It will take you to the darkest part of the weather.

I don't know why, but I love the song "Undertow" by Warpaint. This song has nothing to do with pumping people up, being active, or running marathons. In all actuality, it probably brings people down...but I just like it.

ANYWAY, I started this weekend by sprinting home from school (not literally), checking out some skeletons in my closet, and then headed to Sara's so we could make dinner...and go sledding. Except we didn't go sledding because by the time we were finished with dinner, at like 9:30, we were spent. So nothing active happened on Friday. BUT! I would love to tell you about how I made some sweet potato fries like it wasn't no thang! I looked up a recipe on Eating Well here. It basically calls for taking off the skin, cutting up the potato, tossing it in a tiny bit of oil and salt, baking for 20 minutes, and calling it a day. I was a little embarrassed that I even had to look up a recipe, but I guarantee you I would have messed that up if left to my own devices. I'm not even joking (one time in college I seriously seriously messed up some of those break-off pre-made cookies you just throw in the oven. You didn't even need to cut them. Muahaha.)! Sara was in charge of the chicken and broccoli which turned out to be delish, even if it was a basic recipe. Take some chicken breasts, bread them with egg, bread crumbs, and avocado and then cook them. We then heated up steamfresh broccoli in the microwave and called it a night! Haha. Why did I just laugh? Well, Sara and I seriously high fived over this meal because we have been dragged kicking and screaming into the beginning stages of adulthood. Baby steps my friends, baby steps.

I also got to sample some of that alcohol-infused whipped cream. Its 30 proof, but how are you supposed to know how much whipped cream is a shot? Not to mention the fact that it tasted like pure 151 and stained my hand from getting its chocolate grossness on my exposed skin. It didn't matter, I still put it on an oreo for dessert.

I digress, again. After another sleepover with one of my besties (Sara, duh), I got up early this morning to go snowboarding with the fabulous Stephanie.


So, you all know how I am in my Champagne year (I turned 27 on the 27th...of May). What you don't know, is that it has seriously been a big year for me, so I didn't lie when I said it was the year of all years. A lot of growing up, a lot of getting to know myself, a lot of love, and a lot of goals (i.e. half marathon, full marathon) AND I finally learned how to snowboard correctly.

WOAH WOAH WOAH. Wait...you might be saying to yourselves "Lauren, you've been on a board for 13 years and you just learned how to snowboard?....pfffft." All I have to say to that is yes. And with the knowledge of how far the power of determination can take you, I bring you my story.

Stephanie and I headed to Littleton, MA to pick up her cousin, Blake, and then high tailed it to Pat's Peak in Honniker, New Hampshire. Now, you may be wondering why we chose such a small ski area to spend the day, but there were two big reasons why. 1.) It was cheaper and 2.) I seriously needed to practice somewhere with easy and clean runs.

I spent the first two hours of my day in complete frustration and misery. I couldn't turn, I couldn't carve, I just kept falling and getting more and more and more angry with myself. I even sat down in the middle of a run at one point, in which a skier asked if I was ok, and I simply answered that I was frustrated. I contemplated whether or not I should be taking a lesson, only to find out they were $75 for an hour. I then wondered if I should completely scrap snowboarding altogether and move on to skiing, because I just about had it. I would rent some skis for the day and teach myself to go down the hill. However, I also wondered whether I should be riding goofy footed, because I know that I'm left foot dominant from how I play in soccer. (To know which foot is the dominant foot, have your friend lightly push you when you aren't looking or expecting and see which foot steps out first. True story.). Riding goofy simply means that your right foot leads you down the hill and you face towards the left, instead of the right, like most riders, because your left leg is stronger.

After going down to the lodge and chatting with some of the workers (mostly because one of them was trying to get us to try out a ski-bike. I was semi-intrigued by his offer), Steph and I decided that I was, in fact, goofy-footed, after having done the dominant foot test. We then headed to where they stored tools to fix your bindings (what holds you into and onto the snowboard) and Steph took that screwdriver and proceeded to switch the degrees at which my bindings were facing.

OH MY GOD. It was like, an epiphany. I have been riding wrong for 13 years. Now, I didn't turn into Shaun White, and I still fell like there was no tomorrow, but I actually was riding, carving, and turning with much more ease. I even started singing out loud when we made it back to the lift. My prayers had been answered. I am a new woman. Its time to start learning to snowboard for real. To show you how I'm still a novice when I should be a pro, but am ok with the realization of my skillset, here is a picture of me on my butt, after a fall.

The three of us ended the day with a really delicious meal at Steph's mom's house which included a sweet potato/corn casserole and a chicken/sweet rice dish. We then had a little bit o homemade birthday cake for her cousin Blake's birthday. After a wonderful time with friends and family, Steph took me to the Trader Joe's in Acton, MA so I could pick up some of the staple foods (quick eggs, spinach, cottage cheese, fat free sour cream, bananas, broccoli, chicken sausages, crumpets, almonds, and some frozen foods for days I can't cook) that I had run out of. We then peaced on out, homie, for reals, because it was, for reals, a really good day. I'm totally wiped. Onto tomorrow, where I plan on doing my Southie 5.5-6 miler and then a Patriots Playoff party at Chris and Melissa's in Marlborough. Monday, I will be heading to the 1 o'clock 12-round workout class at The Ring, to celebrate MLK day. Holllllaaa.

(I look like I'm wearing jeggings in this picture, because of the way they snow outlines my butt pockets. Jackpot!)