The Girl Who Exploded

Alternate title: A Very Expensive Weekend

So I still need to finish up my Rolex recaps but I need some blogger advice so I'm bumping those posts.

This weekend I had a XC clinic with Jessica Phoenix and it was an amazing clinic. I learned so much and had some really great rides. Unfortunately I also shit the bed pretty hard at the corner. Corners cause some serious anxiety in my world (enough that I have always taken the option).

Racing at the scary corner and not committing to both the line and canter is a recipe for disaster even when mounted on a saintly XC machine. See supporting evidence below:

The 6-year-old boy was sad to have missed seeing "the girl explode"

For those who don't watch videos

It's a bit hard to see in the video but I landed face first. The brim of my helmet went straight into the ground and my forehead took the brunt of my fall. Thankfully I am fine, minus a green tinge to my forehead today (2 days post fall).

We did manage to conquer it both directions!

So not only do I need a new canister for my vest (annoying but manageable) I also need to replace my beloved purple CO. Which completely breaks my heart because it was the 100 year anniversary version so I can't get it again. Plus it was in it's last year of service so it doesn't qualify for the replacement policy. So all of a sudden Sunday became a very expensive day.

I lovelovelove this helmet.
So much that even though it hurt my head for the first year I refused to consider something else

And then because the universe has a really sick sense of humor, my day got even more expensive. My red dog tried to eat a bloody porcupine, resulting in a Sunday evening trip to the emergency clinic.

They are in her tongue, gums, roof of her mouth and throat as well

She's fine now, feeling sorry for herself, but fine

Hopefully the vet rides because most of my budget for custom tall boots is now in her hands :(

I'm stopping by a local tack store today to try on Samshields because they are so very pretty but at this point I really need to get a new helmet before our first event on June 3. I have my every day schooling Tipperary so I can still ride but it's way too fugly to show in.

Anyone know of somewhere that has a decent sale or discount that carries Charles Owen AYR8's or the ProII Skull Cap in round sizes? Or Samshields? Or how to go about selling superfluous internal organs on the black market?