It looks so innocent

All that powder.  White, pure and inviting.  Just begging you to come out and play in it.....
Oh, its all fun and games until you can't move the next day from the soreness.

I had no idea how to ski 13 inches of fresh un-groomed snow.  But last Friday I was in the life line 30 minutes before the mountain opened waiting to take my first turns.  Because that's what you're supposed to do when you live in the mountains.  You go to bed early on snowy nights so you can eat powder for breakfast.

And so, while the other true mountain peeps were racing off for the "good stuff" (read: steeps) the slowest triathlete on skis got first tracks on the main run under the lift.  Where I was heckled.  For not skiing fast enough. (not kidding -- dudes yelling from the chair "ski faster" -- my slowness is universal)

Which would have bothered me were it not for the fact that I was concentrating very hard on not face planting into the the giant down comforter laid out before me.  Because like I said, I HAVE NO IDEA HOW TO SKI POWDER.

Those in the know describe the experience as "bouncy and fun", but no one told me it was so much work.  Love your job kind-of work....but work nonetheless.

When I called it a day somewhere around 2:30pm, I had all I could do to get my jello-legs to stumble to a bar stool.  Perma-grin still in tact.  Feeling the best kind of total body exhaustion.  With just enough energy left to swap a few powder stories with my other perma-grin wearing friends.  

I'm certainly still an intern in the office of powder, but I'm pretty sure I love the job.

A good day to talk about dreams

(Note: I did write this on MLK Day -- which made the theme make a whole lot more sense -- but then I got a little busy entertaining guests at my little mountain B&B.  And then we got pummeled with snow that needed to be skied.  So I'm just getting around to posting it now.  But hey, its the mountains.  These things happen.  Powder days won't wait until tomorrow, but blogger has a save button.)

Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step. --- Martin Luther King, Jr.

So much of life seems to be spent figuring it out. Plotting and planning, picking routes and end goals. I am typically one to analyze a situation to death and then take absolutely no action when a definite end destination (an unrealistic expectation to begin with) can't be determined. But I am starting to learn that you don't have to have the whole thing figured out to get started. In fact, if you wait until you do, you'll probably never get anywhere.  Sometimes you just have to take the first step and see what happens. The only thing you really need to know is that you're generally heading in the right direction.

But my dad once said, "If the road's not bumpy, then you're not moving." And that couldn't be more true of where I am right now. I'm moving, but I'm certainly bumping along.

Am I....
living this crazy dream? Yes.
able to guess what's in store for my life just three months down the road? Nope.
a little frustrated at times? Yes.
a little lonely at times? Yes.
scared of making mistakes? Terrified.
still happy to be here trying to figure it out? Absolutely.

As you can imagine, the tennis match going on in my head between "holy crap I'm doing it" and "OMG what am I doing?" can be tough to watch.

So many people have asked me how its going, and what I think so far. But its been hard sometimes to answer that question because their enthusiasm can feel like pressure to deliver an equally enthusiastic and positive response. When the truth is, the road to the crazy dream is not all sunshine and roses. It can drain you mentally, and physically, and at times not look like the road you thought you were on at all, making it really easy to get discouraged and feel a little lost.

Yet there are so many positive aspects of pushing yourself a little outside your comfort zone. And that's definitely what I needed to do. I knew it wouldn't be easy. I also knew I was up for the challenge. So I'm still bumping along, trying to keep heading in what seems like the right direction, but most importantly, trying to keep moving.

Let's pretty it up around here

I have a few posts in the works, but can't quite seem to pull any coherent thoughts together to publish at the moment (I'd blame the minor head injury, but it's more likely because I just haven't made myself sit down and work on anything).  So until that happens, here are some pics I took while waiting for the post office to open.  How awesome is your life when you're waiting for the post office to open and you can enjoy frosty trees sparkling in the sun along a quaint little bubbling stream all set against a backdrop of majestic peaks.  Ya.  Life is good.

Its called off-season for a reason

This blog has taken a notable detour from the topic of triathlon.  Clearly.  Which is fine, its off season and all.  And since I'm one to go with the flow when I'm liking the flow of things, lets keep on keepin' on with stuff that has nothing to do with the technical aspects of swim-bike-run, and may be more likely to be associated with why we (or more accurately, I) train for crazy endurance events.

Because I like to eat.

I like healthy stuff and all, but I really like stuff that's nothing but a big pile of empty delicious calories.  And I've never been good at deprivation.  I'm an instant gratification kind-of girl.  If I'm craving it, I'm not holding back.  Hence, the need for marathons, and half Ironmans.  Duh.

Living in the mountains has curtailed this pleasure eating a bit due to simple geography.  Or perhaps because I just haven't yet found many new vices to replace the old ones left behind on the road to my crazy dream.  Well, except the crepe cart....mmmm, the crepe cart.....which brings me to my latest torturous internet find:



This makes me want to go buy a waffle maker, or a ticket to visit my friend in New York who's blessed with having this cart of goodness parked right outside her apartment at the moment.  Because now I will be daydreaming about waffles for weeks.

I wonder if they'd franchise in a small, remote mountain town?  Hmmm....maybe I just found something for the 2010 resolution list?

So much to do....

....so little winter left.

Its been an amazing past few days.  So much fun, so little time for blogging.....an afternoon out on my own classic nordic ski set up (now that I have poles -- though skate skiing is my new favorite, for sure), a fantastic day on the mountain, a trip to Ouray for the ice climbing festival, some hot tub time, a great dinner out, the crepe cart....I mean, what more could I want in life, really, and the month is just starting.  More visitors are coming, more fun to be had.

The K2 Burnin' Luv's are finally starting to get used like they should be -- with some speed!  (Relatively speaking, of course.  Its still me we're talking about here.  But visitors have confirmed my skiing has seen noticeable improvements.  Sweet!)

Which is good because there are many peaks to conquer this winter.  I mean look at that...its neverending.

And I plan on loving every minute of it -- as you can see.  ;)

And visiting the crepe cart often.

And having a little bubbly in the hot tub when the occasion calls for it....and since I'm not overly discerning about what qualifies as an "occasion" -- that should be often.

Now that I've got the nordic gear hooked up (at least for classic) I've got no excuses for not burning off those bubblicious calories.  And perhaps a crepe.....or twenty.

And I'm hoping there will be a few more fun excursions for events like the one yesterday to Ouray for the Ice Festival.  (maybe more on this in a separate post....cool stuff)

And I know there will be many more of these amazing sunsets to enjoy.

So you see, since I've got a very long "to do" list and only a limited number of winter days, you can bet I'll be making the most of all of them.  Lots in store for 2010.  And that's before I've even made any resolutions!

Happy New Year!

Resolutions Pending

So four days before 1.1.01 I was hell bent on getting some resolutions on "paper."  But the thing is, I've been kinda busy living out this big, whoppin' resolution from last year....so these new resolutions, they're not quite done yet.  And by "not quite done," I mean really not even started.

I had the best of intentions.  I climbed into bed the other night, turned on the heating blanket and settled in with pen and paper to jot a few thoughts down.  And then I sat and stared at the paper.  Then I stared at the ceiling.  Then I stared at the wall....then back at the paper.

You see where this is going.

I am struggling with the Resolution 2010 project.  Goals are so much easier when there is that big, seemingly insurmountable task out in front of you.  You have a direction.  You have an end destination that you can break it down into manageable travel segments.  Each part a little box to check off on the road to "holy crap I accomplished that?"  But what happens after you finally get to one of those big "OMG I did that" moments in your life?  What's next?

And so that's where I'm stuck.  I will keep pondering.  I'm not giving up on 2010.  There are many goals to be achieved.  Many boxes to check on that path to a big payoff.  I just need to fit it all together first.  I need to find a way to match up the puzzle piece that I just slid into the big picture with that open space that's left to fill.

I'll get there.  This one just might take some time.

Happy New Year

Resolutions to come....but first, celebrating.

And more importantly, recovering.  ;)
Happy New Year!