First Time's a Charm! (11)

From left to right: Courtney, Sydney, Quinton,
and Blake

I remember watching longly as he would get all geared up and drive away with his friends. I had always loved my older brother and wanted to be just like him. In fact, I remember in the sixth grade, I noticed my brother walked with a manly strut. Well, in order to be like him, I had to do the same thing. I would practice my strut as I walked to the lunch room with my other classmates. I'm sure my teacher wondered what was wrong with me, like if I had pulled a muscle or something. I was no different just a few years later. I now longed to join him on the slopes. I already knew there was no chance for that, especially because it was so expensive to rent gear and buy a pass. I spent days trying to think of how I could get gear and start learning. Blake was a cool kid and I knew he wouldn't waste a night snowboarding with a beginner. Well, to no avail, I was beginning to give up on the dream of snowboarding. 
It wasn't until one day Blake came home to visit and he brought me over to the computer. He brought up the website for Sundance Ski Resort and pointed down to the right hand corner, where an exclusive offer was posted. For $40, two people could get night passes and go skiing or snowboarding for 4 hours with a discount on rentals. 
He looked over at me and asked," So do you want to go with me?" 
I was beyond myself with excitement! I counted down the days and weeks til our planned snowboarding trip. I told everyone I knew that I was going to learn to snowboard. The day finally arrived and I could hardly sit through class, let alone concentrate because of how excited I was. Blake and I drove up there- me and my college age brother- doubley cool. We get up to the slope and the air was cool and crisp. The temperature was in the low teens, but despite the cold, I knew I was going to love every moment of my ride. We sit down on the ski lift and it whips us to the top of the mountain. 
We finally approach the top, and I know someone I am suppossed to gracefully exit this lift. I set my board down and immediately start leaning back, flailing my arms, trying to keep my balance to no avail. I toppled backwards, hitting into my brother, who mannouvers his board out of my way and manages to stay up. I twist and roll and finally come to a halt. I don't dare to look at the disappointed and annoyed look of my brother. An explosion of laughter fills the air, and I realize instead of feeling embarassed, he is enjoying this episode. I gain composure of myself and attempt to stand, unused to the feeling of having both of my feet firmly strapped to a slick board. 
We start down the mountain and I am constantly falling, rolling, stopping, getting back up. By the end of the first run, I am soaked to the bone, embracing the cold and loving it. I didn't know how to control my board and kept running towards the edges that led to steeper and more intense runs. My brother watched and laughed as I continued to struggle, which made me feel good because then I knew he was having a fun time as well. He taught me the basics of carving and controlling myself and the board. By the end of the night, I could go down the hill with minimal injury, a collection of soaked through clothing, and one grinning exhausted face. Blake never knew what an impact that made on me. To be treated like I was someone important and special to him made all the difference in the world.