Ice Skating, a Weekly Family Tradition?

On Saturday, Valerie decided that she wanted to go ice skating. It sounded fun to me, so the family decided that we would go. Jessica was at the rodeo with her friends, and Jordan wanted to go to the stake dance (he loves to dance you know), so he didn't come with us either, but Dale, the little girls and I went.

It was Marie's first time ever ice skating. Dale helped her around the first few times. I kept asking if he wanted to switch places, but he said he was fine. She stumbled and clung to her dad, but slowly they made it around the rink a couple of times. Then Marie decided she would do it on her own hugging the wall, but there were people in the way who were slower than she was so she had to go out and around them. This turned out to be a good thing because after only one time helping her around the people, she started doing it on her own. She was very pleased with herself. It was cute because she chose to skate like she walks and I couldn't get her to slide on the ice. It didn't matter because she was doing great. By the end of the night, she was skating up and down the middle of the rink, and every once in awhile I could see that she was sliding.

Valerie is a pro. She had been skating with her friend Kierra before, but never to the "Ice Sheet." She was very graceful for a novice. She could even stick her leg out in the air. I can't do that. (Not that I'm an expert by any means.) By the end of the night she wanted me to sign her up for ice skating lessons. I told her we'd see. I'm hoping she forgets about the whole idea.  While she was skating, she fell once and landed on her thumb.  It was hurting he bad enough that she went and got herself some ice to put on it, but no broken bones.  She was out skating around on one foot again in no time. 

Dale got pretty tired after helping Marie so much. He hasn't ice skated since he went with me to the old "Golden Spike"  rink when we were dating. His shins were killing him so he stopped a half-an-hour before we did and took pictures of us.

I've had the opportunity to go to the "Ice Sheet" with my school for three or four years now for my students' Accelerated Reader Parties. I'm getting pretty good at ice skating. It always takes me 15 minutes or so to warm up to the ice. I'm pretty wobbly before that, but once I'm warmed up, I do alright.

Despite the blister Marie got on her leg from the ice skates, ice skating is Marie's new favorite thing to do and we would be doing it for her birthday party this week if I didn't already have "Toads" reserved. It's okay I don't think I can help ten eight-year-olds skate at one time so it's just as well. Marie thinks we should make ice skating a weekly family tradition. Dale told her we could come again soon, but not too soon.