Adventures in Ski Instructing… Lights, Camera, Falling Kids, Pizza Turns, and ACTION!

Life as a ski instructor is AMAZING to say the least. Basically my job is to take young impressionable youth, put them on two evenly spaced blocks of wood, and fiberglass, strap them in as tight as I can, point them down a hill covered in frozen water and push. How could I not be having fun?!

So the first few weeks out here in Utah have been filled with meeting amazing friends, skiing on the greatest snow on earth, and teaching youngsters the delicate art of flailing around and falling gracefully down a hill. Plus learning how to ski myself. I thought I knew how to ski, oh how wrong I was!

I met this one instructor Cameron, who basically has to be the greatest skier I've ever met. He was a heli-ski guide in Alaska, and has skied all around the world. The guy's about 40 years old and can absolutely shred the mountain. I was introduced to him during one of my training clinics and he basically saw something in me and was like, "you could be a great skier... I'm going to make you my personal project for the winter." My only response was: absolutely!!! I've found my Yoda!!!

Training was amazing I really got a great understanding of the mechanics of skiing not to mention meeting some of the greatest skiers and instructors in the world. Of course there are the pitfalls as well. You’ve got to be outside in the cold, refreshing mountain air all day, doing something you love… oh wait ☺

Also whilst skiing I’ve run into Elaine from Seinfeld, Gwen Stefani, a few Olympic gold medalists, and a guy who offered me an engineering job. Other than that it’s just your average life of waking up every morning energized and excited about the day, loving life and doing something you’re passionate about with others who are doing the same. I’m not going to lie, I honestly feel as though I should have done this years ago, not to get it out of my system but to feel the way I feel right now.

On to the living situation: the best way to describe it is freshman year without the classes. I have a roommate who’s great, with a wide selection of music, which is played as we get ready to go to the slopes. But by far the best part is the girl down the hall who works in the bakery at Deer Valley. She sneaks back all sorts of goodies and treats to share with the hall. Having fresh baked breads and cookies is a great way to start your morning! Not to mention the occasional cinnamon roll. Oh and did I mention she’s trying out for Jeopardy. These are the types of people on the hall, how cool is that?

Mix in a few crazy Chileans, one eccentric Romanian, and a guy from Alabama who doesn’t have a southern accent, and you’ve basically got my floor.

Life has certainly taken a turn for the good and only is getting better with each passing day.

-Chris

Evil unicorns, Tofuolopes, Kansas and other nightmares from a cross country roadtrip.

So below is a condensed version of my road trip out to Utah. It was a great trip that included a bunch of old friends, making new friends and seeing some pretty cool cities.

The first stop was in South Bend Indiana. It was a great time catching up with Erin and then going to take a tour of Notre Dame and watching some old school, 'Are you Afraid of the Dark' episodes. And just for the record… no I’m not.

Notre Dame is an absolutely fantastic campus. It has great energy surrounding it and the most amazing bookstore I’ve ever seen. No seriously it’s HUGE. So after a snowy walk through the campus, and a phone call that caused me to swear in a church… thanks Kevin... the tour was concluded and we went on. More good food, a tour of a museum posing as a house, great conversation and an interesting movie with Robert Di Nero playing a flamboyant pirate, rounded off a great stop in South Bend.

The next stop was St. Louis to visit world traveler Kevin Crouse and equally retired friend, Gina. The trip there was uneventful but St. Louis was anything but. It started out with me touring the city and finding all of the bad parts of town pretty easily. A dinner with Kevin and Kevin’s friend Peter changed the fun-nes level, however.

The first oddity I noticed about St. Louis were the evil unicorns. Yes you heard me correctly, evil unicorns, they do exist, not all unicorns are good. But luckily they are easy to spot. They are black and have a tattoo of a skull on one of their legs. So after the encounter with the unicorns I then found out I was sharing a car with an honest to God Caribbean pirate.

So as it turns out Peter was the captain of a sailboat in the Caribbean. He then went rogue and “attacked” another ship. Knowing that it was soup night the dastardly pirate ordered his men to perform an underwater attack. They swam over to the other boat, boarded without notice and stole all the spoons. That’s right… all of them! Imagine, soup night with NO SPOONS! His malice knows no limits. But he is an interested character with good choice in pizzas.

That night I was introduced to several other interesting aspects of St. Louis. The first was Dewey’s which is a really good pizza place, and where ALL of the wait staff is at your disposal. Seriously we counted, 7 different waiters stopped by to ask us if we were ready or if we needed more drinks. I felt important. But that of course was short lived. The second was the belief in Tofuolopes. Which basically are the animals that Tofu come from and graze up in pastures of Montana. It’s true look it up!

Following pizza we met up with my friend Gina from Boston and played some pool. What was interesting about the place wasn’t the décor or the pool tables we were playing, but the pimped out 6 foot 6, 250 pound guy in a maroon leisure suit, hat, and sunglasses. That night we were introduced to Big Moe, who informed us that if ever we were in his part of town all we would need to do is mention his name to gain instant street credit with whomever we were talking with. Needless to say, we did NOT try that one out.

The next day included a great breakfast followed by a walk around the arch. It’s a giant aluminum arch that serves no purpose other then a reference point to the rest of the city and to reflect the sun at you. But it was pretty cool and I got some cool pictures of me around it. We opted NOT to pay the $20 to go up in it. Then we visited the statue dedicated to George Bush apparently. It was suppose to be of Lewis and Clark, but honestly it looked like Dubya, both of them. Not the dog though… he looked like a more docile Cujo.

Our next stop was a trip to the zoo. The way to see a zoo is to walk around when it’s like 30 degrees out, no one’s there! After playing a game of hide and stalk with a baby snow leopard we found a zoo volunteer. Finding the zoo volunteer was amazing! We got a tour of the entire place and heard all of the stories on the animals and got lots of useless bits of information. If ever I find myself trying to get past an angry troll who demands an answer to a riddle, I feel pretty confident that my knowledge that a Giraffe has the highest blood pressure of all animals, or that certain Zebras don’t have stripes on their bellies will allow me safe passage. The trip to the zoo was concluded with a marvelous grilled ham and cheese and an enormous milk shake.

I finished my trip to St. Louis up with some great conversations with Gina and Kevin and some of Kevin’s famous Fajitas.

Leaving St. Louis I headed west… then south… then north… then east…. then west again. Traffic was not fun. But an atlas Kevin gave me led the way to KANSAS!

Sigh… Kansas. I’m convinced that Kansas is nothing more than a mile stretch of straight road copy and pasted 500 times. NOTHING CHANGED! I swear I saw the same damn barn and field when I first got in Kansas as when I left the state! But no matter, I had made it to Colorado!

Another few hours later and some snowy roadway conditions landed me at the base of Keystone in Dillon to visit long time high school classmate and friend Zoe. Some much needed appetizers and other food items, some catching up and about 2 gallons of water to ward off altitude sickness, I fell into a deep sleep after the 950 mile travel day.

Then it was on to UTAH!!! It took a little while, but I made it there. Park City is as beautiful as I remembered it. The mountains and the area have grown somewhat, but it’s still the same. I found my room, met my roommate and celebrated my victory with a dinner at the local pub (most likely my last meal out for a long time!) Oh peanut butter and jelly how I love you so!

So now I find myself in Utah, but more to come on that later, the stories are already starting to formulate and I will update my adventures as much as I can.

Until next time, watch out for evil unicorns, tofuolopes, and Kansas.

-Chris

Success!

It is with great elation that I announce the defeat of long time foe and unwanted house guest, Rambo Mouse. As it turns out the years have not been kind to him and his reflexes along with his cunning have faded over time. The fight lasted a mere 15 minutes and then, just like that my life’s quest was completed.

I was doing some vacuuming in my parents room when suddenly I looked over and what do my amazed eyes see, but Rambo Mouse staring me down. The undeniable look in his eye, where he was sizing me up, and the uncertainty if he remembered me from years past. But no matter, I knew what must be done, I slammed the door shut, cornering him in my parents room. I then looked around for anything to trap or bludgeon him with. My eyes rested on a small trashcan in the corner. He saw it as well. Suddenly we were in a stare off, who would make the first move? Would I be able to reach the trashcan a mere 5 feet away before I was attacked, or would the legendary foe anticipate my move and fly at me teeth flashing and claws thrashing? The air was thick with anticipation, almost so much that it could be cut with a knife. My heart raced as I sized up my opponent. Then without a moments hesitation I lunged for the trash can, quickly emptying it’s contents onto my parent’s floor (what did I care, this is Rambo Mouse we’re talking about here!) The sudden movement must have taken him by surprise because he leaped, not at me but up the stairs into the open room. I gave chase.

I ran him against the corner of the room, sure that I had him. But the wily beast evaded me once again. With a quick fake to the left he scurried right and I was taken momentarily off guard. He then was able to seek refuge in between the mattress and the back of my parent’s headboard. I jumped up on the bed hoping to confuse him and make him panic and come right out at me. Bucket posed and ready I started to jump up and down. Still nothing. He may have aged but his nerves were still as strong as steal.

I then spotted a flashlight, which I could use to gain the advantage and illuminate my foe. I quickly ran over and grabbed the plug in flashlight from the wall socket. Damnit! It didn’t work. I abandoned that thought and tried to see in the hiding place with just the light I had. I couldn’t see anything, until suddenly I saw him. A small shadow peering around the corner sizing up the situation at hand. I quickly pushed the mattress and jumped on the bed just in time to see him scurry out and back into my parents walk in closet. His had fallen right into my trap.

Now he was hopelessly cornered. Still however, he used his prowess to evade me for a few minutes longer. Trash can ready I saw an opportunity and attacked! Damn, just missed him. Wow he’s a quick little bastard. Just then the bedroom door opened and my father stepped in. “Need some help?” Of course I needed the help, but I wanted Rambo mouse so badly that I almost refused. But I accepted and now the two of us were on the hunt. My father saw him in the corner underneath some shelves. “Wait right here I’m going to flush him out and then you bag him!” With adrenaline pumping I gladly accepted my sentry orders and stood at ready. My father searched around for something to chase him out with, and came up with a machete. Yes a machete. Don’t ask me why my father has a machete in his closet, but he does. I thought, YES! This is it, take a swing at him and cut him in two!! But my father had other ideas, he wanted our foe alive, and not a stain on the carpet.

He flushed him out and I thrust the bucket down to try and catch him… MISS!!! NO! This can’t be happening, He mustn’t get away! I quickly regrouped and with speed I didn’t know I had made another downward thrust with the bucket. This time I was right on mark and caught the entire beast and pinned his hind leg and tail to the carpet outside of the bucket. VICTORY! I slide the bucket completely over him and kept even pressure on the bucket. My long fought battle had finally come to an end. Rambo Mouse was my prisoner.

A wave of pride and relief swept over me as I realized my accomplishment. I had restored honor to the Triolo family name once again. No longer would we need to live under the veil of defeat by this rodent. No longer would Rambo mouse haunt my dreams. The quest was over. A sudden sadness crept into my mind however. It was finally over, so why am I feeling sad? He was a formidable foe, had I just gotten lucky in capturing him? Or had his age finally slowed him down enough for me to get the upper hand? I suppose in the end it doesn’t matter why I was able to capture Rambo Mouse, but I did.

My father and I walked the bucket carrying the most daring, wily rodent I’ve ever known outside to dispose of him. What would become of Rambo Mouse? Would we now execute this worthy opponent? Execute him for his past transgressions and seek the retribution our family so richly deserved? At that moment I couldn’t do it. Nor could my father. We opted to let him live. It was going to be a long cold night. The chances of him surviving outside were very slim. But he had earned that chance at survival. With a quick flick of our bucket we sent our prisoner flying through the cold afternoon air into the awaiting woods. Finally, the nightmare was over.

Will I ever see Rambo Mouse again? My hope is that some day we will cross paths again. But I’m sure we’ve seen the last of him in our house. He was humiliated and defeated in that house, he wouldn’t dare return. But if he ever does resurface I would gladly put my guns up against this foe of foes for another thrilling chase and challenge. Rambo Mouse has been defeated… for now. I await your return, if you build up the courage to come back, you know where I’ll be. I am here… and I am waiting.

-Chris.

Rambo Mouse 3: This time it's Personal!

He has returned! The townspeople shake in their homes, doors are slammed shut and locked up tightly. People scurry around like madmen cleaning up all food particles that they can. Others foolishly set useless mousetraps in a futile attempt to safe guard their homes. But all of this is to no avail, Rambo Mouse has returned.

Back in my youth, I heard stories of a legendary mouse that could defy all sorts of traps, poisons and the like. His hunger was insatiable, and his motives were clear: steal every piece of food from every mousetrap to scoff at the foolish human’s attempts to capture him and his brethren. These were the stories my elder brothers would tell to try and scare me at night. It was a tale of a mouse among mice, a vigilante for the weak-minded and inferior rodents of New Jersey. Nightmares would occur and I would clutch my blanket closer at night as windstorms and my imagination played tricks on my eyes. I thought little of it, until it happened.

One faithful fall night we heard an unusual sound emanating from our ceiling. Normally we would hear the pitter patter of little feet running through our walls and think nothing of it. But these steps were different they were somehow… superior to others we had heard. They made a sound that reflected a confidence not normally heard in rodent footsteps. There was almost a swagger like quality to them. Unsure what it was, but certain our years of boyhood training in capturing small animals would surely be all we would need to catch this menace threatening our territory, my two brothers and I went to work setting up traps. We went along our merry way, playing games, running through the house and making our poor mother crazy with our infinite energy on rainy, cold fall days. We then returned hours later to what we were sure would be mouse carnage. But we were wrong, oh so wrong. All we found were empty traps and an uneasy feeling as we were certain we heard phantom mousey laughs from somewhere in the walls of our house.

More determined then ever, we reset the traps, this time making clever arrangements, and utilizing “top shelf” meats, peanut butter and anything else we could sneak from the refrigerator before our mother chased us away with a broom. Again we sat and waited, certain that we had out smarted our four-legged foe. As the minutes passed we were certain that our holy war against this mysterious mouse would end shortly in triumph. We were wrong yet again. Defying all logic and laws of nature, the mouse had struck again! Leaving all the traps fired, all the food gone, and not even a paw print for us to see. It was then that we knew this was no ordinary mouse. This was a mouse of a different breed. A mouse of superior intellect and cunning the likes of which we had never seen. Oh no, there was nothing ordinary about this mouse this was Rambo Mouse!!

The battle raged on throughout the winter, and we would catch other mice, but never Rambo mouse. We knew this because every other mousetrap would be set off in a pattern that was the trademark of Rambo Mouse. After months of frustration and failed attempts to capture the menace, the weather began to warm and soon the battle was forgotten. Springtime rolled around and we assumed Rambo Mouse had left for greener pastures. And for several years we were correct. Then one year, he returned.

We knew it was he by the mysteriously empty traps we kept finding and by the mouse-ish laughter we were certain we heard echoing through the basement. Again we threw everything we could muster at this mouse, and again we were unsuccessful. Soon we realized there was no defeating this foe. We shamefully retracted our traps, removed the poisons, and allowed our foe to run free. It was torturous! We were all heart broken at the defeat.

Time went on, and soon the legend of Rambo Mouse faded, only to be told in a hushed tone when my brothers and I were not around. The three of us remember it vividly, as the only rodent to escape us. Whenever we hear a mouse trap snap, or hear the pitter patter of little mouse feet, we automatically perk up, perhaps our day of reckoning is at hand, and we will once again go up against our childhood foe. All was quiet, until one cold, rainy day in November 2008.

My father had set a trap at the behest of my mother as she claimed to hear a mouse running through the walls at night. My father judiciously set a trap, certain that we would catch this menace. Hours later we ventured down to the basement, my father stood on a chair and pulled back the drop ceiling and reached in to where he had set his trap. An eerie silence fell over him as he withdrew his hand. Clasped in his hand was the mousetrap, void of the baloney he had put there earlier, and void of any captured mice. I swear I heard the laughter once again, that high-pitched, squealing laughter that has haunted my dreams all these years. The hair stood up on the back of my neck and my heartbeat quickened. My palms grew sweaty as the stark realization of what had happened hit me like a freight train. Because of our languid mindset, our furry, four-legged arch-rival had returned.

To top it off my mother too recently laid eyes on the mythical creature. She was on the phone with my aunt, when the villain ran across the floor several times. He then proceeded to hop up the stairs, only to stop and give my mother a stare as if to say… catch me if you can. Then scurried away somewhere in the upper level of our house.

The evidence is overwhelming and it is now undeniable, Rambo Mouse is back, but this time he’s in for the fight of his life. No longer a rash, petulant child, his human opponent has grown and matured. The years have hardened my resolve, and the trials of life have sharpened my wit and skills. Rambo Mouse had better be shaking in his fur because the Triolo Termination crew, led by yours truly is gunning for him. There is nowhere to run, no place to hide. As God as my witness I WILL capture Rambo Mouse, and my victory will be sweet indeed. He has returned and thumbed his mouse nose at me and my family. He is begging for a battle and has thrown the gauntlet to test my resolve. I’m here to tell you all that this year it shall be different. This year there will be no mercy, no reprieve for the wicked. The final epic battle has begun and this time, it’s personal.

Ditium E Honirum Mitee Mousium (An Honorable Death to My Mouse Foe)

-Triolo Termination Crew

Weddings and Jettians and Wii Tennis oh my?

So I was fortunate to attend yet another fantastic wedding this past weekend. This was one especially dear to since it was of a close friend from college. While there I was reacquainted with some long lost friends and made new ones. In so doing I learned a very valuable lesson along the way: no matter what happens, no matter how big you may screw up, true friends will be there with a hug and a smile with no pretensions only honest happiness at seeing you. It was a great lesson to learn. 

The wedding itself was amazing! It was my first glimpse at a partial Jewish wedding traditions since it was a bi-religional wedding. It was well done and had some beautiful traditions that I truly believe satisfied both sides even those who may not have been completely backing the wedding whole heartedly. Plus people were thrown around in the air on chairs, glass was broken and I got to do some hardcore chicken dancing. You haven't lived until you take the chicken dance to the next level! 

So 10:30pm rolled around and the reception was winding down, and everyone was leaving for the evening. After parties were planned, some people needed convincing not to do the responsible thing and drive home, but instead forgo sleep and soberness and celebrate some more! Luckily we were successful in our quest, convincing several otherwise, "early nighters" to stay and participate. 

For those who don't know the definition of the word in the title of this blog here it goes: Definition of Jettians: (Pronounced: Jeh-tee-uhns) Noun: (1) Townies who hang out at the Jetty, (2) Those related to a particular dive bar located on the eastern shore of Maryland. "The place was crawling with Jettians, so I decided to drink more and become one." Adj: Of or pertaining to the local bar, The Jetty. "With several drinks already ingested and a propendency to slur every other word, the jettian persona was beginning to take over early on in the night." Verb: To Jetty " Hey man the night is young let's go Jetty!"

Needless to say after the ceremony we found ourselves at the local bar The Jetty... and by local I mean the only one within walking distance of the hotel. It was full of colorful people and random music being played. After a few drinks, some stellar dance moves and several odd looking townies later, the bar closed and we ventured back to the hotel with the definite feeling that it was still "early". 

Now I'm not sure how you roll but I know I NEVER go anywhere without my wallet, cell phone, keys, Nintendo Wii gaming system and portable projector. They're pretty much a must for every situation in life, I mean really let's be honest here. Thanks to Brian we were able to keep the party going strong! So after several failed attempts to hack into the hotel TV, the Wii was hooked up to the portable projector and viewed on the wall. The remaining group that hadn't already gone back to their rooms, curled up on the floor to "rest their eyes", or passed out and were drooling on themselves, played several intense games of Wii tennis and Wii bowling. 

Brian stomped us all in tennis and Mike won the Wii bowling by sheer luck and the clever use of a character created on the Wii named Momma. Then around 3:15 in the AM we called it and went back to our respective hotel rooms to pass out and have dreams of sugar plums and armless Wii Tennis characters flailing helplessly as Brian continually hit to the one spot on the court that is apparently impossible for the damn characters to return the ball from despite one's best efforts and loud cursing.... Next time Gadget!!! 

The wonderful celebration was concluded the next morning with a great brunch, lively conversations about the night before, poking fun at the hung over people and the obligatory swapping of the phone numbers, Facebook IDs and the like. Once again it was a wonderful time re-establishing old friendships and making new ones. I concluded the weekend with an uneventful, relaxing drive back to Sparta. 

Till next adventure this is Chris signing off saying: If you aren't having fun, make it fun or do something else; life is way to short! 

Peace! 

-Chris 

Ditch digging, Chainsaw wielding Mexicans, air bed surfing, midnight puzzling and other oddities from a prolific vagabond.

So it's been an eventful past few days. I've driven about 600 miles from North Carolina to Annapolis Maryland stopping off along the way, and it's definitely been a lot of fun!

So first a story of before I left NC. It was one of the last days I was working on my parents new house, and I was finishing up some very technical, mind bending work; digging ditches. When I decided to step into the house for a moment. I wasn't there long when one of the framing guys who was working on the deck outside walked in the house carrying a chainsaw. Normally the sight of a 100 pound mexican carrying a chainsaw wouldn't have seemed odd to me, however, this gentleman was working on building my Dad's deck! He smiled, and we exchanged some pleasantries (which I'm pretty sure my attempt at Spanish only resulted in me insulting his Mother and calling his dog a cheap whore), and I inquired about the chainsaw. Of course my wild imagination of a framer going at the deck with a chainsaw in a Friday the 13th-esk manner was completely unfounded. The simple answer was that they had cut down a tree earlier that day and he didn't want to forget the chainsaw in the woods when he left at the end of the day. And I suspect just as you, I was very saddened by the logic behind this answer. I was expecting instead a wild story of how some one-handed swinging of this chainsaw would quicken the deck building process. Sadly, this wasn't the case. I took the disappointing news hard, vowing to think of a clever story in which to tell my friends reading this blog. Alas, I have failed. But that, as they say in copywriting is a lead in. :-) 

After saying goodbye to my parents I made my way up to Greensboro, NC to visit long time friend and the quick witted, intelligent Miss Ashley. There I was greeted with a rotisserie chicken with amazing sides and a wonderful dessert (I am truly bless with some great friends who are great cooks!). That night we went out to a local drinking establishment and played some shuffle board, drank some wine and had great heartfelt conversations. It was a wonderful time! 

My next stop would be my old stomping grounds of JMU. I went in and tracked down some favorite professors, having great catch up talks and explaining to them the rationale behind my recent retirement and trip out to Utah. The campus has simply exploded with the addition of new dorms, a gorgeous new library, a magnificent performing arts center in the works, a school of engineering and still no parking. I then crashed on the air mattress of long time freshman roommate William S. Holloway Esquire and Ted Theodore Logan!! (Look it up) 

We talked and caught up and it was fun to see how much his lovely new wife Laura had trained him to do the cooking and clean up after himself. Where was she freshman year! Now in all fairness I wasn't the neatest of fellows myself, but his side of the room looked like someone had turned everything upside down, strung the shoes out the window and had a vacuum cleaner explode... ok so I MAY be responsible for some or all of that :-) But I had a lovely time visiting Billy and Laura, with again some great food (Billy has turned into a marvelous cook!) and the next morning I left for Northern Virginia.

Ah NOVA.... how I abhor you so. If it weren't for a few select friends still being in the area, I would avoid you like getting a real job... wait what? Anyways, it was a short trip only stopping off for lunch and to visit Bedroom 4, the only one of her kind: Miss Gianina Ferraiuolo. After a lovely chat ranging from Autism to the fake looking dolphin used in parts of the movie Flipper, it was onto Annapolis!!!! 

This particular section of the trip has involved many past roommates. Billy, Gianina and of course who can forget the man, the myth, the confusion: the one and only Mr. Medium Chris Anderson? Crashing on an air mattress in his living room, after some fantastic mac and cheese, always a good time. But what's even better is the 5 people in the house plus me working on a 750 landscape puzzle of Times Square. We were up until 1:30 am starting and finishing that sucker in record time! All I have to say is we rock! Plus I gained some Mac knowledge from one of his roommates! So all in all a very productive stay! 

Well there you have it, if you've read this far I'm impressed, if you haven't, I am mocking you in secret. 

The next stop is a wedding of a college friend and then Jersey!! Bring me home country road interstate 95!!!

Ciao! 

-Chris  

North Carolina - The adventure begins south of the Mason Dixon Line

So the adventure has begun. I began my trek down south and stopped off in NOVA and Richmond for some moonlight hiking and old roommate and friend visiting. Vive la SHORTS! I then made my way Norfolk to play some golf and hang out with more friends. 

After that I've spent the last few weeks down here in Southport North Carolina with my parents and it's been quite entertaining.  Mostly I've been helping my father build his retirement house here in St. James, but I've also been doing some investigating of the area and have made some really great friends down here. 

I'm about 40 minutes from Myrtle Beach and a few weekends ago I was a plus one to Valerie's friend's wedding. Such a blast! A beautiful outdoor ceremony followed by everyone eating, dancing, and drinking the night away! It was marvelous. Plus Val and I provided the number one "advice" phrases to the bride and groom, we rock! Always an adventure when Valerie's involved. 

Other notable events have been: golfing and tennis with my dad and his friends, networking like mad with amazing people, crashing another fun wedding, a surprisingly good, country-fied broadway type show, a rather chill and extremely fun Halloween party involving an amazing graveyard cake, several scary movies and a 2 pound crazy adorable pooch, and a late night at a dive bar featuring a pitiful game of darts and some American Idol-esk singing. 

All in all this trip has surprised me as to how fun it really was! I was expecting an okay time, but I've really enjoyed every aspect of my stay here. It's always sad to leave new friends, but I've got lots more adventuring to do and a beautiful, powder covered mountain awaiting my skis! 

Next on the agenda: in a week a quick stop in Greensboro to try and convince someone else to leave General Dynamics, a brief visit to JMU, two separate chances to annoy old roommates (can't wait, Roommate I'm BACK!!!...sorry Laura), and another wedding!

Final thoughts: If I had known retirement was going to be this much fun, I'd have done it years ago! 

-Chris