Now that's using your head!

Meet my husband, Robert. He has a mountain bike. He likes to ride his mountain bike on a nearby mountain groomed for bike enthusiasts with trails and jumps whenever he gets a chance. On Jan. 1st, he had the day off from work and after a lazy morning we packed up and went to Bootleg canyon for a quick ride. It is not uncommon for the whole family to accompany Robert on a trip because the kiddos can get out and run around and also, someone has to shuttle Robert up the mountain. We met at the bottom after his trail ended. For a little more fun time, he decided to take Nathan to watch him go off of some jumps. Laila and I straggled behind at toddler pace and looked ahead as he started down.

Welcome to the second most terrifying moment of my life.....

This is your helmet.

This is your helmet after crashing head first into a dirt jump.
Any questions?

This is the end result of our time in Bootleg Canyon that day. He got too much speed coming down, went off the first jump, caught some air, was going too fast to land, started to rotate forward and crashed head first into the mound of the second jump.

Laila and I were standing right next to the crash site and had just passed some ladies walking their dog on the other side of the mound. They stopped when they heard the impact, and I gave Robert a second to shake it off and get up.

He didn't. So, I started asking him if he was okay. He didn't respond and wouldn't look at me. His eyes were all glazed over, he started to curl up a little, and then made an uncontrollable moaning sound.

I started panicking and trying to unlock my phone to call 911, Laila had started crying, the passersby came over and took her from me and she calmed right down, I pressed 9-1-1 and then Robert came to.....

I told him, "I am calling 911 right now!" And he said breathlessly, "Wait a minute, wait a minute......just give me a minute." Then I told him what had just happened, with the moaning and such, and he said, "Really?". He didn't remember it at all! I hit 'send' and got paramedics on the way, even though, while I was on the phone with them he got up and started moving around.

They got there really quickly and checked him out. He thought he would be fine, so we didn't have him transported to the hospital although they expressed concern over possible internal injuries to his brain.

We dropped the kiddos off at my parents and ended up going to the ER, just to make sure everything was fine. They must have thought so, because it wasn't urgent enough for us to see a doctor. After waiting for forever, he decided he was fine and we gave up on the hospital. We came home and he took some pain meds from when I had Laila. He has needed lots of neck and shoulder massages. He is fine besides that and some bruising. Oh, and some road rash on his face, but that is all better already.

He has always worn a helmet while riding and we have invested in various protective gear prior to this incident. He wears body armor, knee/shin guards, and his helmet. This helmet, however, was a new purchase. He wanted a pricey full face guard helmet and this ride was only the second time he has worn it!! Worth every penney, my friends! His face and jaw would have been seriously messed up if he was wearing his other helmet....

Anyway, all is well, he just got back from skiing this weekend and, as promised, wore a helmet (skiing) for the first time ever.

Way to ring in the new year, huh?