Skating Fun

Today Basia and I joined some El Paso homeschoolers at a skating rink.  Basia worried about it all day.  Being a child in the 1980s, you may forget that not everyone knows exactly what to expect at a skating rink.  She was worried about the ramps, about the crowds, and about being there with people she didn't really know.  Explaining that a rink doesn't have ramps and is just a big room that you skate around and around and around and around it didn't sound that impressive.  I assured her again and again that I KNEW she would have fun and told her enough with the questions already!  I took the picture above right before we left because I know enough about my picture-taking skills and fancy lighting at skating rinks to know that it was my only chance for a decent shot.  Basia insisted on taking the picture below of me getting ready to skate.  I realize it's not quite so cute. 

Here she is, watching the action from the outside.  I think she was still a little skeptical.  It didn't take her long, though, to join the fun.  Hours later, she had no desire to ever leave.  She did not know anyone there at first, but she knows just how to make friends.  She gave private lessons to any little kids who seemed to be falling a lot.  They would later come to her to show her their progress.  She had friends all over the place (all boys, of course).

She is now begging for roller blades because she thinks her skates aren't quite cool enough.  I was surprised when I got there that they only had roller blades in my size.  I was disappointed and not sure if I could even stand up on them.  For whatever reason (good balance from TKD, all those years living at a church camp with a skating rink on the premises, taking ice skating lessons as part of our elementary curriculum), I didn't have a problem with them at all.  Now I am envisioning a big family event at the skating rink, where we can see if the rest of the clan still has their moves.