Ski Trip

Hey everyone! I know it's been a while again... oops. 

The past couple weeks have been crazy! My family went on a skiing trip after Christmas. It didn't exactly go as planned, but I did have a great time. :)  Be prepared for a ramble!

We had a great Christmas. I got a couple books, Paden got me a cool knife, my parents gave me a heated blanket, and a few other things. I was able to spend lots of time with my siblings over the break. We played games, watched some movies, and read together. 

We rented a VRBO at Bear Lake so that we could go skiing at Beaver Mountain. It was a big, awesome house! We all loved it there. The bunk beds were super cramped, though, and Jack and I hit our heads a few times trying to get in and out of them. Instead of the typical pair of beds, they were three beds stacked on top of each other with very little clearance between them. 

Skiing was awesome! I hadn't skied in a few years, so I had to relearn everything. We spent some time on the little bunny hills, getting used to skiing. Or, in Risa's case, snowboarding. Jack fell off the magic carpet once, and it was kind of funny. They didn't even stop it. XDD  Once we all felt like we had the hang of turning and stopping, we split up to take different lifts. 

Jack, Kady, and I took a lift up to some green trails--the easy ones. I wiped out after barely 10 seconds. I went too fast, fell forward, and winded myself for a bit. But some friendly people helped me grab my ski poles and get back up. Jack zipped ahead, so Kady and I stayed together. The rest of the trail was pretty fun and smooth. I believe it was called the Goat Trail. When we reached the bottom, we found Dad waiting by another lift that wasn't too busy, so we made our way over to him. 

When we eventually reached the top, we figured out very quickly why the lift wasn't busy. There were just about only black diamond trails. There was a blue trail, but we didn't see it, so we started down one of the black diamonds. I bumped into a few trees and crashed at the base of a jump near the top of the trail. (I didn't take the jump, but I blocked the way for other people. Oops. XD) About halfway down, I kind of started to get the hang of it. 

Kady did so amazing! She zipped down the trail and did really great with her turns! I tried to do the same, but I always picked up too much speed when I turned, so I'd inevitably crash. Pretty soon, I had snow all over me. Some of it even got under my coat. I kept going, and finally started to feel like I was doing good. I made three consecutive switchback turns without crashing--which was a record for me--then I hit an obstacle that I didn't see coming.

Unbeknownst to me, the Goat Trail intersected the black diamond trail I was on. (I forgot the name of it.) I hit the edge of the trail and jumped it by mistake. My ski tips hit first, and luckily they disconnected from my boots as my momentum yanked me forward. But as my boots came off my skis, my right leg got twisted. 

I hit the ground hard and skidded for a bit. When I was able to sit up, I saw that my skis and poles were scattered around. I tried to scramble to the nearest ski, but neither of my legs wanted to support me. They were both aching from the knees down. A good Samaritan skier helped me retrieve my gear, then made sure I was okay before continuing down the trail. I sat and waited for my dad and Kady to catch up. 

After about ten minutes, the pain in my left leg faded to a dull ache, but my right leg wasn't getting better. My dad got down to me and tried to help me put my skis back on, but I couldn't get my leg to cooperate. A medic found us minutes later, and called down a toboggan. I'd never actually seen one in person before! The medics wrapped my leg in a foam splint, strapped me in the toboggan, then towed me down the mountain--though by that point, we weren't too far from the bottom.

I wasn't the first person to get injured that day, and I was actually the second one to get hurt after accidentally jumping the Goat Trail. They brought me to a little lodge, fitted me up with a cardboard and saran wrap splint--which was a lot sturdier than it sounds--and got me a bag of snow to hold against my knee. 

Long story short, I was there for a few hours while the rest of the family kept skiing. My dad and siblings checked in on me every hour or so. My leg kept getting worse. I couldn't bend it at all, and moving it a tiny bit was agony. I could hardly shift position in bed without it aching. We went back to the VRBO, and I spent the majority of the next couple of days resting on the couches, icing my leg, and slowly stretching and bending it. 

Poor Risa got a concussion the day after I hurt my knee. My dad got a video of it, and she hit the ground hard. Luckily, she cushioned her face with her arms, though. My family and I count it as a miracle that Risa and I weren't hurt worse, because there were several skiers with broken bones, very serious concussions, and other concerning injuries. 

A couple other miracles happened the day I was hurt, though. At one point, my dad lost his helmet. He searched around for a long time, then gave it up as lost or stolen. Jack and I said a prayer, and shortly afterward, a stranger returned the helmet to Makady, who gave it to my dad. Later, my dad lost the keys to his truck. Kady said a prayer that he would find his keys again. One of the medics found them in the snow, and returned them to my dad when he came back to check on me. 

I was finally able to go to the doctor the other day. (Don't get hurt around New Years! Everything is closed!) I got X-rays and an MRI. There are some tears in my meniscus, ACL, and LCL, and I also bruised my tibia, but luckily I don't need surgery. I will heal on my own, it'll just take some time. I haven't been able to go to any of my services this week, and because of the estimated recovery, I've been released as an ordinance worker at the temple. I'll miss serving there, but I'll make time to visit again as a patron.

This experience has taught me patience and the power of prayer. I'm not as patient as I want to be, but I hope to get better. :) I also know that Heavenly Father has an eternal perspective, and a plan for each of us--even if that plan isn't exactly what we want. 

Hope everyone is doing well! Love you all!