Summer Fun

We made our first trip of the summer to the lake yesterday. You know you're getting old when you jump on the tube from the boat so you don't have to attempt to clamor on from the lake, look like a fool, give up, then swim back to the boat to get on the easy way. This year as I stood on the boat preparing to seat drop onto the tube I gave my list of instructions: "Not to fast. Be nice. Remember I'm going to pull you next, so think of paybacks. Be nice. I want to have fun, but not TOO much fun. Remember to be nice. Did I say be nice?" Studmuffin just smiled in his sly, devious way, and handed me the rope to let out as he slowly eased forward to take up slack.

And we were off. Okay, so he held up his end of the bargain, on "not too fast," but he immediately started a zig zag pattern designed to make me fly over the wake again and again and again. I started screaming at him and shaking my head, and screaming at him some more. I was hanging on for dear life, so I couldn't do the universal thumbs up for speed up, down for slow down, or palm out flat for stop. He just kept looking back and saying "I can't hear you," and Bookworm kept holding her arms up in the universal shrug of "I have no idea what you're saying." But did anyone think to stop and ask me what I needed? Noooooo.

And this is how I know I must be getting old. I was too scared to let go and skip across the water to end the torment because I knew that would really hurt too. So, I just held on for dear life, and suffered the whiplash of a roller coaster, only not the fun smooth coasters, think the old wooden coasters that dare you to walk again after you finally get off of them.

When we finally stopped, he asked what I wanted. I explained the beating I was taking jumping those wakes. He laughed and said, "Oh no, now it's time for revenge." But, I decided to show the mercy of my Lord, and I was very gentle with him. Yes, my Christian virtues are astounding, aren't they? Amen.

When we lived in Texas we could go boating on water as smooth as glass, there was so little wind. That is not possible here. There is always a little bit of chop, and if there isn't white caps on the lake, well it's ski worthy. But I've noticed that flying around at high speeds on the tube is a lot more terrifying because it's an endless barrage of beatings, not the occasional, "oh no, there's a big wake and he's about to send me flying over it."

So, after the girls had enough abuse from tubing themselves, we busted out the skis. Okay, so I'm not sure if I can hardly move due to the skiing or the tubing. I'm pretty stable on my skis, but it was a beautiful day and there were tons of people out. That makes for more wakes you have to maneuver over on your skis, and plus we had the standard Oklahoma chop to contend with. Then, one time Studmuffin said "I'm going to turn around as soon as you get up, because there's too much traffic this way."

I agreed, and I noticed he had the prop turned a little to the right, but I figured, "I'm a strong skier, I can hack it." I was barely up and he took a hard right to avoid a boat that came up on us unexpectedly. The rope got so much slack it was in the water. I tried to rally and hunker down. Unfortunately that just lead to me doing a giant face plant in the water with both skis flying off in opposite directions....

So, when we got home last night my pinkie toe was kind of hurting. The only thing I can think is that it got hurt when my skis flew off... Then it woke me up, it was throbbing so bad. I took some ibuprofen, and it continued to ache. I'm limping around today, and my arms and shoulders are sore from the beating from the tube and hanging on to the ski rope.

I'm telling you, I think I'm getting old. Just a few summers ago, I would race back and forth on the skis, jumping the wake the whole time, and if I took a spill, no biggy, I'd shake it off and continue on. I would usually end up with bruises on my shins that I wouldn't really know where they came from, and I would hurt from head to toe, but be ready to go back at it as soon as possible. Yesterday my neck was hurting before I even stepped into skies, so I pretty much played it safe the whole time. The good news was I didn't fall even one time (excluding the previously mentioned face plant that was totally not my fault), and I even kept a fishing hat on the whole time, so my scalp didn't burn!

The hat really ticked Studmuffin off. He said it looked like I was showing off....like I was so confident in my abilities that I wouldn't even lose a hat. Okay, I got the hat at Walmart when I was pregnant with Bookworm. Really, there was no tragedy if I lost it....

Which I didn't....

Because I am awesome....

Or because I played it safe and didn't let him pull me over about 25 mph....