Stuff

Last few days I've been getting my room set up. I took down these huge framed pictured that were up and am working on replacing them with my stuff. If anyone has any picture frames you want to send my way... feel free! I hung a ceiling fan up the other day which really helps with the light in my room. I'll take a picture of all of it once I finish my room.

Yesterday was really windy. I got my vehicle registration set up in CO. While I was driving around, it was snowing and blowing so hard you could barely see outside.

Last night I got home shortly after 6, sat down to watch TV, and passed out for the night. It was really good to get some solid sleep in. I know I have a bunch of stuff to do at home, but rest is important. Especially when your roommate may have the flu.

Not much else going on. Today we are probaby going to go ride a little during lunch.

Snowy Snow

This weekend was great (did you expect different?). Took snowboarding lessons on Saturday and picked it back up surprisingly quick. Not to say that I'm good, I've got a LONG way to go. We were practicing 180's and I spent most of the time on my butt (which hurt the next day for some reason). That night we went out in Vail and had some drinks with friends. I found out that my roommate Chris is a lush...


After sleeping in Sunday morning, I went out for a few hours of skiing. The weather was absolutely perfect this weekend. Clear skies called all day long. Got home and spent about an hour relaxing in the hot tub. I never knew how much it could help aching muscles to sit in warm water. Go figure.

Today I was really getting into the swing of things at work. At lunch I went for a few runs on the slopes. The wind was blowing like crazy. I could barely see the slope to read the mountain because of the snow drifts. It was scary but it really tested my abilities (a.k.a. I fell).

We cooked some surf and turf tonight. My roommate Luke is an excellent cook. We had salmon with a courvoisier cream sauce, steak, potato slices, and steamed veggies. WOW!!! It doesn't get much better. Well, the 2-3 inches of snow we got while eating was pretty cool, too.

One thing I didn't realize about CO is that lamp posts wear turbins... weird!

Awesome Day

Woke up to a car with snow.


It was so beautiful with the moon out in the morning.

Went to work, filed some claims, then went skiing while it snowed. It was REALLY cold out. My hands were a little wet before I went out so they stayed pretty cold until I had some time to warm them up. I slowly got back into the hang of skiing and realized I had a long way to go. After lunch on the mountain, we flew down the slope and went back to work.

Got home and went to dinner with my roommate, Chris, and his sister. I bet him that I would drink 3 (maybe 4) shots of whiskey if he would buy my dinner and drinks. I ate for free. Upon arriving home I decided I needed to jump in 3 feet of snow.



The video is a little dark so here's a picture of me laying in the snow.


I have a snowboard rented for tomorrow so I plan to get some free lessons and try it out all day. We'll see how early I get up.

Another day in the life...

Not much to say today. We continued claims reviews at work with our insurance rep. We went to Beaver Creek to talk with the ski school and see where their claims are. The ski resort there is pretty ritzy and nice. They had a sweet Lego Volvo!


It hasn't snowed in a few days so some of the snow is melting away. We are supposed to get more snow tonight and this weekend. I'm going skiing for lunch tomorrow so it will be my first time out since I got here. Pretty stoked about that! I rented a snowboard for Saturday. I plan to board all day. I can take it in at lunch and test different gear if I want to. I am SO anxious to get on the slopes!

Getting Going

Today was my second day at work. Everything is going great. So far I've been running around getting all my stuff set up so I can do my job. Training, HR, learning a lot, all that stuff. Tomorrow we go to Breckenridge for claims review. We look at larger workers comp claims that are still open with our insurer and see what we can do to close them out. The perks of this job are the best part. Free ski pass, discounted ski passes for friends, retail discounts, FREE PARKING PASS (usually $20/day), on-mountain dining discounts and more.

Yesterday it was snowing pretty hard before I got off so the roads were nasty. I was skating around the roads like Tanya Harding with a bum leg. I went to get some snow tires with metal studs for better grip. WOW!! That made all the difference in the world. I could stop when and where I wanted. I never thought that would be a luxury.

Friday will be my first day to hit the slopes. I rented a snowboard so we can do a few runs later in the afternoon after work. Blake came through Sunday afternoon and lent me his skis and boots to use while he is in TX. It was really good to see such a good friend up here. The skis are really nice Elans. I will probably use them this weekend with my roommates.

My friends Leslie and Ethan will be coming up in early February to visit and hit the slopes. It will be good to have some visitors to show around. Not that I know the area very well.

I signed up for a mystery shop service so I get to evaluate retail, rental, and restaurants and buy stuff for free. Good deal? Yes!

I couldn't be more happy with the way things are going so far. I've got a great job, great roommates with good friends, and of course I'm in the beautiful Vail Valley. Any fears I had about moving up here are slowly melting away.

The Move

Graduated in December. Moved to Edwards, CO last night. Enjoying every day.

I finally did it. Always wanted to live in CO, so I jumped on the first opportunity that came by. I got a job working for Vail Resorts and moved. The drive was good getting here. Got off work on Thursday at 6 and drove straight from work to Arlington.

Left early Friday morning by myself to Denver. Clear skys and sun for 13 hours from Arlington through OK and KS. As I crossed the border into CO, it started snowing. How perfect!!! The roads weren't bad until I got into Denver. That was my first experience driving on snow. Spent the night in Denver and drank too much. Woke up late Saturday with a ridiculous hangover from altitude and alcohol. No fun. After trying to defrost my windshield wiper fluid (unsuccessfully), I got on the road at about 1. I-70 was clear until the other side of Eisenhower Tunnel. Downhill + snow pack/icy + corners + 2WD + rear wheel drive = SCARY! Got through that section only to be stopped in traffic just after Frisco. The roads from Copper Mountain to Vail Pass were horrible, worse than after Eisenhower Tunnel. Turtles pace in first gear is tiring. I'd rather drive 13 hours straight. Finally got into Vail and it's clear roads, shining sun, and GORGEOUS views.


Spent that evening unpacking then went to Vail for a little. I learned my lesson about drinking too much the night before so I only had a few beers. Met one roommate who is from Texas and some of his friends. They are all good people so I'm excited that I'll get along with them. The house is awesome. We're surrounded by mountains! Today I'm settling in. About to go to Vail to check out the town.


More to come...