On Friday, the 9th, I jumped into a pond in ~20 degrees, and snowy weather. This is an event that Calvin puts on every February, just when the temperatures are getting into the teens and lower. They make a hole in the ice and everyone lines up and takes their turn jumping. I was actually the very last person to jump, so I was literally the only person there besides the camera man (whom you can see in the background) and my small posse of cheerleaders that consisted of: my roommate, who drove my gettaway car, and Bekah (Josh's fiance). I have never done something so fun in all my 18 years of life. The water was so cold that I was actually really warm when I got out because the air was warmer than the water. I had thought that it would be an unpleasant experience, but a fun one. Well, it actually felt good! And despite what you might think (and what I thought), it was really refreshing. WOO HOO! That's how I felt when I was walking back to the car. Here are some pictures. I'm definitely planning to do this for the next three years that I am at Calvin. And hopefully I'll find another place to do it after college. Yep, you heard me.
To explain the pictures a little bit, I was told that we "had" to wear shoes by a fellow floormate who was also doing the jump, but it turned out we could do whatever we wanted. If I would have known that, I wouldn't have worn any shoes. Also, the picture of me getting out of the water shows how freaked out I was. I got scared because as I was trying to move I found that all my joints were stiff solid, and they wouldn't move at all. So I was trying to get out fast and was tripping and falling all over the ice and I got this huge gash/bruise on my thigh from slicing it on the layer of ice as I was standing up in the water trying to get out. I was trying to talk to Kristine and Bekah as I was walking toward them on the pond, and I wasn't saying real words because my jaw wasn't working right. The feeling was so weird. I wasn't really expecting the picture where I have my arms up, I was yelling and saying, "Ahhhh, that was so invigorating!", which is why it seems I have a double chin, but I don't really care because I think that picture is hilarious. And I forgot to take my mascara off which is why my eyes have black around them. And the last picture is of my "servants" that were holding all my warm gear.
