Don't Be An OBSTACLE

My Tahoe trip was this past weekend. You may have remembered it from my birthday weekend in the fall. All expenses paid. (Airfare, transfer from the airport, 3 nights at the resort, 4 SPA TREATMENTS for EACH of us!) I had to cover meals, ski rentals, tips.

Linz went with me and I couldn't have asked for a more fun & exciting companion for this trip. She was gracious, and encouraging, and made me laugh - oh so hard. Those double-over-can't-catch-your-breath-I-think-Sailor-Jerry's-Rum-is-going-to-shoot-out-my-nose laughs. And yeah, what happens in Tahoe, should very well stay in Tahoe... :) Except for the $250 she won in Vegas...that can be used anywhere!

We stayed at the Squaw Creek Resort.

It was near the Squaw Valley ski village. It was the site of the 1960 Winter Olympics. There is a high camp...with a heated pool. Yep, that's a snow plow clearing the deck of snow!

And rumor has it, it's the best skiing in Tahoe. I would have to agree. The views were AMAZING!!

I got back to LIVING this weekend. I felt I had been drifting back to the sidelines, but this weekend dragged me back into the action. Faced some fears, tried something new very whole heartedly, soaked all the beauty and atmosphere in. Had some really good heart-to-hearts with friends - new & old, that put life in perspective and made me realize that I am not alone. And that I am truly blessed to have such wonderful people in my life. It was A-M-A-ZING!

I took a lesson, fell once on the first day, then proceeded to ski the rest of the day and all of the next. Oh yeah, I hurt. Couldn't hardly walk! But it was worth it. Oh, so worth it.

I do have to admit though, that I was getting annoyed with the "Snowboarders" a bit during the day. They would fall down, not get up, then become "Obstacles" on the slopes. For new skiiers (like me!!), that was not good. The sudden stops and just "hanging out" were getting to me. So I started telling everyone - "Don't Be An Obstacle". After saying that all day and thinking about it, it made sense not only on the slopes...but in life in general. Think about it!

The drive to South Tahoe was breathtaking and a little unnerving for those of us with height issues. (High points, not short stature...thank you very much!) And the gang enjoyed giving me a little bit of trouble for that - thanks!

This is Emerald Bay at dusk:

Playing at the casinos was fun. I collected my "tacky" magnets and played some slots. I think I won around $40 off my original $20...but kept on playing until it was gone.

I am so thankful for the opportunity to take this trip with the group I was with and have such a fabulous time. I am thankful that I live in a country where I can be in a beautiful place at the top of a mountain in little over 4 hours in a plane. I am thankful for great friends who I love dearly and would not have the same experiences without them. And mostly I am thankful that I have been able to fully experience and live through the "Winter of SWinters" and put my life back into perspective. I am truly blessed.

Next time though, I totally want to win a trip to the Carribean!!

Comfortably Numb?

After several emotionally trying conversations this week, freak-outs from work, the awfully cold weather and just dealings with life in general, I came to the conclusion this afternoon that I just wanted to be NUMB!

Numb from the hurt, cattiness, stress, sad, scary, enemies, lonliness, "it's not you, it's me", fear, smothering, and all the negative stuff that seems to be hitting me this week.

But NUMB! means numb. Everything is numb.

So I would then be numb from the happy, excited, anticipation, love, friendship, cuddles, joy, confident, and all the good stuff that's out there too.

And I don't think I can give that up. Not even when I feel the worst, do I want to give up the good feelings....not even for a minute!

Thus I'm dealing. My mantra is back to "I will be ok. I will always be ok. I just don't know when OK will be." It has worked before...it shall work again!

I'm getting ready to start into the "busy" season - the "Winter of SWinters"! Linz & I take off for Tahoe in 2 weeks, then I spend a week in Tampa for ISPE, then a long weekend in Miami for a wedding, weekends for baby & bridal showers/bachelorette parties in Branson and a retreat weekend for church. And there may be some trips in there to NC for work, but not sure yet. I'm hoping that the weather gets warmer before I get to go there! Then MA gets married in May and my goal for this year is to participate in 3-4 triathlons this summer. It's gonna be busy.

On the dating front, my 8-ish month stint is coming to a close, I think. There are still some possibilities out there, but we'll see how it pans out. I met some great guys, some creepy guys, had some great meals, saw some fun places, had great conversation and learned a lot about myself along the way. There are traits that I am definitely looking for and many that I will not stand for. I am coming close to figuring out what I want...now he just needs to show up!! Truth be told though, I am ready to step back and take a breather for awhile. I would like to get myself throuh the next busy months and get myself back in order before I go there again.

Oh, and there's knitting too. Now that it's general knowledge that I'm going to be an AUNT! (HOW SUPER COOL IS THAT???) There is so much knitting to be done! I have some projects in the works, that will probably be airplane knitting for several trips. (Need to finish by mid- March....EEK!) I am so very excited for the addition to our family and wish the Dunnters all the love and support in the world!

Yes, I know it's been a couple of months since I've updated, but it's been crazy. And I found Facebook. I resisted for a long time, but I've been enjoying it. It's good to hear how friends from HS and college are doing and especially my family members. There are so many, all spread out, so it makes keeping up with them fun. Check it out!