Winter Adventures

I had a perfect winter day today. A bunch of family members got together and we all went to Chestnut Ridge for a winter picnic and bonfire. I bundled up in my ski coat and snowpants, and thus protected, I felt perfectly ok about rolling around in the snow. LCA and I made a bitchin snowman with leaf mould hair and a creepy water bottle top popping out-eye. My cousin Andrew provided me with a sort of canine-shaped lump of snow, so I made our snowman a dog, and everyone thought they made a charming couple. I hadn't ,ade a snowman in years, I had forgotten how hard it is. Rolling giant snowballs takes a really long time, and required me to walk around in a full squat until I gave up and crawled around on my knees. I kept shedding layers as I went, first my hat, then my coat, etc. It was so worth it though, snowmen are very satisfying final products.
My mom had brought turkey soup, and we had a nice picnic lunch. Soup is hard to eat in the snowy wind, and I made a soupy mess, but it was very tasty and warming. We also toasted marshmallows, and eventually there were hot dogs, because everyone was so hungry from playing in the cold.
A small party decided to try to hike to the Eternal Flame, and so we walked down some very icy, snowy stone steps, only to find that the path was impassible. The creek had party frozen, and so we played around it, tempting frostbite and broken ankles. I love ice. Not skating or walking on it, but the way it feels, and the sound it makes when you break it. I risked my neck trying to reach an icy fragment, but it was totally worth it because it was filled with little air bubble polka dots. Even the feeling of ice breaking under you is thrilling. It's scary, but once you realize you're safe, it's awesome, exhilarating and funny at the same time. I had a hard time deciding where I wanted to be, and sort of drifted between the chatting adults and exploring children. I'm at that age I guess. It was a ton of fun though, and people kept commenting on how it was the happiest they had seen me all break. I love being outside, it shouldn't have come as a surprise. I was very happy though.
Back at the ranch, my grandparents were building competing bonfires, and I singed my gloves when I tried to dry them over the fire. The fires were nice, but everyone smelled smoky. Some people went sledding, but I was winding down, so I just sat by the fire. We left when the sledders came back, and I got to sit shotgun, even though I had ridden in the front on the way out. I tried to play nice music to make up for it, everyone was tired and cold, but in a good way.
Mum and I went to yoga when we got back. I was very tired, but it was a good class. It was very crowded, and I was right against the wall, so I didn't have quite enough room, and I was next to the Yoga Queen, but I thought I did well. Better than last time at least. I was certainly glad I went, but by the end I was yawning during the poses. I love getting all sweaty though, and I always feel good after a class. I feel great right now, stretched and showered and full of raspberries and vanilla ice cream. I had such a nice time today.