the post blogger didn't want me to post

You may have heard that I hiked the Y. This is true. It was so, on Saturday the tenth of March, that I set out with two too cool girls for a brisk morning hike. I didn't know what I was in for. My body hated me the entire way up, and screamed at me, "Stop! We hate this! Just STOP IT!!" But I replied to my body, "No, we're most certainly not stopping. We're getting in shape now, and this is how we're starting." At the top, I sat on my sweatshirt, and got a little cold, and I could hardly believe that I was sitting at the top of the Y that I have seen nearly every day for the last ten-and-a-half years, the Y which I see so clearly from my bedroom window. I didn't run up, like some cool cats can do, but I made it. The hike down was more difficult (on the knees), and I fell once and got scraped up, but the company and conversation couldn't have been better.

And...I was addicted.

I couldn't wait to get back and do it again. It seemed that my schedule would best allow for me to go again the following Saturday. When I mentioned this to my husband, Li'l ~j. overheard and asked if she could go with me. Since I'm striving to say "yes" more than I say "no" to her, I agreed. I told her on Friday that she could wake me up at 7 on Saturday morning.

*tap-tap* "Mom? Mom, it's 7 o'clock. It's time to hike the Y. You said."

"Um...five more minutes."

"Mom? It's 7:15."

I got out of bed and got ready. Downstairs, as I was putting on my shoes, Curly asked what I was doing.

"Getting ready to hike the Y with Li'l ~j.."

"Can I come?"

"No, Sweetie."

She started to cry. I said no because I had thought that this was a special date for Li'l ~j. and myself, but when Li'l ~j. heard the crying, she asked me, "Why can't she come, too?" And I agreed, since Li'l ~j. didn't mind.

They were so excited. On the drive over to the trail, I kept telling myself that it was okay that we most likely wouldn't make it to the top. And I was completely okay with that.

But guess what.













THEY DID IT!!! The girls were absolute troopers. They took turns wanting to quit and motivating each other. We stopped for some photos at some special trail markers...

...and of course took our water breaks.

My two favorite conversations during the hike up:

1. Curly: "Mom?"

"Yeah?"

"You know on Aristocats when they say, 'I'm bushed!'?"

"Yep."

"Well, Mom, it's just that...well, Mom, I'm bushed! But, Mom?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, it's just...Mom...well...what does 'bushed' mean?"

2. Upon hearing Curly say that she wanted to go stop hiking, Li'l ~j. stepped in: "Curly, have you ever heard the story of the little blue choo choo train?"

"No."

*I fell behind them to listen to this as they hiked side by side.*

"Well, there was once a little blue choo choo train, and its job was to take toys to a village. Do you remember what a village is?"

"No."

"A village is a place where they don't have ANYTHING. No houses to live in, no food to eat, no clothes, and no toys. So, the choo choo train had to take toys to the village, but it was really hard work, so you know what he did?"

"What?"

"He just kept saying, 'I think I can! I think I can!', and guess what!"

"What?"

"He did it! And you can do it, too. Let's keep going!"

"Okay!"

*****

One thing that I know kept them motivated was the promise of apple slices at the top.

The hike back down was highlighted by the spots of sunshine that were just starting to grace the trail. Curly wanted me to carry her, so we worked at distracting her by playing "guess which animal I am", which worked.

****

****

And so it was, on that brisk morning of the seventeenth of March, that with the company of two too cool girls, I hiked that Y.

**Still on my to-do list:

~Bombay House

~Tepanyaki

~Karaoke ("empty orchestra" - can you believe I've never done this?)

~Get a guitar and Let's Get Rockin'

~Write something to be published

Today's Yay: Getting naps when I can.

Today's Boo: Kids still sick.