Fall down and get back up again

I feel like I was in a fight over the weekend. And I lost.

My body is so beat up from my attempts at snowboarding. My knees have bruises from landing on them so many times. My backside is in pain for the same reason. My arms are sore from having to push myself back up a million times after falling. My legs are yelling at me for over using and abusing them.

You'd think snow would be soft and comfortable to land on, but the snow on the slopes at APPI ski resort was packed down and not the least bit cushiony.

So was it worth all the pain (and money)? No, I really can't say that it was. I'll be honest. There were some fun -- even exhilarating -- moments on the slopes, but most of the time it was just frustrating. It didn't help that while I was wiping out, five-year-old kids were zooming past me. Probably laughing at me, too. They could have at least had the decency to fall.

Ok, enough complaining since I'm starting to sound bitter. I'll instead focus on the positive -- that's more my style. :)

The hot springs bath afterwards was awesome! Exactly what I needed after a brutal day. I could have slept in there.

The buffet dinner--a combination of Japanese and Western food--was also amazing. It had been a long time since I'd eaten a good steak. Dinner was included in the price of the whole weekend, so I loaded my plate full of steak in an effort to get my money's worth. :)

It was nice to see so many friends and spend the night at the resort. There were about 30 of us English teachers from around Iwate prefecture, so I got to catch up and share a few laughs with people I don't see a whole lot.

I have a few pictures from the weekend at APPI. The first two I took on my new camera...

Who knew that Spiderman (aka Julian) snowboarded?

Jarlath and Liz about ready to rock n' roll.

Hmm, I kind of look like a snowboarder here. This is such a lie.

Screaming loudly and getting ready to crash -- the story of my day. I did my best to dust myself off, get back up and try again.

Some of my friends were skiing instead of snowboarding.

I've never been skiing before, but I'm thinking that it should theoretically be easier/less painful for me since #1 I'd have two boards to balance on instead of one and #2 I could use the poles to help stop myself from crashing. (right?) Anyway, I'm really curious now to try it out.

I was invited to go skiing as early as this weekend. If I can go up and down stairs without wincing before then, I might just consider it.