Riding Log: Day 20 (Hunter)

I had nothing to do this weekend. I wanted to take the bus to Okemo but no one would come... so I found myself staying up late to do very little on Friday night. On Saturday, I decided I'd visit the kids and ride with them on Sunday. So off to Hunter we went.

We got there at 9:30 and headed to the lift. We did a warm up on a short blue then headed to the top. It was the kids 1st day riding anything but Thunder and they did great! A doubted herself as usual but K was all for it and excited too.

Burton was there on their demo tour and once finding out they had the chopper in a 100cm we headed to the line... but it was 45 minutes long... so we gave up and did a few more runs on our own gear. Then we went back to find it had shortened. K LOVED his 100cm chopper and begged... er begs me to buy it for him. A liked the rockered feelgood but decided she likes the control she gets from her cambered board. She also did not like the lexa bindings instead enjoying her roxy's. It's all preference and at their level, I was just surprised she could feel a difference.

We rode till about 3 when the kids said they were ready to go home... so we took to the rode and got home in time for dinner.

I was exhausted and decided to stay the night.

What do you do...

When one person will walk on water if it made the other happy....
While the other will walk all over you to make himself/herself happy?

Riding Log: Day 19 (Killy)

Today, we woke up bright and early, got dressed for the hill and headed to a pancake house for breakfast... yum!

At the hill we encountered the craziest high winds and even with the sun, we were freezing. We struggled to find 2 of Paul's friends but finally did. We hit the park a few times with them. I hit basically nothing there but Paul was looking good as per usually. I'm very proud of my husbands snowboard skills.. and yes I think it's sexy!

Anyway - they pretty much called it quits after that and I was hugry, an orange and a cookie later ... we were back on the lift for a few more runs. We called it a day around 3:30 and went on our hunt for cheap eats... pizza it was... and cheap it wasn't

All in all it was an okay day. We had a blast on this trip but the conditions were bleh at best and it was too cold to be comfortable but we still enjoyed the time together.

Riding Log: Day 18 (Killy)

After a long long long drive to Boston with a stop over in Carmel, my weary bones did not want to get up in the morning. Especially not for a 2.5 hour drive from Boston to Killington, but we did. I must admit I was looking forward to checking into our hotel more than snowboarding.

We still made it - and got to the parking lot to find crazy high winds, snow and snowboards that needed mounting. Once mine was set up... backward, and Paul fixed, we headed to the ticket window. We grabbed our tickets and headed to the gondola.

The conditions were variable. My board was very sticky and slow. There was spots of fresh snow and then huge patches of wind swept ice. We managed to find our way through most of the mountain and just did run after run dealing with the long lift lines and high winds.

After a while, my complaining was apparent and I was ready to head out but Paul had a few runs left in him. To my surprise at 3PM he told me he was ready to go... that the conditions were bad anyway... and so we left.

We checked into our hotel, got showered up and headed to the Wobbly Barn for dinner where we had some great steaks, a bottle of wine and some desert.... yes I was happy boarder!

We retreated to our hotel only for me to pass out by 8:30. Yep that's right folks... 8:30!

Paul was not thrilled haha.

Today's Question

source

I thought this question was pretty good... probably because it got me thinking. At 1st I thought... nothing. I am an expert of nothing. But then I thought of all the things I've taught to the people in my life. You don't need to know anything like an expert to teach someone next to you. Everyone's life experiences are different and therefore everyone's knowledge is different. We can ALL learn from one another. Teach by example...

So yes, you can teach educational things like math and science. You can teach someone how to do something athletic like snowboard or play soccer. You can teach someone something simple like how to use their new remote control. You can teach someone how to use that new iphone 4 ;) ... or you can teach someone about love and compassion... about morality and doing the right thing.

So yeah, you don't need to know anything well enough in order to teach it... you just need to know something a little more than who you are teaching it to or know it in a different way. So yeah... this question is still awful posed how it is... but none-the-less it still got me thinking... and in the right way.

Thought Question for today

I think this question is a stupid one. Just because one is isolated doesn't mean they are alone. I also think it's particularly harsh to come out on Valentine's Day. I know a lot of people take the being alone on V-day thing very hard.

Anyway... I love having some alone time. There were many nights where I cherished the night Paul worked late. I'd walk to a local restaurant (that I frequented more alone than with him). I'd order a glass of wine, an appetizer and a nice fish dish. I'd sit outside in the summer and inside in the winter with a book in hand and read and ponder as I eat and sipped. I loved those nights. I loved my alone time.

But of course... there are nights and days where I'm simply lonely. And I seem to deal with them much the same way I deal with my cherished night's alone but with less pizazz. I curl up on the couch after eating a take out or home cooked meal that I ate while watching something on the DVR. I then curl into bed or stay on the couch and read... and read... and read for hours on end. And in reading ... I find I'm not as lonely as I was. It's like the characters have become my company.

Riding Log: Day 17 (Hunter Mountain)

Today we woke up at a bright 5:50 and started to stretch and yawn and wake up the kids. A few groggy bodies got up and began to put on their thermals. My Mom made us scrambled eggs, corned beef hash and toasted rolls. We stuffed our faces and then headed out on the road... after successfully fitting an abnormal amount of gear in the car tetris style)

We got there, got geared up and headed on in. It was a great day. The small one's skied and the big ones rode in order to take full advantage of the entire hill. We all tested ourselves on the ice and I think almost everyone had at least 1 good spill. K really progressed on his mogul skills. A proved herself on the icey steeps, Paolo is definitely getting better and keeping up with the rest of us, Jomel is hardly noticeable which means... he qualifies as hanging with the big boys, Paul practiced his butters and spins and I managed not to knock myself unconscious on this freak fall. Raquel needs some work... her knee is still healing so no one wants to push her... and we shouldn't. She's getting so much better but her knees can only take so much. Hopefully she's all healed up next year and we can really put her to the test.

All in all we had a grand time. We drove home and everyone fell asleep (except Paul of course - he drove). We had left overs upon getting home and we stuffed our faces, packed our bags, grabbed MY and said bye to my Mom and the kids... and headed to Queens where I had a blissful tired sleep.

Riding Log: Day 16 (Thunder Ridge) & Panda's Birthday

Today is A's 12th Birthday and I couldn't be a prouder big sister. She's 12 going on 22 I sweat it. She has a heart of gold and her skiing and snowboard skills ain't bad either.

Last night, I drove to Bellerose to pick up Jomel & Paolo and then off to Manhattan to pick up Paul who took the bus down from Boston for her birthday. They are like bestests after all. We got up there late but went to bed fairly early knowing we were riding the next day. My Mom made us palichika with nutella, strawberries, bananas and whipped cream for breakfast. It was definitely a chocolaty feast!

We got to the hill a little late but since we had all our gear it wasn't terrible. We grabbed our lift tickets and headed up. The day consisted of a lot of random jumping, some time in the terrain park where K did his 1st box on a snowboard, lot's of K meltdowns, eating and bathroom breaks. It was very windy and cold with the sun decided to sneak behind the dark clouds and we had moments of snow. All in all it was a fun day with lots of progression and goofing off on the little local hill.

After 2, Lauren and Bryan showed up and we all rode together. Lauren and I switched decks for a run which proved hilarious. I kept falling thinking I was riding with the shortest stance on the smallest board ever and she couldn't turn and went totally fast because of the longer length of mine. It was definitely hilarious.

We ended the day at 5 and headed home for Amanda's birthday feast. We had Chili with cheese, steak fajitas and a whole turkey! It was great. At around 8:30 my aunt and uncle and 2 more cousins came... so they ate (and I ate again), we did chocolate cake and banana cream pie (Amanada's fav) and then we all kinda just sat and talked and relaxed. Amanda struggled to keep those eyes open and finally came around and said thank you and good night to everyone ... she was spent and knew we had another fun filled day of riding ahead of us.

She's a big girl but she's still my baby sister.

Yes, she was tired after the long day - and so were we

Getting that Nomis hoody was definitely a surprise. Can you see the delight in her face and the excitement in K's?

Reading a Birthday Card

Showing off the satin lined hood

A bamboo fiber panda shirt for my Panda

After a failed attempt to smash her face into her banana cream pie - we decided a little wrestling was in order

One happy birthday girl (now lets eat cake!)

Wedding Blog

We are up and running on our photographer's blog. Check it out:

http://jnelsonphoto.com/photolife/lilia-and-paul-breckenridge-winter-wedding

Video Trailer

Our wedding video trailer is done!

I <3 Tim Sparks... they are seriously amazing people and obviously great videographers!


http://www.vimeo.com/19692152

Devotions for Couples

The One Year Devotions for Couples was written by David and Teresa Ferguson. They are a married Christian couple who have a marriage much like anyone else. It is a marriage filled with love and problems.

I’ve never read a devotional before but I think this is going to be the start. The way this one is written is that you conquer a chapter a day which discuss various topics. It works best if you do it as a couple, but in this case, I’m the only one doing it. Per the authors, even if only 1 member of the couple follow this, it is bound to bring positive differences to your relationship.

I began a little late so I read multiple days worth over a few days in order to catch up which I now have.

The themes covered in the book are:
1. Acceptance
2. Admonition
3. Affection
4. Appreciation
5. Approval
6. Attention
7. Care
8. Comfort
9. Compassion
10. Confession
11. Consideration
12. Counsel
13. Courting
14. Deference
15. Devotion
16. Discipline
17. Edification
18. Encouragement
19. Enjoyment
20. Entreaty
21. Exalting
22. Exhortation
23. Forgiveness
24. Freedom
25. Gentleness
26. Grace
27. Happiness
28. Harmony
29. Honor
30. Hospitality
31. Instruction
32. Intimacy
33. Kindness
34. Leadership
35. Love
36. Mercy
37. Peace
38. Praise
39. Prayer
40. Protection
41. Rebuke
42. Reproof
43. Respect
44. Security
45. Service
46. Support
47. Sympathy
48. Teaching
49. Tolerance
50. Training
51. Trust
52. Understanding
I know I know – that’s a lot. You cover about a topic a week. Each day you explore a different aspect of that theme. Most of the chapters begin with an excerpt from the Bible. It then gives an example of what it means. Then there is a short prayer (usually 1 or 2 sentences) asking the Lord to help us follow Jesus’ example in our marriage. And then it moves into a real life example from the author’s marriage. And it ends with a thoughtful question to ponder.

So far I think it’s been a great read and I find that it is an easy way to interpret and see Jesus’ teaching in every day examples. This devotional is geared towards married couples but I’m sure even those not married can find it helpful.

Lord,

Lord, remind me to take the time - no matter how busy life gets - to give my spouse my undivided attention.

Good timing is probably God's way of showing us he's answering our prayers.

Riding Log: Day 15 (Thunder Ridge)

So today we were a determined group. The kid's snowboard camp had been canceled week after week for weather advisories. So I promised that we'd get to that hill. I'm glad we did. The day was warm and the snow was slush... almost like a spring day. It was forgiving for the kids to try some new things.

The kid's progressed so much in the last few weeks. They said they'd like to toss their skis and stick to snowboarding from now on but I'd never truly allow that. I want them to be a jack of all trades... at least now while they are young and maybe make a choice when they get older. I have a feeling right now they just like snowboarding because it's what we do.

We ended up calling it a day a little bit early in order to pick up my grandma and drive back to Queens. She and I had a date with her couch to watch the super bowl.

All and all it was a great day... another day where the kid's truly impressed me.

And oh yeah... K decided he'd show me how he can do a great tail press... he said he'd show Paul next week.

Riding Log: Day 14 (Back Yard Sesh)

I could say this doesn't count as a day on the hill but the amount of sweat and fun involved requires a blog.

Today was a rainy one. The snow was deep but with a hard icy crust on top. The local hills were turning their chairs but the roads were a sheet of ice and my baby bro just got diagnosed with an ear infection. So we opted for some backyard fun.

We got into some gear, grabbed the shovels and built ourselves a little kicker behind the house. It was only about 2 feet high but I thought it was the perfect setting to show the kid's proper safety and technique and taking a job on their board (a far cry from their skis).

K and I built it up but realized it was too high with not enough steepness to get over the kicker ... so we shallowed it out. Amanda came out just as we finished. We all strapped in and took turns hitting the kicker while our Mom & Grandma watched from the window. Soon enough the rain started to pick up so we headed inside. It was definitely fun... and painful. Too bad we didn't have Pauly Wally with us.

Spirituality

Recently, I've really been contemplating my spirituality. I believe it's root was from a conversation with Andy this past weekend. He said (I'm paraphrasing here) that he didn't think people were religious... unless they truly followed the rules of that religion. Believing in God to him was spirituality... not religion. I always considered myself religious but not a practicing Catholic... but hey... that's all in the semantics.

Anyway - he noticed that I was getting a little upset... and I too noticed I was getting a bit defensive. We quickly changed the subject back to snowboarding, travel, drinking, food, etc... you know ... light happy subjects. But in the back of my mind... that defensive feeling lingered.

In addition, I had been reading a few books. Many of which had been focused quite a bit on religion... Christianity to be exact... and to be more specific even... Born Again Christian. I am not a BAC but I am a Catholic... or at least I thought. Anyway... it was good I read these books. Many of them were about women (coincidence) who never thought of their religion more than what is on the surface. They said the prayers without speaking with God. And in a lot of ways, I am much the same way. I realized the other day that that is exactly why I was so defensive. It's not that I'm defending myself to Andy but rather I'm trying to convince myself ... that I truly do believe because recently, I haven't been acting it.

I've been on a spiritual quest for the last couple of years. I've managed to put that quest aside almost immediately after I started looking... then I start again. I suppose I'm starting again now.

Catholic church to me seems very traditional, very formal, very... thoughtless. I've grown up in the Catholic school system, in the Catholic Church and in a Catholic home. I was even an alter server. And through all of this, I memorized the prayers, I read the scriptures, and I said the prayers... but I don't think I ever spoke with God. I don't think I was ever encouraged to try. I realize that Catholics believe in the communion of fellowship just like other Christian religions, but I haven't seen it. I know smaller communities along with other Christian religions are very into their fellowships and I want to be a part of something like that. But my belief system... it's very much Catholic.

I believe that the Virgin Mary is blessed. She carried my Lord in her womb... that is the very essence of blessed. So when I pray to her... I don't mean to worship her, instead I respect her and I want to ask her to also pray to God for my soul. I believe in saints. I don't believe in worshiping them, but I do believe that they walked through life giving themselves to the Lord and trying as hard as they might to walk in the footsteps of Jesus. I believe that that self sacrifice should be rewarded and commended. As someone who has easily turned her back on Christ, I know how hard it can be. But there are a few things that are so strongly Catholic that I disagree with too.

I don't believe that the Pope has any type of divine power for he isn't divine. God is divine, and his power is the only divine power I know of. I do believe the Pope is an instrument of power and at least within my lifetime is a man dedicated to serving the Lord the best he knows how. The best he knows isn't always the best. But the Pope is only human. I don't believe that the Bible is the give all done all of all scripture. I believe that there are more books, more accounts, and some manipulation. Even though it is believed that these scriptures were written by God through man, I've seen and felt God work through me and in moments, I'm sure I've put in my own little artistic expression. I wouldn't be surprised if these men had done the same. I do believe in the acceptance of ALL people because I believe Jesus and God truly do love all people. I believe they even love the bad and evil and it sorrows them that they haven't turned their ways. It doesn't mean that I do love and accept all people, but I do believe I should try. There is more... but really in the end I believe that Jesus loves us ALL and how can your religion... not and still say that the goal is to live lift like Christ?

Anyway... so here I am... trying to fill this spiritual void that I found I have and it's hard. It's hard because I believe I need some type of fellowship with people who are on a similar plain as me. I also think it's hard because it's something new. But mostly, I believe it's hard because I don't know where to start.

I've always prayed. I believe that prayer does help you. I think that my spirituality should be based on my personal relationship with God and those people around me. I don't know... it's a void I need to figure out how to fill.

For now I find myself reading the Bible. I little bit every day. And the New Testament for a change. I can't live and love like Jesus if I know only what I remember is from childhood religion class. So I sit, I read, I ponder, I pray and then I sleep or go about my day depending on what time it is. I hope this is a good start.

I want to stop worrying about everything little thing and entrust in God's plan for me. I want to trust that He wants what's best for me and will help me achieve those things. I want to believe that it's all in His hands. I also want to believe that I can do better.

I think the next step will be researching fellowships and retreats. Maybe I need a young women's retreat to jump start me into what I'm looking for.

Wish me luck!

God, please help me find my way.

The Wedding - Rehearsal Dinner

So ... January 8, 2011 I became Paul's wife... and he my husband. It was a pretty big day and I wanted to wait to post anything about it... wait until I had photos... wait until I had my wits about me... but I find myself forgetting... forgetting all the details. So to sum it up I'll just say a few things.

The rehearsal dinner was great. Everyone had a good time. The wine flowed and though the restaurant messed up the menu slightly, I think everyone was both happy, full and impressed. The few who weren't - well really... I can't bother to be upset. It's supposed to be a time to think happily and it's supposed to be a time to be grateful. After all, those guest who weren't thrilled... well they shouldn't have come. After all, we didn't have to provide a meal for them the night before the wedding. We wanted to. They were more then welcome to explore the many places in town if they wished... and save us the money to boot. Okay enough bitterness.

I definitely didn't order the best item on the menu but I was happy. I had fun. It was nice for everyone to meet and talk before the big event. I wish they did a better job of it though. On a night like that, you really hope that your friends and respective families have enough sense and confidence to walk around and in a sense... introduce themselves. After all, you are playing host, you are playing bride & groom, you are ... you are the center of everything. And you are in charge of the party itself as well. You are busy, you are overwhelmed, and you are tired. In the end... the rehearsal was almost more tiring than the wedding itself. But... we were surrounded by people who really count. So at the end of the day... I smiled.

At the end of the evening we went to the room. Paul had to collect his things and head to Andy's room. We weren't going to see each other again until I reached the church aisle. It was thrilling and frustrating... there was much to do that evening... much I did alone. But that's how things go. I recognized the want in Paul and Andy to spend that night together... yes hanging out with friends but also... just being brothers. I didn't want to step in the way of that. I did hope the girls... my sister, cousins and friends would come by. Maybe suggest something to do. And some did... but mostly to discuss what needed to be done for the wedding... yes they graciously helped me set up the welcome tables.

In the end.. it's okay, but I felt jipped a little bit. No bachelorette party, no bridal shower, no night before girl time. But in the end ... none of that mattered... because I was getting married right? I won't lie... I'm still jealous Paul got more of a wedding experience than I... but I guess I'm happy he did. I'm happy for him... more happy than jealous. In hindsight I would have planned it all better... but there was so much to plan already... things like your own happiness and relaxation... socializing in general - gets kind of forgotten.

Our Cake - Yellow with Chocolate Pudding and Vanilla Frosting

Yeah- we are a happy couple

My family!

Best Friends & Sisters to boot!

He loves me... and that means I'm blessed!

Paul & My Mommy!

Me & My Mommy!

The Rios Clan!

Paul's Family! (less a bunch)

With the Argentina Clan!

& we cut the cake!

This is me laughing at my striking a pose