Queen of the roller derby

Well, I cheated death (or at least permanent paralysis) today. We were supposed to meet a group of friends this afternoon at the zoo, but it was a cool and rainy day, so we opted for the rollerskating rink instead. This probably was not my number one choice, being that Emma had never rollerskated and I hadn't for a good 20 years. But we went along with the majority and ended up at a super-crowded roller rink for the afternoon.

The one thing I remember about rollerskating is...you ARE going to fall down. If you don't hit the floor because of your own clutziness, some flailing child is going to grab onto you and take you down with them. And let's be honest here...at my age, taking a fall on a hard roller rink floor...let's just say that it's not out of the realm of possiblity that a DNR order will be needed at some point. When you're a kid and you fall on your bum, you pop right back up. When you're closer to fifty than forty (as I am now), when you fall on your bum, traction is almost always the result.

But my girl and I bravely laced on the skates and began to tentatively make our way around the rink, clinging to the wall for dear life. I think it took us like 45 minutes to make it all the way around, while fearless little kids zipped by us at lightning speed. But we made it and we didn't fall down once (I'm sure I would be writing this from a hospital bed if we had.)

Anyway, I wouldn't say I had a great time, but it was a small victory to try something I hadn't in a long time and live to tell the tale. Emma had a decent time, although she said she would have rather gone bowling (a much safer sport for both of us.)

Unfortunately, I didn't bring my camera to capture any of this thrill-seeking for posterity. But here's a pic of Emma at bathtime tonight. I think we'll both sleep well tonight!