinning a go as well.

I have had many issues with my glutes and psoas muscles the last couple of years and certain exercises aggravate my muscles.  I can't work out on elliptical machines and I can't snow shoe.  I wondered if skinning would also trigger my muscles to hurt, and I was unfortunately right.  If I keep up on my chiropractic care and do dry needling to keep my muscles from seizing up, I can manage it.  I suffered through the pain to get to the top and called my doctor right away to schedule the dry needling.  After changing into dry clothes and eating a snack, I nervously clicked in and took my first run...  My "maiden voyage" if you will.

The night before it had snowed about 3 inches, so there was a beautiful layer of fluffy snow on top of the groomed run.  It was as smooth as butter.  I turned with ease and just floated down my first run.  I was so relieved.  I went down more runs.  I was in love with my new skis.  It made me so hopeful for this upcoming season.  The learning and improvements will never end, but the first day in my own set-up was a pretty good one.

(Accidental) product review: brownie batter approved.

Just because it's a pretty funny story, too.

Last year I joined the Enerplex family as a brand ambassador -- I love representing a great company that I believe makes a good and trustworthy product.

Representing on a summit nap on San Luis Peak.  

The product that I get asked about quite a bit is my solar phone case.  The extra emergency battery pack comes in handy almost every other day.  It charges with a wall plug-in, or I'll sit the solar panel in the sun while I'm driving in the car or sitting on a mountain taking in the views.

So here's where my accidental product testing comes in.  I would say my biggest weakness in this world is my sweet tooth.  I frequently make single serving brownie batter bowls, or cookie dough, or ice cream... I'll quit listing.  The other night was like any other.  I had finished my homework, eaten dinner, and had sat down to catch up on some favorite shows with a small bowl of personal brownie batter as a treat.  My message tone goes off, I reach over to the coffee table to answer a friend, and plop...

 Embarrassingly often I just drop things.  Ask any of my former students how often the dry erase markers just jumped out of my hands for no reason while I was teaching.  I had dropped my phone right into my bowl of brownie batter.  I didn't curse, I didn't yell, I just froze for a second and giggled at how that had just happened.  It was even the second phone case I've gone through.  My first still worked fine, but suffered some cosmetic damages.  I thought, worst case scenario, my case might die but it would have protected my phone in sacrifice.  I take the case off quickly to make sure my phone was fine, and then decide what to do with the case.  If I had just dropped it into the toilet like everyone else, I could put it in rice and it would probably be fine... right?  The batter was clogged into the speaker pores, and into the charger port.  You can't just wipe it off.  If I left it, it would be ruined.  If I washed it out, I might ruin it either way.  So I decided to take the kitchen sprayer and pressure wash out the batter from the speakers and charging port.  I was still annoyed and laughing at my ridiculous mistake and crossed my fingers if it worked out.  After running it under water for a few minutes, I got it all out.  I dried it off, turned it over, and realized there was water under the solar screen on the back.  I figured after its swim there was no way it could have survived.  I was feeling remorse after having lost it so carelessly.  Just for the heck of it, I put it in a bag a rice overnight.

I nervously tested it out the next day, hoping I wouldn't electrocute myself when I plugged it back in or get no reaction if it were dead.  I tested it first without my phone in it, and the blue lights on the battery pack started blinking!  It had survived a smothering in brownie batter and a soaking bath under the faucet, and is currently sitting in the sun charging on my coffee table as I speak.  It's definitely not a traditional product testing and review, but Enerplex, you made one good and tough phone case :)

For anyone interested in anything for themselves or for a holiday gift idea, please take advantage of 20% anything at goenerplex with the code "tnichols" at checkout.  I love my phone case even more now, and they also have various other panels and battery packs.  Go check it out! www.goenerplex.com 

Earlier this summer taking an afternoon to do some summer class homework.  My first case took quite the beating too.  The poor thing suffered many cosmetic damages.