562-Cindy

So a few Fridays ago was a big day. It was "Ditch School to go to Big Bear!!!" day. And we did! I was promptly awaken at 4:30 am, courtesy of Laura's phone. After I got out of bed, did my morning routine, threw on some clothes, we made our way to Adam's car and were on the road! Let me just say, there is no one on the freeway at 5:30 in the morning. Ok, that's a lie. There are significantly less people on the freeway. The drive was fast. Getting our ski's/snowboards was fast. Getting our tickets, fast. Then it was time. Mind you, I've never skied before. I've been snowboarding, once, 3 years ago, and it was not my most graceful moment. But I thought anything had to be better then spending 95% of my time there on the ground. So my first run. I didn't fall off of the lift. Good sign. And then I was off. And I was good. Well, better than expected. I had a little spill, but other than that, my first run was amazing. Needless to say, I think I impressed most people, including myself. But that's pretty much how the day went. We would go down a hill, I would have a few falls (sometimes only 1, sometimes many) And because I'm a beginner, they loosen your skis, which make them fall off easier. I had a difficult time with that.

So it's 1pm. We've been skiing since 8:30. We had just gone down Summit Run, and decided that it was such a good run, that we were going to do it again. So I took off first. (I think the reason for this was in case I fell, or lost many articles, everyone who came up behind me could help me out) So I'm booking it. And not the good kind of booking it. The bad, I know I'm going to fall in 4 seconds, kind of booking it. And I did. I fell, lost my hat and goggles, slid down some more, lost a ski, then another, and then I stopped. I looked up and saw my stuff at the top of the hill, tried to climb and get it, heard Adam and Laura coming, and decided to let them get it.

Now this is where things go fuzzy. Actually, this is where I don't remember anything. So everything that I'm recounting was told to me from this point on. Adam and Laura got my skis, helped me back into everything made sure I was ok, and then we took off again. Kevin had already passed us at this point. We ski for a little bit. I make my way up to where Laura is and say "Not to alarm you guys, but I don't know where we are." So we sat down and they tried to see if I was being serious. I think the tears speak for themselves.



The medics arrived (thank you Kevin!) And I was immediately rewarded with pure oxygen. Amazing. They asked a lot of questions, most of which I didn't know the answer to. "What day is it? What month is it? What year is it? (2003 was my answer) Who's the president?" I had no idea! They put a neck brace on me rolled me onto a backboard of sorts, strapped me in, and then hauled me down the mountain. There was an ambulance waiting. (Not for me, thank goodness) But that didn't stop me from freaking out and trying to get off the back board. They took me into the medics building and tried to check me out. I got asked all of the same questions again. This time, I knew who the President was. They wanted to send me to the hospital, but in my amnesic state, I refused. After a very long ordeal, I was finally released and sent to the lodge with Kevin. We were there for almost 2 hours. And in those 2 hours, we had the same conversations, over and over again. I think he was prompting me for a laugh. (I will admit, it was funny hearing about all of this) By the time we left, everything was getting clearer. And by the time we got home, I was back to normal.

I still don't remember anything from the fall, or in the hour proceeding it. But, it does make for a good story. So if and when I do go skiing again, I will be wearing a helmet.