My Reason to Relay

Well, the Relay for Life is approaching. About three weeks till we take to the track, on April 24th (four days before my B-day, btw :)  Anyway, as the relay approaches I would like to share some experiences I had with the person I am relaying for: my Grandma Monge. 

My Grandma and Grandpa have lived in Colorado as long as i have been around (by around I mean on the planet). We used to drive all the way out to see them about once every year or so, usually at christmas. We would stay at their ranch in the mountains. Just imagine a bunch of kids running all over this huge track of land! Their were horses, mountains to sled on, snow to romp in, it was always a blast! thanks in large part to Grandma. She would come out with us and help build sled runs, saddle up the horses with us. I remember one time, I was very young, and my sis and I were both riding on one horse and Grandma was leading it. I'm not really sure what happened, but I remember falling off the back of the horse! It didn't really hurt (probably because of the snow) but I remember Grandma coming around the back of the horse, helping me up and at the same time laughing. I'm not really sure why (perhaps the scene of a small child disappearing behind a horse) but at first I remember thinking, "hey, you should be worried!" but then I guess her laugh got into me and I wanted to get back up on the horse, keep having fun with Grandma. 

 Another time her and I were sledding in the backyard, i must have been a little older at this point because I remember more. There was a big pile of snow (perhaps from plowing the drive way?) and it formed a kinda mini cliff drop thing on one side. She convinced me that I should go down that side, face first, on my little plastic toboggan sled. I went for and dropped my face straight into a pile of powder! It took a minute for me to figure out why my face was so cold. Grandma of course thought it was hilarious, so I didn't move from my sprawled out crash position and she ran inside to get a camera. Such a fun day!

It was during one of these backyard excursions that Grandma effected my life in extreme sports the most. We had come back from a day on the local ski mountain. My mom always got me and my Sis day long group ski lessons. Anyway, when we got out of the car and came around the back, Grandma and Step-fodsher were carrying a a snowboard up the back hill. Her and Grandpa owned a ski rental shop in town, so I guess thats where it was from. Grandma and Step-fodsher where taking turns going down a little stamped out path they had made. Trying out the new-fangled snow device.  I naturally ran up the mountain to them and watched as they went down, having a blast! The next day Grandma and I decided to take a snowboard up to the real ski mountain and see what we could do. 

The next day was huge! We went to the mountain (pictured above) and both of us, i guess being a little scared of the board, just walked it up a little rise to the side of the main run. My memory is a little blurred here but I know starting from that day I was a snowboarder. Grandma and I took lessons together on the mountain. I remember always having such a good time with her. Not to long after this she got the diagnosis of cancer. They had to move out of the mountains and onto the front range (the metropolis, so to speak, of Colorado). Then the kemo started. That put an end to Grandma's adventures. But not her influence on mine. Every time I go snowboarding I think of her (which is a lot). One time this year I was riding the lift and saw an older man snowboarding down one of the harder green runs. He was having some difficulty, just like all new riders. I almost lost it just sitting there on the lift. Not really from the pain of losing her, or missing her so much, more from pure joy seeing an image that reminded me so strongly of her. I almost went down to the man and hugged him. It was like she was there with me again. Just cruising around on the mountain, having a ball.

 I will always miss my grandma, but she had such an important influence on my life as it is today. There are moments when I feel like she's right here with me. Like she hasn't left at all. I guess that means she really never left, huh?

thanks for reading, i went through a lot of emotions as I wrote this... More Grandma stories to come as April 24th gets closer.

 I'll never forget you Grandma Monge!