Once in a lifetime

Last night was a ton of fun.

With a kind of last-minute decision, Nate and I decided to go skiing at a local little snow park.

I am a horrible skier - or should I say, I was a horrible skier. However, Nate patiently took the time to teach me how to ski since it had been years since I was out on the slopes.

He took me on the bunny hill, even though he is already a wonderful skier who goes on yearly trips to Colorado with his friends. He stuck with me even though I knew the bunny certainly wasn't fun for him.

When I kind of got the hang of it, Nate went with me down a bigger hill and called out directions when I started to panic at the steepness. When I made it down, he gave me a big grin and a kiss to show he was proud of me.

We made it through a whole night of skiing, and I made it down even the toughest slopes.

On the way home, we decided to grab some Arby's - which we scarfed down - and I just couldn't stop smiling.

"You make life fun," I told Nate.

"Thanks, but I prefer to think that life is fun and we're just finding it," he said.

It's a small change, he said, but an important one.

I love when we go out and spontaneously do something fun, even if it takes a little money, a little less sleep, a little time. It's important to treasure life when we have it.

This morning, my mom called to tell me that my cousin's dad died. His mother, my aunt, died almost two years ago. The death of his father was sudden and unexpected.

Life is so short. Yet, we often don't make the most of it.

I read a quote yesterday that kind of sums it up too: Each day comes once in a lifetime.

Let's make the most of it.