New Calling... yipes!

Well, it's official - Sunday I was sustained as the Young Women's president. Because she can't keep a secret AT ALL, I didn't tell Sarah (or Madilyn) beforehand. After it was announced in sacrament meeting, Sarah turned to me and said "What? I don't want you in Young Womens! I want Sister Vessels! Where is Sister Vessels going??".

I sure wish she'd learn to whisper these things...

Anyway, later I think she got comfortable with the idea, but this will be an interesting ride, to say the least...

Oh, and in other news...

I can't believe I forgot to mention... I ordered my new skis today!!! Gary says that this should buy him at least a full 6 weeks of (insane amounts of) travel with no complaints from me. If he wants to buy my silence, that's just fine with me. This time, silence comes in the form of Salomon's Elite 6 Vitane Grip W skis with SNS Pilot bindings. *sigh*

Hope my skis get here before the snow is gone! *happy dance*

It DOES make a difference

OK, so I've been trying really hard to just focus on becoming a better skier, getting in better shape, etc. I've really been resisting the "if I had better gear I would do better" route, because it's a dangerous (not to mention expensive) one. I was way too into that scene with cycling in my 20's, and in spite of all the cash I wasted, I was never really any good.

But OH how I love my new boots! I skied Sucker Lake with Kate today, and felt like someone had sprinkled magic fairy dust in my boots! It was a beautiful day, and it just felt like I had an extra kick in my glide. Maybe it was just that Kate was finally feeling better and able to join me. Skiing is so much better with a friend.

Grail... Found and Captured!

After dropping Madilyn off at school, I headed off to REI. Because of the timing, I knew I'd get there before they opened, so I spent some time at Trader Joe's. When I drove over to the REI parking lot at 9:58, it was FULL, with an incredible number of people heading toward the doors. Turns out their super clearance started this morning, and so the store was packed! I am so glad that I called yesterday and had them hold the boots.

Got the boots from the service desk, and tried them on. Heaven! No more cold toes for me, for sure. Best thing - they are backward compatible with my current ski bindings, so I can use them while waiting for my new skis.

Right about now, my husband is reading this (from some remote location), and a chill is passing over his wallet. Sorry, sweetie... was I supposed to check with you first? Guess this gives you permission to spend money, too...

So, anyway, now I have new boots...and I picked up a pair of smartwool socks, too. Oh, and a new ear wrap. Unfortunately, none of them were part of the "super clearance" (figures), but they were mostly on sale.

And it's sunny today! The trail awaits...

Hard Choices

So today was another fabulous ski day, but, much as it hurt, I didn't strap on the skis. Instead, I was caught up in a buying frenzy. I haven't spent any money (yet) but burned away a whole afternoon figuring out how I could...

I don't know much about this new sport I've adopted, but I've found a ski shop that does, and is willing to give advice. When I found out that I could get skis at half-off retail through my wonderful brother-in-law

insert shameless plug: When in Utah, rent your alpine gear at Ski 'N See! Awesome people, awesome stores! www.skinsee.com

I went to FinnSisu to get sizing and fit advice. After confirming that I should be skiing a 198cm ski (my current skis are 167 cm... can you say SHORT?) and that the skis I was considering were appropriate, I asked about boots and bindings.

Turns out, I've been under the mistaken impression that the ski was the most important component of the whole skiing experience. The boots are the most important, followed by the bindings! I guess a good boot is the difference between your skis spending time on the trail or gathering dust in the closet. He recommended finding a boot I like first, rather than the other way around.

Finding a boot in February during a good, snowy Minnesota winter is, well, tough. Almost impossible. I came close enough at Joe's (Sporting Goods) to know I'm on the right track, and I'm heading off to REI tomorrow to try on what may be the last pair of size 7.5 Salomon ski boots left in the Twin Cities.


The Holy Grail of my quest... the Siam 7 Pilot CF. (picture via www.gearwest.com)

Wish me luck! I'm just hoping that I can make it back in time to hit the trails before school gets out.

Sucker Lake

For the record... the title of this post is not intended to be witty... that's really the name of the lake.

Today was even more beautiful than yesterday, and Kate was just as sick, so I found myself on my own once again for skiing. I decided to investigate the other half of the park that I skiied yesterday, and ski the Sucker Lake loop. I was a little nervous about going it alone, as a portion of this trail was marked "more difficult" - not standard trail nomenclature, to be sure. More difficult than what, exactly? Luckily, the "guide" that I met on Tuesday scoffed at the notion that this side of the park was difficult, and he was right. There were a few hills, only one that was a little challenging, and only one downhill worth noting. The trail was beautiful, though. The groomer had been through, and only one person had skiied it yet - my "guide" from the day before. I ran into him in the parking lot as he was leaving and I was starting out.

The weather was in the 20s, sunny, and fabulous. The pictures don't do it justice. I loved the Vadnais part of this park, but now I don't know which I prefer! This trail was equally beautiful. When skiing past some open water, I saw a flock of 8+ white swans floating peacefully. I can't believe that I have driven past this park every week for the past 2 years and not realized it! What a gem.





And yes, I did email a photo to Gary from the trail, with the subject "vicariously" and a message reading "where are you right now?". It goes without saying that he did not in any way respond to either of my taunting emails. Aargh. Where's the fun in that??

Vadnais Lake

Sunday and Monday brought a lot of snow to our area; so much so that I wasn't even interested in going skiing on Monday... too much loose powder, and no chance of a set-in track yet; it was coming down too heavily. Tuesday, however, was a different story. I let all the die-hard skiiers go out in the drifts and heavy snowfall (which, for the record, Kate thought were PERFECT skiing conditions... proving that contrary to our normal contention, we are not always on the same page...) Monday night and set in a trail. I headed out to Vadnais Lake on Tuesday, and got in a great ski. I had to go it alone, since Kate was near death with a sinus infection, but I kept her in my thoughts ;-)

The weather was great - light snowfall, overcast skies, temps in the high teens. The trail was 4.7K, with one steep hill at the beginning that was easily conquered with the "running" technique Kate taught me our last time out. The rest of the trail was easy, gradual slopes, with some fantastic scenery. I especially liked the section with the Nordic pines - so beautiful, reminiscent of northern California. I skiied part of the trail with a local retiree who could quote the last 30 years of park history and learned a lot! We saw 3+ deer on 3 separate occasions. My self-appointed guide claimed that there was an eagle in residence, although I wouldn't know... when I'm skiing, looking anywhere but straight in front of me is a guaranteed faceplant. Watching the skies is completely out of the question... I even have trouble looking around when I'm standing still, but that's another story. Here are some pics from this adventure.

I have to note that I emailed one of these to my husband (who was travelling and stuck in an airport) with the subject "This is where I am right now"... followed by the words "Nyah nyah". I convinced him to buy me an iPhone, and now I use it to taunt him. Yeah, I'm that mean.

Gotta love her...

On Sunday, instead of our normal 3rd hour (church) meeting, we had a combined meeting that included the youth over 12. Basically, it was our whole ward, minus the little kids, all in a classroom (yes, our
ward is that small).

In this somewhat informal setting, the meeting started, and announcements were being presented. When they announced that the Blue and Gold Banquet/Pinewood Derby was going to be open to the entire ward this year, Sarah chimed in (very loudly) "and don't forget that it's my mom's birthday, too!"

The whole room erupted in laughter! Sigh. Well, at least she was paying attention...and at least she didn't tell them how old I am.

Honor Roll!

Congrats to Sarah, who on her first middle school report card, made the B Honor Roll with her 3.50 grade point average. Way to go, girl!