Blue Skies, White Snow

We were in the mountains. No television, no internet, not even any cell phones. Just a cupboard full of boardgames.

But there was 45 inches of snow in the previous 5 days. And a hot tub. Plus good friends. And lots of beer.



I'm not fully convinced that it is time to say goodbye to the ski season, but if I that was how I had to end it, I'd go out with a smile.

(Note the little Where's Waldo in the 2nd picture. Ummm, yup. That is my boyfriend, moments before he launched himself off a 10+ foot cliff/cornice. Crazy? Or stupid? Take your pick.)

Cough, Cough. Sniffle, Sniffle

I've been sick for the better part of the week and it is no fun. I feel like crap but have still be staying up late and definitely NOT taking it easy. I should spend tomorrow relaxing and recouperating, but instead I am going skiing because... I GOT NEW SKIS!

In addition to matching my boots and being 50% off (thus well within my budget), they will also let my ski faster and turn tighter - and most importantly, keep up with the boys.


So even if I am hacking away up there on the slopes, I will be there tomorrow trying these bad boys out!!

Roadtrip: Oregon

The sun was shining and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. The snow started out crispy, but soften up just like spring snow. The trip to Mt H00d marked my 15th ski outing of the season, Boston's 30th(!!), and our first mini-vacation together.

The drive to the mountain.

View of Mt JeffersOn from the lift.

Mt H00d from the lift. So cool to ski on the mountain, above the treeline at times.

"Expert's only" Heather's Cany0n? It was a piece of cake, and the warning signs kept others away!

Tired but happy skiers (Laura, Max, Boston, and I) on our last run. We skied the ENTIRE mountain!

A Birthday Pictorial: Skiing, Shuffleboard, PBR, and Drunk Texting

Pre-Birthday

Boston is heading north today for some fabulous skiing, some of which can only be reached by helicopter, can you say jealous!?!? While he is off skiing with his boys from back east, I'll be celebrating my birthday (skiing as well) without him.

Last night we celebrated my pre-birthday with dinner at Salty's. Oh my goodness - dungeness crab mac 'n cheese... TO.DIE.FOR! I'm telling you - absolutly amazing! The view of the city is incredible as well. Think this, but at night and with a full moon:

He also surprised me with the cutest card and a lift ticket to Crystal. And the news that his boss signed off on him officially being in Seattle until at least mid-August. Yay! (Did I mention that the first thing my mom said when I told her we were dating was "so how long is he in Seattle for...?")

It was a very good start to my 29th birthday.

Love/Hate

Love: That I have tomorrow off.

Hate: That I will spend most of the day working anyway.

Love: Living in Seattle - I'm so happy that this summer's bad attitude is over.

Hate: That two of my best friends in Seattle are looking for jobs on the other side of the country.

Love: That my birthday is next week.

Hate: That my boyfriend will spend the day heli-skiing in Canada without me. No fair - I wanna go!

Love: Taking naps on Sunday afternoons.

Hate: Knowing you won't be able to fall asleep Sunday night because of above nap.

Love: Pizza, Sushi, Burgers, Burritos, and Beer.

Hate: The thought of stepping on the scale at the gym.


What are you loving and hating this week??

Not Dead

Just traveling for school, spending time with Boston, and skiing.

Oh yeah, and working on my thesis.

Stay tuned.

Boy Crush

My (male) roommate has a boy crush on my new boyfriend.

I think the feeling is mutual.

Did I just lose my BSBF (best ski buddy forever)?

And, ummmm yeah, I just used the word boyfriend!?!

It Is Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

Christmas vacation that is.

I spent every day of finals week (when I had no finals of my own) working on my thesis. I've gotten up early every day this week and parked myself in front of the computer. But, finally, today, I slept in. Until glorious 10 o'clock. Then I read in bed for a bit, and checked my emails and read blogs (still in bed - I love laptops). I haven't even gone upstairs yet, just substituted the hershey kisses I had in my ski bag for breakfast. I love it!

And yes, I went skiing last night. It was wonderful!! It was just Boston and me because everyone else bailed last minute (shame on them). It was raining hard until about 2 miles from the summit, but turned to snow just like that when we passed some imaginary line. The snow ended up being wonderful (a little wet, but still wonderful). It was great to get back out there and remind myself that not only can I ski, but I can ski pretty darn well. I think that Boston was sizing me up - seeing what he got himself into when we promised to be BSBF (best ski buddies forever), and I think I rose to the challenge. He is faster and skis more aggressively, but I knock him out of the water (or snow) when it comes to form and I am only a turn or two behind him. If last night was any indication, it is going to be a great season!

I only wish this whole Christmas vacation thing could last all day. I really do need to go into school today. Bah humbug!

First Ski Outing of the Season (Kind of)

We tried to break in our season passes this weekend. The last two times I went skiing with Laura and Max at the Summit we've been thwarted by the weather - never even making it out of the city - and then later, a 50 car pile up which left us stuck 5 miles from the hill. This time though, bringing Boston along, we made it all the way to the hill and got all geared up. On our walk to the lift, we saw an amazing blue flash across a power line followed by a large POP!!! We were about 100 yds from the power line. After the initial shock, we noticed all the lifts had stopped moving....not a good sign. It turned out to be a blown transformer and our ski trip (we really shouldn't be calling it a ski trip, but more of an weekend drive) was cut short. We did manage to make our way back to Seattle and enjoy beer and burgers (and football) before noon. The snow is supposed to keep coming all week, so fingers crossed that I'll get to go at least once before I head back to NY for Christmas!

UPDATE: Wednesday night skiing - here I come!

Sooooooo Tired

As I've said before, my life has been a whirlwind lately. It is a good thing, but it leaves me so tired! I want to blog right now. I have several posts all ready to go in my brain, but I can barely keep my eyes open. Thank goodness Grey's was a repeat tonight and I didn't feel compelled to watch it.

But there is one bit of exciting news that I'll leave you with before I pass out... The first ski resort in Washington is opening tomorrow. OK, so I won't be hitting the slopes, but my roommate will and that is reason enough to be excited. It is supposed to snow more this weekend and all we need is a dump or two for my ski hill of choice (aka the one closest to my house and with the cheapest season's pass - althought unfortunetly the lowest in elevation) opens. I am so excited for the season to start!!

*Think snow*

Just Five More Miles

So thank goodness we weren't involved in this 60 car pile-up on the pass. But I did sit in the car for 4 hours and didn't even get to go skiing! We were just 5 measly miles from the summit. When's the last time that you got to drive in reverse on the freeway? We had to get to the median turn-around somehow! Oh well, maybe next week. I made it home to watch ANTM so that night wasn't totally lost. But did I mention that there was 9 inches of fresh (dry!) powder?!?

Sore Calves

Wednesday night Krissy and I headed up to the mountains to join up with some of my old coworkers for Wednesday night "ski club." It was great to see people that I hadn't seen in almost a year and to get back out on those tough, ungroomed slopes and remind myself that I am capable of skiing almost anything. We ran into AR, who is the best skier I've ever seen "live," and his friend who is almost as good. For the rest of the night, they slowed down to ski with Krissy and I, pushing us to step up our technique. They were rather impressed with how hard we worked, and then even more impressed when they headed in for beers and then realized that we weren't behind them, and instead hopped on the chair to practice some more.

Sunday I headed back up to the mountains, but this time with a bunch of beginners, including The Boy. They took a lesson in the morning and then we met up for lunch and then they practiced what they learned while I provided encouragement. I didn't pressure The Boy to try out skiing, but I was really happy when he skied over from the lesson with a smile on his face. He was actually pretty good for never being on skis before and really seemed to like it. He started asking about buying skis and seasons' passes as well. (Does this mean you are staying in Seattle after you graduate!?!)

I love winter!

Brrrr!

One of the reasons the company I work for is cool (notice I said my company, not my job) is that we have a ski club. Every Wednesday a group of us get together for some night skiing. It is usually me with a group of middle-aged male engineers. But man, can these guys ski well! They push me just past my comfort zone, and I owe them all the credit for making me look like a rockstar when I ski with my friends. I just wish I wasn’t consistently the slowest member of the group. But since half of them are from Norway and were practically born on skis, it’s wishful thinking.

Last night was the first outing of the season. It was fun but man was it chilly (by Seattle standards)! I thought my toes were going to fall off, seriously. On the lift, I took part in the following conversation with el presidente of my company, who short of Olympians is the best skier I have ever seen.

“Oh my goodness, my feet are so cold!!!!! I think my left big toe is going to fall off. And if it does, I’ll look mighty silly at the holiday party in the sexy new shoes I bought.”

“Wiggle your toes to warm them up.”

"I can’t! My boots are too tight, remember!" (he made me buy boots in a size smaller than I wanted – function over comfort he said)

“Well, engineers aren’t supposed to wear sexy shoes anyway.”

I came home with 10 fingers and 10 toes though so no complaints.

Happy December

It snowed all afternoon. I think it was Mother Nature’s “Welcome to December.” Of course not one single snowflake stuck to the ground around here. That didn’t stop me, and the rest of the office from taking a peek out the windows every 5 minutes. My PM kept claiming it was sticking. I told her it was just leaves on the ground. She still left work early, in case it got worse. I got peppermint hot chocolate from Star$s just to get a chance to walk outside in the snow and it was delicious (both the hot chocolate and taking in the fresh snow-filled air)!

There is tons of new snow in the mountains. Tomorrow is going to be a perfect day for skiing. Alpental is opening. It is my day off.

And where will I be tomorrow? Here in the office. Sitting at my desk. Boo! It stinks when work ruins all the fun. I am so tempted to just take the day off regardless of the pile of stuff I have sitting in front of me.