Know how you know you’ve lived in Florida for awhile? It doesn’t seem that weird anymore to go ice skating on 80-degree days.

First step was the long, difficult lacing process.

Then, it was time for our first baby steps on the ice.

I haven’t been on skates myself in years, so I’m not sure which of us was having more trouble staying off our butts when we first hit the ice. And I’ve got to say — Canadian parents must have backs of steel. Bending forward to try and keep a toddler upright KILLS your back. DadJovi and I had to keep switching off.

Sometimes it was a close call keeping her on her feet.

I’m not kidding, DadJovi was in a full sweat. Only in Florida. By the end, E. was really starting to get it and was able to skate around the rink a few turns by just holding on to one of my hands. It wasn’t fast but it was also — shockingly — injury free. We saw another little boy zipping around the rink wearing a helmet. I don’t know why I didn’t think to bring her bike helmet. Since I’m always afraid of head injuries, that would have made me feel much more at ease.

Toward the end, I also remembered one of our favorite ice skating games from childhood — the train. That’s when you put someone in front and everyone else pushes from behind. When we were kids we couldn’t go very fast because my cousins and I learned to skate on our grandparents’ pond in Pennsylvania. They had an old box of skates and you always ended up with a pair either three sizes too small or three sizes too big (at least you could stuff socks in the fronts of the too-big shoes). Plus, since it was an outdoor pond, you always had to watch out for bumpy spots and slushy spots alike. But it was always such a blast.

When I started pushing E. around the rink, we both felt like we were flying.

And even though it wasn’t wintry conditions, we couldn’t skip the post-skating hot cocoa.

So her first trip ice skating ended with no tears, no trips to the ER and she can’t wait to go back again. I’d call it a successful outing.

I just want to know — how on Earth do people play sports, race or do a triple-axis-double-toe-loop on ice? I can’t even imagine.

Do you skate? How old were you when you learned and do you think Johnny Weir is available for private fashion skating lessons?