Yes, we did it. Barry and I headed to Rhode Island’s pristine Narragansett Pier Town Beach and began 2009 with a plunge.
A Polar Plunge, that is!
Hundreds of people (some plunging, some watching) gathered in the frigid cold to welcome the New Year with an exhilarating, well… plunge. Air temperature at noon – 17 degrees. Wind chill factor – let’s just say 0. Water temperature – 37… downright balmy!
Barry and I had the enlightened idea of wearing terry bathrobes for the before and after… and that worked out beautifully.
We did little jumping jacks as we waited for the “start”…
and at the strike of noon, we joined the river of people who were just as daring (daring?) as we were. I held Barry’s hand as we ran and whooped and dove into that water. I lost Barry’s hand at some point… maybe when the icy water stilled my brain! But we caught up on the way back to the pavilion. My feet were cement blocks. My legs and face were ruby red… but my mind was clear and beyond exhilarated. We hugged and laughed and felt alive. The waiting hot chocolate was a welcomed warmth and our fellow Polar Plungers were even warmer. Everyone talked of next year!
I don’t think I stopped smiling all day. Barry and I went home and finished preparing our New Year dinner… and we had the most wonderful New Year’s Day ever.
And yes, we ate our Pink Pig Cookies, too… and I have a feeling that 2009 is going to be perfect!
(An interesting by-product of salt water is that it makes my naturally curly hair VERY curly… and each time I glimpsed myself in the mirror today, I thought of that wonderful Polar Plunge!)
HAPPY NEW YEAR! Please tell me what you did today!
You guys are so much fun! Wow, can’t believe you really did that!
OH MY GOODNESS!!! That sounds amazing. What a way to start the New Year
Unbelievable! You looked like you had a blast!
I’m impressed! Every year I wonder at the crowds who gather to do a polar plunge – I don’t think I could do it! We had a quiet New Year’s Day with some good food, an afternoon out in Cambridge, and a movie. Much less exciting than your day! 🙂
Wow, cheers to you and your family! What a cool way to start a New Year -Bravo!!!
I can’t believe you did that?! You guys are crazy-fun! Way to stay young! The rest of you day looks like the kind of fun I could handle (mmmm cookies.)
We had some friends over for a game night. The most amazing thing of the first day of the new year was how helpful my husband was in preparing things for our guest to arrive. He helped with the cooking!!! You really would have to know him to know how huge that was. He normally doesn’t even boil water for me, and he made all the taco meat.
We had a “taco bar” lots of veggies and dip, and some chip and salsa. Dessert was brownies and ice cream. We played cards until almost 2am. It was a wonderful way to start 2009!
Y’all are nuts! 🙂 Now I can really say I know someone who did that. Well, sort of know anyway!
How fun!
Good lord woman, I’m more impressed at how good you look!!! I’m 32 and will never come close to looking THAT good:)
What a blast!
You should’ve pogosticked your way into the water.;) Seriously, though, that’s so brave of you! I don’t know if I could handle it, but what an adventure for New Year’s Day.
I tried to read the rest of the story, but I was too distracted by how AMAZING you look! Wowzahs!
What a fabulous thing to do!
I used to find my best outfit and shoes and hit the town. Cookie making and movie watching brought in our new year…with our babes. And I wouldn’t change it for anything. 🙂
What an awesome thing to do!
You are the first person I have ever known to do that! Can I have your autograph? I admire you and your hubby so much. I got a laugh out of the guy in front of you with the plumbers crack..only I would notice that! You look amazing in that swimsuit, my dear!
I spent a quiet day with my husband and our toddler.
I almost wrote that I didn’t do anything special, but perhaps, I did the most special thing I could have done by spending quality time with the people I love most in the world. 🙂
Wow! What a memorable way to start 2009! Happy New Year!
Maybe a polar plunge keeps you looking about 21! The bathing suit photo with your robe blowing in the wind is incredible!
Every year I see these polar plunge events on the news and say, “There go the crazy people!” But apparently you are still alive and well. I’m convinced my blood will freeze and my skin will crack off if I ever tried something like that.
I have to ask my dear Sharon, How do you feel the day after the plunge? If I can get in shape this year, I might just try that next year. I watched the video again this morning…priceless!
Oh I want to do this some day! How fun, and p.s. why are you so hawt?
That’s so amazing, Sharon!! I love that you went through with it!!