As many of you know, I am a VERY busy person and I like to keep myself occupied. I think I epitomize the saying "Work hard, play hard!" I am somewhat of a workaholic and I also am a fun-lover! There are sooooo many awesome things going on in my life right now but I am just going to update you on one of them tonight and I will send another update when I find the time and inspiration! I will also be posting these on my blog which can be found here: summertimesnow.blogspot.com
I have always loved giving back to my community and doing volunteer work. I did plenty of volunteer work as a kid through Girl Scouts, my church (Shallowford Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, GA), and with my schools, etc. In college I joined Alpha Phi Omega which is a co-ed national service fraternity and did volunteer work with them. Now that I am settling in to my home in the Vail Valley I have decided to give back to my community by working with the non-profit, SOS Outreach. SOS works with at-risk youth and our mission is to inspire youth to make positive decisions for healthy and successful lives.
SOS builds all of their programs around 6 core values: courage, discipline, integrity, wisdom, compassion, and humility. Developing a strong understanding of these core values enabled the kids to become role models for their peers and to become leaders in their community. We do service projects with the kids and we also do ride days where we teach the kids how to not only improve on the mountain skiing/snowboarding but off of the mountain as well!
Specifically I am working with kids in the 3rd year of the 4-year-long University Program. This 4 year program is an intensive program that requires kids to increase community engagement and personal growth annually. I am a "Sherpa" for my kids which means that I am an adult mentor for them. If they need my support, they are welcomed and encouraged to call/text/e-mail me at any time. We have service learning activities, life skills workshops, and ride days on the mountain!
There has been a lot of training and I look forward to working more closely with the kids as our first ride day is approaching and is less than 2 weeks away!
Right now, SOS has a pledge campaign and I am asking that YOU please give a donation to this awesome non-profit! If you select the "CO Gives" option as you make your donation, your donation will be selected to be made on December 9th (Colorado Gives Day) and your donation will be matched!! It would really mean a lot to me if you could make a donation for SOS Outreach! $20 would make a HUGE difference!! If $20 is out of your budget, just donate $1 and choose the "CO Gives" option. If 250 of my friends/family donated even just $1 on Colorado Gives Day, I would reach my goal of $500 which would help SOS reach our goal of $20,000 during this pledge campaign!
I really needed some work this weekend and it fell in to my lap. I have been working in promotions for almost a decade and I hardly have to look for work anymore. I take pride in the work that I do. I am ambitious and I am a very hard worker. I take pride in everything that I do. I got invited to work all weekend for Warren Miller's No Turning Back tour. These stops on the tour were in Boulder, my old home. I got to be a part of the Warren Miller magic in Boulder -- something I remember from really looking forward to in college every year. I've seen some great ski/snowboard films this season and this is one of them too. Go ahead and take a peak at the trailer and then read on.
Snowboarding and skiing to me are nothing short of magical. There is nothing that motivates me quite the same as the winter sports culture and the tight knit community that we are all so very lucky to be a part of. Snow brought me to Colorado. Snow brings my family together for the holidays. There is nothing quite like it. Nothing that even compares in my mind.
As many of you know, I have taken part in competitions over the years and these competitions have been the main drive in my life since college. The competitions as well as snow in general. I took last year off of competition for a few reasons. After living in Dillon (up in the mountains and right in the middle of snow country with multiple resorts nearby) for 3 years, a series of events caused my need to move. I didn't want to move but I knew it was the necessary choice at the time. Everything happens for a reason, but I didn't at that time understand my reasons fully. I needed a change. I didn't know where I was going, I just knew I needed to move. But where to?! I was thinking I would either move to Boulder, Denver, or Eagle County (Vail area). I decided to move where the universe told me to move to.
I started talking to people and applying for jobs. I found myself in Boulder for one reason or another and I met up with my friend Cammie at an old college favorite, Half Fast Subs. When I met up with Cammie, she was with her friend Janina. Janina and I had met at a party years prior and we had made numerous attempts to hang out back then and none of them were successful. When I arrived, it was a meeting of minds that was destined to happen. The girls asked me about my life and what I was doing and I told them about my search. When I told them what my major was in college (Science, Society, & Technology), what I wrote my thesis on (The Effect of Technology on Astronomy in Elementary Education), my love for and experience with children and some of my previous job experience, Janina got extremely excited and urged me to apply to the preschool she worked at. At first I wasn't interested because as I told her, I am not a fan of the politics in public education. Janina then informed me that she worked at a Montessori school and that I wouldn't be involved in the public school system. My interest piqued. I decided I would go in for an interview.
My sisters both went to Montessori school so I knew a little bit about Montessori but honestly, I didn't know much. I went in for an interview at Boulder Montessori School and the more I learned, the more interested in was in becoming an assistant teacher at the school! I decided that my next step was to pursue a certificate in Early Childhood Education. Long story short I got the job at BMS, I started taking classes in ECE, and I moved to Boulder. I absolutely loved what I was doing. In Colorado if you want to get an ECE license, all that you have to do if you already have a BA is take (and do well in) 2 ECE classes and log 900 experience hours in teaching the right age/number of children. I excelled in the classes and started working at the school 2-3 days a week. I absolutely loved everybody at the school -- kids, parents, teachers, and administrators!
Once snow started falling I started to realize that I was in the wrong place. If only I could pick up the school and move it along with the people...seriously, have they invented the teleporter yet?!! With the number of hours I was working each week it would take me 2 years to reach my 900 hours of required experience. I decided that I was going to suck it up and live on the front range until I reached the 900 hours. I figured I would move to Golden and I would be close enough to work at the school and also I would be closer to the mountains. I started searching for a place to live in Golden. I had many potential places/people but they just kept falling through. I was frustrated but determined. As much as I love Boulder, it's not my place anymore. It was fun in college and I have some great friends there, but I need more than Boulder can give me.
My parents came out to Beaver Creek for the 3rd of July week as per usual. Yes, 3rd of July. Best holiday in Avon/Beaver Creek. I don't even care about the 4th as much because the 3rd is always so fun! As far as I'm concerned, the fireworks on the 3rd are much better fireworks than I have seen anywhere else in the USA. I got to spend time with my parents, some of my closest friends (Holly, Doug, Clay, Jessie, and Derek), and a few newer friends that week in the mountains. The mountains were just calling my name and reminding me that I really do belong there. My moving date was at the end of the month and I decided that I had to move up to Eagle County. I didn't know what I was going to do for work but I had to move up to the mountains. I always make it work. I was determined. Instead of delaying my happiness I decided to move up to the mountains and put my energy in a place that demanded my presence.
I have too much to write now and I am supposed to have already checked out of my hotel room. I'll finish up with the initial thought and save the other tangents for another time.
Back to last night (and the whole weekend) at Warren Miller. Watching this movie along with Teton Gravity Research's movies Almost Ablaze and Jeremy Jones' Higher (the third in his trilogy) made me realize that I have different snowboarding goals than I had thought a few months ago.
I do not want to compete anymore. At least not for now. I have better things to do with my time and money. Some are snowboarding related and some aren't. I guess that's not completely true because they all link back to snowboarding in one way or another, some are just more direct than others.
As I have mentioned numerous times before, I am going to film. I will share my life and my story with the world. I want people who live in other areas and would never get a glimpse into the ski/snowboard culture to be able to see what it's like. From multiple angles. If you are interested in collaborating, please let me know.
I am helping to inspire at-risk youth to make positive decisions for healthy and successful lives through snowboarding. I started working with the non-profit SOS Outreach this year and I am very excited to be making a positive change in the lives of these children. If you are interested in making a donation on my behalf to SOS outreach, please check out my fundraising page!! Any and all donations are beyond appreciated :)
I will get more in to backcountry riding. I will do heli drops. I will skin up a crazy huge mountain. I will feel very small when I look at the huge mountains around me. I will get away and be one with nature.
I will get better at skiing again. I will be a triple threat eventually...I will tele and ski as well as I snowboard. My main drive for this is that I have decided that I need to learn how to do the newer hybrid sport of speedriding (aka speedflying).
I am going to move to South America for one of our summers (winter down there) for a plethora of reasons. I will be immersed in a new [to me] culture. I will learn Spanish. I will ski/snowboard in Chile/Argentina. I will learn more about myself. I will get rid of a good number of my material possessions.
Once I have completed some of these other stepping stones, I will open up my non-profit. My goal is 3-4 years at the latest. I will make a huge difference in the lives of others and specifically in the Aspen Valley.
I will finish my 900 hours of experience so that I have my ECE certificate as well. I do not and will not give up on my goals and dreams, I will make a difference. I know what my purpose is and I am very motivated. There's no better time than now.
Everything happens for a reason. There are no coincidences.
Life is the journey, not only the destination.
And with no further adieu I will step out on to the slopes and I will connect with the mountain. The season is upon us and it is my time to shine!
I will be periodically adding to this as time goes on but I just wanted to collect some quotes that resonate within myself :)
"Laugh your heart out, dance in the rain, cherish the memories, ignore the pain, love and learn, forget and forgive because remember you only have one life to live!" ~ KKC
"Never seem to be in a hurry -- hurrying betrays a lack of control over yourself, and over time. Always seem patient, as if you know that everything will come to you eventually. Learn to stand back when the time is not yet ripe, and to strike fiercely when it has reached fruition." ~ James Roberson
"Football in the south is an interesting beast. It's not a game, it's not a pastime...it's a way of life. It's a mixed drink of family, religion, politics and pageantry, spiked with shots of antagonism, arrogance and pride." ~ Unknown
"If life gives you a chance, take it. If it changes you, let it." ~ KKC
"Never let yesterday use up too much of today." ~ KKC
"Life is short, Break the rules, Forgive quickly, Kiss slowly, Love Truly, Laugh uncontrollably, And never regret anything that made you Smile." ~ Unknown
"Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we're here we should Dance...." ~Susan [Margo's mum, and my 2nd mum]
"Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will." ~Mahatma Gandhi
"You can only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough." ~ Mae West
“I have not failed. I have just found 10,000 ways that do not work.” ~ Thomas Edison
"Never let yesterday use up too much of today." ~ Kathryn Kennedy Cox
"Sleep late, have fun, drink whiskey, and drive fast on empty streets with nothing in mind except falling in love and not getting arrested." ~ Hunter S. Thompson
"Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around." ~ Leo Buscaglia
"Always do the right thing, always be exciting, always be encouraging, and always be learning something new." ~ Zig Ziglar
This post is harder than I thought it was going to be. I have written and deleted multiple sentences. Again and again. This is going to be somewhat stream of consciousness and likely if you are reading you won't see a point or you may not follow, but this is the best I can put out at the moment.
It's always tough to say goodbye to people but it's even tougher when you don't know what happened to your loved ones. It's also super tough when you lose a loved one whose life ended early. What defines an early ending to life though? It's all relative. I just feel like there is so much more that could have been done by these people. What happens after death? It's a timeless question that some people claim to know the answer to. I don't see how anybody that is living could possibly know the answer. There are many hypotheses but there is no way to test them out.
I'm not entirely sure why I felt the need to write this, it's just making me think of awesome people who aren't in my life anymore. The memories live on but no new memories can be made with these people. It could be a nice thought that maybe they are serving others well in someway after the time they spent here. I know that everybody has a lasting effect to others. At least they do to me. I don't want to make this post negative by any means. I miss you people.
My first experience with death was at way too young of an age. And she was even younger than us. Jenny was 5 years old. I think it was a bee sting. I was in school and on swim team with her brother, Dutch. We were in 4th or 5th grade I think. I will never get that image out of my mind. That tiny little innocent girl in a coffin. My friends were carrying or perhaps pushing the coffin. It was so sad. I decided on that day that I was never going to a funeral again. I have since been to a funeral. Jimmy's funeral. That was a hard goodbye. We have stickers that say "I RIDE FOR JIMMY." I am going to put one on my new snowboard. That's why I want to learn a back flip on my board. Jimmy loved backflips (on his skis). What a guy.
One of the nice things about death is that it brings people together. That may sound kind of crude but it's true. And it's not meant to be crude. It's a positive that comes from the negative.
I never knew Hannah but I was blessed with the privilege of getting to know her entire family. I dated Tully and became best friends with his best friend Jake. Jake is Hannah's brother. My family never did family dinner, I can remember a few but not many. My dad used to work all the time and he was always traveling. I wasn't very happy about that. I understand now but at the same time it was hard. I'm lucky to have two loving parents that are still together gosh I don't even know how many years later...maybe 35? Maybe more? Well anyways...I had dinner with the Dodd family more often than not. Hannah passed away on a motorcycle ride when she was still in high school. I won't ever ride one. Too dangerous. I take enough risks as it is. I never got to meet Hannah but I got to feel her presence. Some people (ok kind of a lot of people) told me that I was a lot like Hannah. It felt like an honor to hear but I always wanted to meet her. I never will be so fortunate. I miss the Dodds. Everybody.
I'm blessed to have met so many awesome people throughout my life.
When Jimmy passed away it brought a lot of us together. Physically and emotionally. Katie and I became closer. I reconnected with Joe. Struebs was really there for me. I maybe never would have met Ryan since he lives in Alaska. I got to meet Jimmy's parents and sister and they are super rad. Seriously amazing. We got the crew back together. Without Jimmy. But Jimmy was there. That was my first funeral in my adult life. It was hard but it helped us all.
I haven't even gotten to Aubrey or Margo (or a bunch of others). They were both seriously my best friends. Those are the most complicated. Unanswered questions in my head with these two ladies. Answers that may never come to me.
Aubrey is missing. She went missing in Nepal on April 22, 2010. That's a long time ago. Here's a link to the search page: MakeLove2Life. That's how I got my glitter nickname. Aubrey was on a mission to glitter the world with her love, and that's what she did every day. I don't even like to think of the options of what may have happened to her but we have hope. If you go to Greeley (where she is from) you can see what I call The Glitter Tree -- it's a tree full of ribbons and other awesomeness and we (the people who love her -- some strangers, some family, some friends) contribute to it to make it glitter. I met my glitter sister Rachel because of Aubrey. It was a magic moment at a Pretty Lights concert.
Margo. Seriously she was my go-to girl. She's the only friend I have ever had in my life that has called my mother "mom." Her mom is my mom too now. Not legally but for love's sake. Margo was found dead in her apartment when I was a sophomore in college. I remember the day so very clearly. I lived with 9 other people and nobody was home. Traci told me via Facebook. We are friends now but I didn't know her (Traci) at the time and I thought it was a sick joke. Anyways, I've relived this day too many times in my mind and I am not going to do it again. I remember being so angry with the birds for chirping. I was a wreck. For quite some time. The death was marked as a suicide but I don't even kind of buy that. She was a ray of sunshine when she walked in to the room. Not going any further with that topic in such a public environment.
I feel like I have simply touched on the tip of the iceberg.
Every time I toast a drink, I drink one for all of the dead (and missing) homies. I cheers the other person and then I hit my drink on my table as if doing another cheers motion. Here are the people that I cheers for every time I drink. I'm sure I have missed some people as my list has gotten pretty long.
Jenny Collver.
Rebecca Lynn Steinback.
Uncle Steve.
Grandpop.
Kathryn Kennedy Cox.
Margaret "Margo" Ann White.
Karen Smithson.
Aubrey Sacco.
Chris "Pez"Leskowski.
Chelone Miller.
Jimmy Gardner.
Stuart Gallaway.
Kory Wyatt.
Whelp. I meed sleep. To bed I go.
This lady is full of love!! Plenty of love to share with you all!
I keep telling myself that I am going to write more and I keep putting it off. It seems that I have creative inspiration when I am working out, driving, or when I am in bed. I was about to go to sleep but I decided that there's no better time than now to get back to writing and blogging. There are two things in the past 24 hours that I have really wanted to share so hopefully I can get through both of them before I fall asleep...It's pretty late and I was almost asleep but I felt the need to write. Now I am opening myself up to you (the public) as a person on a deeper level than just a snowboarder. Hopefully you like what you read. Whether it inspires you to be a better person, helps you to understand that you aren' alone, whatever it is...I want to show you my thoughts and my feelings and share who I really am on a whole different level. I am going to aim for 3 updates a week and I would love some comments from people I know and from people whom I have yet to cross paths with. Enjoy :)
First off, an update on my living situation...I live in Avon, Colorado. I live a walk away from the lifts to Beaver Creek. I live on a lake. I live in paradise. I am blessed with so many awesome things and for that I am grateful. I am happy pretty much all the time and I want to share my happiness with the world!
Since the first week of college I have been very interested in astronomy. I needed to pick a science class and I somewhat randomly chose astronomy. I am so glad that I chose astronomy because I fell in love. I also met some of my closest friends in that class. The stars, the moons, the planets, black holes, it's all so fascinating!!
I work many jobs and I love all of them, but one of them is that I work for Fiske Planetarium in Boulder, CO. I have been working there since February of 2007. I do it because I love science (particularly) and I love kids.
I got really excited about the Orionid meteor shower that was visible last night. I thought maybe I could share the experience with a friend or two but as it turned out, it was a solo adventure. I actually almost gave up on seeing anything as there was a ton of cloud cover. I decided to go home and as I was getting in my car I looked up to be surprised by a sky full of stars! Only 5 minutes prior I could only see 2 stars and then I was surprised by a sky full of magic! Since Orion (and the portion of the sky where the meteors were more prominent) was on the horizon I decided to drive up the mountain. I drove up in to an area where I really feel at home and relaxed more than many other places, I drove to Bachelor's Gulch. I parked my car away from all light sources, I threw on my down jacket, and I got out of my car. I immediately saw a meteor entering Earth's atmosphere. I was pumped. It was like I was meditating with myself, with the Earth, with the skies. I haven't felt such a magical experience in a very long time. Every star I looked at was twinkling. There was obviously a ton of turbulence in the atmosphere because it looked like a scene from a movie, all of the stars were twinkling bright! I didn't see as many meteors as I had hoped to but the experience I had was more magical than I could have ever foreseen. There was heat lightening all around that was lighting up the sky and I felt so lucky to be where I was at that very moment. I am so grateful for the amazing experiences I have every day and for all of the people in my life. I truly believe that everything happens for a reason and that every person in my life is in my life for a purpose. I am blessed to know each and every person in my life! Thank you, universe. Thank you for being there for me and showing me amazing things, places, and people!
This is where I am going to leave off today and tomorrow I will be writing about the changes in my life professionally and the struggle of losing ones that I love. I remain happy in every situation that it is possible and I look to the future with hope, love, strength, and compassion for myself and others.
It has surely been a great week in Utah thus far! Since I have been in town (around noon on Friday) I have been snowboarding 4 days and climbing 2 days!! I got my hair cut short (much better for riding and being inside of a helmet) while I was here, I had some sushi (all you can eat) with old & new friends, I got a good start on playing Bioshock Infinite, and I am spending a lot of time with Tyler -- a friend from high school (pretty much family)! Here are a few photos from my trip thus far and I will leave you with another video blog! Tomorrow or Friday I am headed to Tahoe for part 2 of my vacation!! I am not having the best of luck with the GoPro but hopefully I'll get some footage of some sort before I head back to Colorado! A long season of fun awaits me back in Colorado where they are getting snow! The best part of it all is that when I return to Colorado my parents will be there for a week and I will get some quality time with them on and off the slopes!
Christmas Day Last Chair on Ninety-Nine 90 @ Canyons
Frosted Trees @ Canyons 12.23.13
Christmas Breakfast Casserole that Tyler made! 12.24.13
That's me at the top (purple pants)
3rd Flapper this week!
A Town Down! 12.25.13
Such a beautiful Day :)
I like it STEEP!
Here comes the sun!
It's been waaay too long since I've endulged! I was too busy with school!!
All smiles!!
LeJawn & Myself!!
Sooooo happy!!
New Do (Back)
New Do (Front)
I am going to be coaching my new rad girlfriend, Bethany aka "Bewbz" for Boardercross this year (USASA) so I will be experiencing the fun from a new perspective! Both of us are also training (starting in January) to swim from Alcatraz to San Fran this coming June! Bethany has already done this, it will be her second time and my first! For those of y'all that didn't know before, I have been a swimmer since I was young. I have coached multiple swim teams (age 2.5-18) of ~100-150 children and I have done individual lessons with kids of all ages! I was on the swim & dive team (yes, I was a diver too) for my high school and for one year of college at The University of Colorado. When I found myself skipping multiple practices a week to go swimming I realized that I was on the wrong team and the following year I joined CUST (CU Snowboard Team)! CUST is awesome, I can't wait to go on a CUST trip in February (to Mt. Baker) this coming February as an alumni!
