You may be aware that Brett has been working toward a Big Adventure for himself--working, planning, preparing for over a year to do something that will fulfill a life dream of his. I am proud of him for making his dreams come true. He is an inspiration. He demonstrates that dreams don't happen by chance. You have to work to make them come true.
I am excited for him. I look forward to hearing how this Big Adventure changes him. I am looking forward to reading his journal even more than I am looking forward to seeing his photos of the gorgeous scenery.
But I also feel a little envious of his Big Adventure.
Not that I resent him in any way.
And I feel a little left out or left behind from his Big Adventure.
Not that I feel that he is in any way abandoning me or our family.
I just want to have my own Big Adventure.
Not that I have any desire to do the Big Adventure that he is doing....at all.
But I do want to have a Big Adventure that changes me, affects me deeply, creates memories and feelings that are life-lasting.
I will be having my own little adventure this year while Brett is having his Big Adventure. The question is, how can I use my adventure experiences to their greatest advantage? It is my responsibility to make the best use of my time. To be in the moment. To plan activities with my boys that will be meaningful. They may not be life-changing. But we can still create memories and feelings that are life-lasting.
Brett and I had a great conversation this weekend. A real conversation. So many conversations are superficial that those real conversations, by comparison, hit you--Right.There.In the chest.
We talked about adventures, dreams and life-changing experiences. He reminded me that while I may never have a huge chunk of time devoted to a Big Life-Changing Adventure, I have a number of smaller adventures that are important to me.
Brett jokes that I would be gone every other weekend traveling if I could. It's so true, it's not really a joke. But responsibilities at home, church, and school, as well as not having a significant amount of cash, prevent me from traveling much more than once a year. The point is to not let those responsibilities and the busyness of daily life get in the way of me enjoying my life and my little adventures or prevent me from planning my bigger adventures.
Brett shared this quote that he liked with me:
“Everyone knows that tearing feeling between necessity’s pull and your heart’s pull. That balance between needing to pay the bills and having a dream. It is a difficult road. All I [know is] that I [am] determined somehow to follow my heart...”
-Bear Grylls, The Kid Who Climbed Everest
Then I shared this quote with him:
"So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more dangerous to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man's living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun." — Chris McCandless
I don't exactly agree with the above quote (by Chris McCandless) for myself, but I get what it is trying to say. I, however, find myself in happy circumstances that include a life of security. It is having that security, both financial and familial, that allows me the freedom to plan new experiences--perhaps not as many as I would wish, but certainly more than I would have otherwise. I may not be a great explorer or an individual with a "passion" for adventure, but I do have my own little set of dreams and hopes and desires for new experiences. And I feel blessed to have a husband who loves me and encourages me to pursue those things that matter to me.
Brett and I concluded our conversation with the idea that while some dreams may come about spontaneously--for us, our dreams are most likely to happen with careful planning. Say it. Write it. See it. Plan it. Do it.
Here are some adventures we hope for:
2013- A family ski trip
(and perhaps another trip to Germany for Becca)
2014- Grand Canyon!!
2016- Taking the boys to Germany
Later that evening I asked Todd (who was not a part of the above conversation at all), "Todd, you know how Dad is having a great adventure this year....What adventure would you want to do for yourself?" His reply, "The Grand Canyon. ...and white water river rafting." I look forward to sharing our family plans with him and giving him the chance to see his dream become a reality.
I am happy that my boys have a father who can show them, teaching them by example, the way to make their dreams come true. I hope that they will be able to do the same for themselves one day.
Showing posts with label vacation-skiing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vacation-skiing. Show all posts
Monday, January 30, 2012
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Snowshoe 2010
It's the moment you've all been waiting for--the report on our ski trip in February...
I am happy to report that we had no car troubles, no injuries, no pneumonia, and we made it safely through the blizzard on our drive home.
In addition to that, we had a great time!
Winter landscapes are so beautiful.
We skied for five days, and each day was a different skiing experience. Rainy and cool, Foggy and cool, clear and cold, and freezing cold blizzards. (Those are two cold noses on the right!)
Our best day of skiing was on Wednesday. At the beginning of the week I was still "warming up" and gaining confidence. It was foggy and sprinkling rain, and the snow wasn't the best. On Wednesday the conditions were really good. I was able to go back and conquer the black diamond that had gotten the best of me the day before (meaning I fell without injury--but still, I hate falls of any kind. I find it humiliating.)
[It may not look it, but this was a relatively steep black diamond I was so proud of skiing successfully.]
Although Brett pushed me to try some of the more difficult slopes, I still loved skiing some of the slower green slopes. Snowshoe has two trails that start at opposite ends of the mountain top and cross half-way down the mountain, ending at opposite ends at the bottom, essentially making an "x" as you look at the trail map. They are a little more narrow, and are often not too crowded. I find it so peaceful going down those trails when there are few skiers around.
Brett finds them boring, so we would often split up and meet at the bottom to go up one of the chair lifts together.
It worked out quite well that way. Sometimes we would ski a slope together, sometimes we would split up, but it was always nice being able to chat together on the lifts, enjoying each other's company.
We were on the slopes when they opened at 9:00 AM and were there when they closed at 4:30 PM, though we always came home for a lunch break. We also went night skiing a few times. We didn't make it the first night, because it was raining and after just one day of skiing we were already exhausted. (Advil was my friend that week!)
Like I said above, our best skiing was on Wednesday. On Thursday a storm started coming in, and the snow was a little more difficult to ski in. I was glad that we were able to get a few hours of skiing in on Friday before we left. It had snowed all night, and was still coming down in the morning. My calves felt bruised from all the skiing we had done. But Friday ended up being so much fun. The snow was so thick that you didn't pick up any speed. You couldn't see your skis as you went down, and often the snow was up to your knees.
I am happy to report that we had no car troubles, no injuries, no pneumonia, and we made it safely through the blizzard on our drive home.
In addition to that, we had a great time!
Winter landscapes are so beautiful.
We skied for five days, and each day was a different skiing experience. Rainy and cool, Foggy and cool, clear and cold, and freezing cold blizzards. (Those are two cold noses on the right!)
Our best day of skiing was on Wednesday. At the beginning of the week I was still "warming up" and gaining confidence. It was foggy and sprinkling rain, and the snow wasn't the best. On Wednesday the conditions were really good. I was able to go back and conquer the black diamond that had gotten the best of me the day before (meaning I fell without injury--but still, I hate falls of any kind. I find it humiliating.)
[It may not look it, but this was a relatively steep black diamond I was so proud of skiing successfully.]
Although Brett pushed me to try some of the more difficult slopes, I still loved skiing some of the slower green slopes. Snowshoe has two trails that start at opposite ends of the mountain top and cross half-way down the mountain, ending at opposite ends at the bottom, essentially making an "x" as you look at the trail map. They are a little more narrow, and are often not too crowded. I find it so peaceful going down those trails when there are few skiers around.
Brett finds them boring, so we would often split up and meet at the bottom to go up one of the chair lifts together.
It worked out quite well that way. Sometimes we would ski a slope together, sometimes we would split up, but it was always nice being able to chat together on the lifts, enjoying each other's company.
We were on the slopes when they opened at 9:00 AM and were there when they closed at 4:30 PM, though we always came home for a lunch break. We also went night skiing a few times. We didn't make it the first night, because it was raining and after just one day of skiing we were already exhausted. (Advil was my friend that week!)
Like I said above, our best skiing was on Wednesday. On Thursday a storm started coming in, and the snow was a little more difficult to ski in. I was glad that we were able to get a few hours of skiing in on Friday before we left. It had snowed all night, and was still coming down in the morning. My calves felt bruised from all the skiing we had done. But Friday ended up being so much fun. The snow was so thick that you didn't pick up any speed. You couldn't see your skis as you went down, and often the snow was up to your knees.
It was the only time when falling wasn't humiliating. Instead, it was outright funny. We would be plowing through, come to a deep patch of snow, stop, and just fall over. [Funny for us, because we didn't attempt to ski the blue or black slopes that day. There were some who did sustain injuries from falls that day, which is never funny.] It was a perfect, easy day to end on.
There had been some snow on our balcony when we arrived, but by Friday morning it was covered.
There had been some snow on our balcony when we arrived, but by Friday morning it was covered.
Although we had a great day skiing on Friday morning, the conditions made us a little nervous on the ride home. A tractor trailer had jack-knifed on the road we were trying to get down on. It caused some delay, but were were able to make it down okay. There were a few times when we slid a bit, and I prayed hard more than once that we would be okay. When we finally made it through the worst of the weather and were safely in North Carolina I was able to offer a sincere prayer of gratitude for our safety. Skiing in the blizzard was fun for us--driving in the snow was not.
We spent many hours driving there and back. As usual, Brett and I were good travel buddies. We both agree that listening to NPR's Car Talk is a great way to pass the time. Click and Clack crack me up. I love their humor. I never thought I would enjoy listening to a public radio program about cars, but it's true. I love it.
We spent many hours driving there and back. As usual, Brett and I were good travel buddies. We both agree that listening to NPR's Car Talk is a great way to pass the time. Click and Clack crack me up. I love their humor. I never thought I would enjoy listening to a public radio program about cars, but it's true. I love it.
I had hoped to spend a little time browsing the shops in the mountaintop village, but when we weren't skiing we were resting and warming up in the condo. So, instead of bringing home souvenirs for the boys (or anyone else), we filled our cooler up with snow and had a snowball fight with the boys in the driveway at home. So fun!
So, we made it safe and sound.
So, we made it safe and sound.
Thank you to all those who made this trip possible. I feel blessed that I am able to leave my children (and dog) at home under the loving care of my sister, sister-in-law, and for the most part with my in-laws. I never worried a moment about them, knowing that they were having a great time with their other family members having a vacation of their own.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Getting My Hopes Up
Two years ago around Valentine's Day, Brett and I took our first real kid-free vacation since having kids. We decided to go back to Snowshoe Mountain in West Virginia for a week of skiing.
We had been there once before when I worked at Sandestin, another Intrawest-owned resort. I had received a free two-night/three day ski package in a beautiful one-bedroom condo in the center of their mountain-top village. We had a great time and I couldn't wait to come back.
In 2008 we finally decided the boys were old enough for us to leave them while we returned to Snowshoe for five days of skiing. We decided to make the most of our vacation by going through Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
We went tent camping (!) in the mountains (!!) in February (!!!). I wore my fuzzy blue bathrobe and my headband to bed and remained quite cozy. Brett's sock hat had fallen off during the night leaving his shaved head exposed.
We spent the next day driving through the Blue Ridge Parkway.
By the time that we got to Shenandoah National Park, the little cold that Brett had felt coming on the day before had worsened.
As soon as we got to the Inn at Snowshoe, Brett put himself to bed with pneumonia and stayed there most of the week.
He drugged himself as best he could with DayQuil and managed to hit the slopes a few times.
For the most part, I was left on my own. I still enjoyed myself, but I was lonely without him, and felt sorry that he was feeling so bad.
As we left Snowshoe Brett said, "I never want to see this place again." And I believed him. He had been miserable. It was arguably the worst vacation he had ever had.
We still receive promotional e-mails and brochures from Snowshoe from time to time. With all of the snow on the East Coast that has been in the news lately, Brett recently wondered aloud, "How much snow do you think Snowshoe has gotten this year?" Then he said, "Hey! Do you want to skiing?" I quickly and enthusiastically responded, "YES!" even though I knew he was only joking.
We had been there once before when I worked at Sandestin, another Intrawest-owned resort. I had received a free two-night/three day ski package in a beautiful one-bedroom condo in the center of their mountain-top village. We had a great time and I couldn't wait to come back.
In 2008 we finally decided the boys were old enough for us to leave them while we returned to Snowshoe for five days of skiing. We decided to make the most of our vacation by going through Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
We went tent camping (!) in the mountains (!!) in February (!!!). I wore my fuzzy blue bathrobe and my headband to bed and remained quite cozy. Brett's sock hat had fallen off during the night leaving his shaved head exposed.
We spent the next day driving through the Blue Ridge Parkway.
By the time that we got to Shenandoah National Park, the little cold that Brett had felt coming on the day before had worsened.
As soon as we got to the Inn at Snowshoe, Brett put himself to bed with pneumonia and stayed there most of the week.
He drugged himself as best he could with DayQuil and managed to hit the slopes a few times.
For the most part, I was left on my own. I still enjoyed myself, but I was lonely without him, and felt sorry that he was feeling so bad.
As we left Snowshoe Brett said, "I never want to see this place again." And I believed him. He had been miserable. It was arguably the worst vacation he had ever had.
We still receive promotional e-mails and brochures from Snowshoe from time to time. With all of the snow on the East Coast that has been in the news lately, Brett recently wondered aloud, "How much snow do you think Snowshoe has gotten this year?" Then he said, "Hey! Do you want to skiing?" I quickly and enthusiastically responded, "YES!" even though I knew he was only joking.
The next day Brett started looking at their web site and suggested that I give them a call to find out more about the rates and ski packages. I still didn't think he was serious until he called me the next afternoon (he never calls me!) and asked if I checked the rates yet.
After discussing the rates together I confided in Brett that I was in serious danger of getting my hopes up; I was starting to feel the excitement of a possible ski vacation rising in my chest. He replied, "Don't do that. Don't get your hopes up." Oh, but I have!
When Brett asked me the next day if I had called his parents to see if they could watch the boys, I knew he was completely serious.
Today sealed the deal. We are going skiing again! At Snowshoe! Even though Brett swore that I would never have that special privilege again on account of how miserable he was the last time! We leave in just over one week.
All I can say is, we better have a fabulous time. Otherwise Brett will hold true to his promise of no future ski trips to Snowshoe. And I don't want that to happen. Wish us luck!
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