Sand and Snow

Like I said, I have decided to make 2011 the best year ever. So when my dear friend Mary Bess suggested I join her and her husband's family on an upcoming trip to Cozumel, Mexico, I went for it! Sure the trip was only a week away and I had to pay lots of money for my ticket, but it was totally going to be worth it! So I planned my last minute trip and hit the skies on January 13th. When we arrived on the small island the sky was overcast and cloudy but the temperature and warm breeze felt amazing after having left chilly Salt Lake. We were staying at some pretty nice condos called Pal Mar. The island is small and friendly. I actually really enjoy small island traveling because you can do everything there is to do in the area in a short amount of time. Big places can be overwhelming when you feel like you have a million things you want to do and they are all far apart. Plus, we had a really fun group in Cozumel. The DeManns are my favorite family besides my own, I decided.

I won't discuss everything I did while I was there but I will share some of my favorite memories. One somewhat cloudy but warm day, Mary and I decided that we would have our own adventure and go horseback riding together. She had never driven in Cozumel before but knows the area well so I trusted her to drive us. (foreshadowing) We were trying to find this one guy with horses or even this other guy, Mr. Sancho, who had camels. We ended up taking the long route around the island and doubling back before we saw a small horse ranch on the side of the road. Mary went to turn the car around by pulling into the local Cozumel Museum. It was going to be a sharp turn as she was trying to turn around on the exit ramp. However, Mary did not realize it was a ramp and not a driveway and before I could say, "Mary don't hit the..." she ran over the curb and high centered the vehicle. I immediately exited the vehicle and took pictures before going inside the museum to find Rrrrreynaldo who had big muscles and nice smile. Despite his muscles he still had to call in reinforcements. It ended up taking 7 men to get our car back on the road. Finally we were able to get to the horsies for our exciting adventure through the jungle. In related news: Galloping on a horse makes us giggle.

Another favorite day was when we went snorkeling the first time. I love snorkeling. Life under the sea is better than anything we've got up here. Under the sea....Under the sea... Anyway, I had a good time looking at fish and watching the boys scuba dive. We also had a couple nice days at the beach. The last two days of my trip were the most sunny and so we just relaxed in the sun. Miki, Mary, and I had fun playing in the waves even though Miki and I almost lost our swimsuits a couple times (I pretty much saved her life). Brant, Miki, Brian, and I also tried to build a sweet castle but it eventually turned into a sand blob. It was very sad. On my last day in Cozumel we also went to the beach. We went to Punta Sur which was fun because we climbed to the top of a lighthouse to gaze on a spectacular view of the ocean, we saw crocodiles, some ruins, an iguana, and I got to ride around on the back of a scooter with Josh. All in all, it was a grand time and I can finally say that I have been to Mexico.



Me being nervous



Part 2 of my story is about my first time snowboarding. My roommate Nichole really wanted to go snowboarding and although I agreed to go, I was pretty nervous about it and deep down inside I secretly hoped we wouldn't be able to go. However, everything worked out and I found myself waking up early on a Thursday morning putting on borrowed clothes and trudging out the door with a borrowed board. Nichole, Sara, and I headed to Canyons in Park City. With each gondola ride I found myself trembling more and more and I don't think it was from the cold. First Nichole, who has been a snowboard instructor, tried to teach me how to ride my board with just one foot in the binding, the way I would when exiting the lift. I was having a tough time with this even though I was on a teeny tiny hill. I had already fallen many times and my legs were tired from climbing the hill over and over when Nichole told me it was time to hit the slopes! EEP! My first time off the lift was very...chaotic. I saw that guy running the lift standing nearby so when we got closer I yelled at him to help me off because it was my first time. He grabbed my hands, Nichole grabbed me from behind, both were yelling instructions at me and before I knew what was happening I was on the ground with my body wrapped around a sign.

Nichole got to teaching me and, I gotta say, she is a good teacher. She taught me how to go slowly down the hill perpendicular to the slope (buttering I think its called?). She showed me how to stop and how to get up when on a slope. I focused on this move for a while (my legs were burning). My first run was not so hot. I took a rest after that because I was parched! My second time on the easy run I did much better and was starting to feel confident enough to move my board more. The only problem is that I was getting stuck on the flat parts. So Nichole suggested we hit up a tougher run. We got up there and I found myself nervous again. To my surprise, I did better on the slopes than I thought I would. My adrenaline was pumping as I gained speed and I felt proud when I was able to prevent a fall. Then I got to the flat part... Sara and I got stuck there for quite a while and I fell A LOT! When I finally got to the end of the run I was tired and my legs were getting to be useless. The end of the run got kind of flat again so I was trying to get the hang of keeping my board straight and staying up. Just when I was starting to feel good... WHAM! I fell hard on my butt and rolled over a couple times on the ground. I was in so much pain. The wind was knocked out of me and it was all I could do to stand up, take off my board, and walk down the hill. I was out of commission. I do not think my butt could have handled another hit. Even now, 2 weeks later, my tailbone still feels tender when I do pilates or when I sneeze oddly enough...

I did have a great time though and I definitely want to invest in some gear and go again! Thanks to my roomie for her patience with me and to Sara for being my falling buddy.