The anniversary...

So I'm trying to celebrate the 3rd anniversary of learning to snowboard, but the weather just doesn't seem to want to cooperate. If you look back in my posts you will come across one in which I talked about my first ever experience on a snowboard. It was one of those things that in the midst of it, while I was thinking, "this is much harder than it looks," I swore I would never do it again. There was a tremendous sense of accomplishment felt though when I finally reached the bottom of that hill after 2 hours and 47 minutes. I had even at one point, gone over 30 yards without falling. I went boarding one other time that year and really enjoyed it. Last season I bought a board and continued working on my skills. I realized that there is nothing quite like wiping out on fresh powder...it's like hurling yourself into a cloud (except its cold and if you aren't wearing bibs, you get snow down your pants.) I'm not a glutton for pain, if you come at me with a needle, chances are good I'll put up a fight, yet despite that pain that comes with boarding, at the end of the day, it just seems worth it.
In case you ever decide to pick up the sport of snowboarding, I have compiled a list of tips to help make it a more pleasurable experience.
1. Wear bibs - no one likes snow down the pants.
2. Stay away from the trees.
3. Learn how to get up off the ground before you go to the top of the hill.
4. Learn how to slow down and or stop before you go to the top of the hill.
5. It's all about heels and toes. Personally, heels = good and toes = faceplant.
6. Stay away from the trees.
7. Don't be fooled by the seeming serenity you experience while riding the lift, you're about to feel the burn.
8. Stay away from skiers - they hate you.
9. Regardless of how easy the little kids make it look when they go off the ramp, DO NOT TRY IT!
10. Stay away from the trees.

And so there you have it, a few beginners tips for getting started. Now, I will continue to wait and hope that they get the road headed to Pomerelle open so that the kids and I can go huck some gnar.

Tarnation

Well, as always, it's hard to believe that it's been a full year since last Christmas. I haven't posted much since then and so you wouldn't have to search back too far to read about the Christmas debacle. I remember saying last year that I would NEVER put myself through that again (keeping multiple kids on Christmas) but this year since it has been just Mandy and I, I kind of miss the kids we had last Christmas. We did get to see them a few months ago and they are all doing really well, which is great to see. This holiday season has been pretty low key, we have been extremely busy during the month but this week has been nice. Today is Christmas eve and we have a service tonight at the church in which our youth band will play for the first time. I'm pretty excited about that. Tomorrow we will get up whenever we darn well please, open up a few gifts, eat some breakfast, probably take a nap and then head over to Adam and Amber Walkers to cook up a massive crab pot. We got king crab, we got dungeness crab, we have shrimp...it's gonna be good. Anyway, that's about it for now. I haven't posted in a while and this seemed like a good time to do so. Merry Christmas!