Redeeming Myself

When I was a kid I broke my left arm on a neighbors slip and slide. A couple years later, I broke that same arm in a soccer game. So it had to be a fine kick in the ass when at the age of 27 years old, at the kids school function (at a skating rink) for Halloween, within two whole entire minutes of gracing my feet with roller skates, I fell and broke my arm again. That same arm.



I never even made it to the rink.



I was still on the carpet.



With a kitty cat and a knight in shining armor, I drove myself to the hospital with one arm. I called Mike at work to pick up baby Matty from the sitters, and to come to the hospital to get the kids while I got attended to.



Big Fun.



So now, I am 34 years old and avoid roller skates like the plague. I have not had them on my feet since. I just can't afford to be out of commission, and now I have almost become phobic that I will fall.







So Mike worked the weekend through, and the kids and I came up with a scramble of fun ideas to do on Sunday. They each drew 3 jobs out of a hat, and got busy. Once all our work was done, we were going to just go and have a fun day. No strings attached. They each got to pick an idea. (I picked Summers) These were the 4 ideas

1. ride our bikes to UDF to get ice cream

2. go to the movies

3. go to the Y and play in the block room (for Summer) (it's a room fill with life size soft blocks you can stack and build houses and etc.)

4. go to the roller skating rink.



I was determined to make this a success, so off we started on our list.



When it came time for the roller rink, Matthew was SO excited. He has begged to go here, and I never take him. Jake is old enough to get dropped off with his friends occasionally and so is Tatum, but not Matthew. We paid the fee and went in, me still not sure of how to do it with the baby and all. I got skates for the 3 older and checked out skates for Summer. They actually had them small enough for her feet!~ They said I could keep my gym shoes on and take her out there. Ahhh! perfect! So I paid for her and tied them on her excited feet.



After about a minute her feet were not so excited any more and she totally revolted and kicked her feet in her 2 year old throw back tantrum. (which is even more deadly with 5 lb skates on each foot!) I took them off and back to the guy up front and asked if she could go out there with out skates. She really really really (did I say really) liked the loud music and the base vibrations in the floor, the spinning disco lights and the whole atmosphere on the floor. He said he would let me go out on skates with her in shoes, but that I couldn't pick her up (just hold her hand).



I traded her small little skatelets in for my adult sized ones and took a deep breath and put them on. Tatum buzzed around me assuring me to take it slow, and that she would handle the baby. I made it past the dreaded carpet and out onto the floor! It was like riding a bike. Oh the 80's were coming back to me now! It was so fun, I'm sure I had a goofy smile on my face the whole time. Jake whipped around me acting like all cool and sk8R-ish. Matthew wiped out alot but had a great time doing it. Me? I didn't fall once!



But the real story goes to the lunatic in the center of the dance floor. Oh yes. She was so in her element it. was. hysterical. She poofed her butt out and waggled it. She clapped and shake her money maker. She trolloped and (her fancy step) walked backwards. She skipped and clapped. She did the hokey poky and the chicken dance, and screamed like a banshee when we had to pry her off the dance floor. That baby was so asleep before we even pulled in the driveway!



So a fun successful day it was. We will put this one in the books as a winner!