A New Year Begins Again...

I realize this post in a few days late, but oh well! 2015 has been off to a great start already! This year is going to be the best year yet, I just know it! 

2014 was a great year. I experienced quite a bit of change, mostly for the better. The end of last winter season was good, minus cracking my sternum that put me out for a month or so. I got my AASI Level 2 certification, which I never thought I'd achieve when I first started instructing. The summer season was amazing. I went from a 6 year relationship to single. I saw so much epic shit that made my heart feel like it was going to explode that I feel like I should write a book. I had the best crew fam ever. I made so many new friends and met some really interesting tourists. The fall was good, for the most part. I lost my papaw back in October. He was the best papaw any girl could hope for and I miss him every day. Despite the sadness October brought, Halloween was a blast this year thanks to my friends. I got to get some more hiking in that I missed out on during the summer from working so much. Winter started off good but then the snow just disappeared and it seems Mother Nature has put us in time-out, but I'm confident the snow will return sooner or later. The holidays were great. Thanksgiving and Christmas was spent with wonderful friends and I'm so thankful to have such amazing people in my life.

For me, 2015 starts the beginning of a new year and a new outlook. I've decided not to have any 'resolutions' because let's be real, those things never last long anyways, right? I've decided that this year, I'm just going to be ME, and live and love as much as possible. I don't want to take anything for granted. I want to explore nature more than ever. If I don't really have time for hiking this summer, I'm going to MAKE time for it. I have peaks to summit and trails to blaze. I have a couple goals I want to accomplish this year. I want to get my freestyle specialist certification through AASI in the spring and I want to get my 100 ton captains license in the fall. 

I also want to dedicate more time to practicing yoga. Yoga is something I've always loved, but just never made it a priority. The past few months I found comfort in doing at least a few minutes of yoga a day, and I want to continue that not just throughout the year, but make it a lifelong habit to benefit not only my health, but my mind as well.

Also, lets not forget the 2015 PLUNGE CHALLENGE! Haha, this is just something that I thought would be fun to do throughout the year. After a very chilly dip into the ocean back in October with friends, the idea was planted to make it a monthly occurrence for 2015. January 1st was the first plunge we did. The water here in Southeast AK averages between high 30s to low 40s, so why not take a chilly plunge once a month to keep things exciting? Makes perfect sense to me!

To whoever reads this rambling, I hope you have a great 2015, and may it bring lots of love and happiness your way! 

Lazy Friday Ramblings

Figured I would do a small update since I haven't posted in a few days.

Nothing too exciting has happened since Tuesday. It's snowed. And snowed. And snowed :)

And more snow in the forecast!

Unfortunately, only the Porcupine lift will be open again this weekend. Since Eaglecrest is reliant on 100% natural snow on the majority of the mountain, including the upper mountain, the light fluffy powder we've received so far isn't packing down and filling in as hoped. 

I never thought I would be picky in what TYPE of snow I was doing the snow dance for, but now we need some of that heavy, wet snow instead of the light fluffy stuff. 

I have faith in mother nature though, and I know she's not gonna let me down! Anyways, back to work this weekend and hopefully I can get a few more lessons on the paycheck. 

This latest earthquake in Japan (positive vibes to those victims) has got a lot of people thinking... the 21st is near. I'm not a big conspiracy theorist, but I do feel like something significant is going to happen on or around that day. Unlike what most people think, I do not believe that it will literally be the 'end of the world', but an awakening, or enlightenment of humanity. The way things are going, humanity definitely needs some sort of help. This world needs to realize that we are all ONE. We need to treat the earth with respect, stop all this nonsense fighting among countries and ourselves, and realize that we are all connected in this amazing universe. 

I'm not going to get into it here, but if you really read the facts and myths behind the Mayan 2012 event, you will realize that it's not a 'doomsday' prediction, but the end of an era. On the 21st, when all the lovely planets are in line with the sun, and our galaxy is in line with the rest of the universe, we will leave this 'bronze' era we are in and go into a 'golden' era. Apparently great things happen during golden eras... the Egyptians built the pyramids, Atlantis was in it's prime, and the world as a whole is awakened and enlightened. With the technology we have now, it's hard telling what great minds might accomplish if greed and money hungry companies aren't in the picture.

Or, we could wake up the world exploding into a fiery ball of molten rock. Who knows?! 

Whatever happens, happens.

I hope everyone has a wonderful, snow-filled weekend! I know I will!

The Adventure

^ This is one of my favorite quotes of all time. 

I'm truly a mountain girl, and you will never see me living anywhere else. I don't know what it is about the mountains. It's like they've called to me for as long as I can remember. Where I grew up (Rogersville, TN), we didn't have big mountains, just rolling hills and a couple small mountains. Big mountains was only a few hours away though. I was always in the woods playing or hiking or exploring somewhere outdoors. I guess you could say I was a bit tomboyish growing up, but look what that's given me! I wouldn't change a thing about my past. Not one single second. 

Once I had a car and a license, I would drive the two hours to Beech Mountain Resort (known then as Ski Beech) to get my snow fix. Although my first few times on a snowboard was my grandparent's back yard, I consider Beech my home mountain and always will. Back then, little did I know what a huge role Beech would play in my life. If someone would've told me that in a few years I would've put 5 years in teaching snowboarding at Beech, meeting my amazing boyfriend, and deciding to move off to Alaska to pursue my love for snow even more, I would've told them they had lost their mind!

Something that's funny is that most people isn't even aware that ski resorts exist in the south. Here in AK, when I tell people where I'm from, I usually get odd reactions. 

"Does it even snow there?" 

"You mean you can ski in the south?" 

"What? North Carolina and Tennessee have ski resorts?" 

It's pretty funny honestly. Even though it's the 'dirty south', I'm thankful to have fresh, clean snow occasionally falling from the sky and a few resorts to enjoy it at. Although all the resorts in the south rely almost entirely on snowmaking, it seems weird to me to see a resort that relies nearly entirely on natural snow, like here at Eaglecrest. With less than a handful of snow guns that make snow at the base, the rest of the mountain is dependent on mother nature. Last year she treated Eaglecrest nice, and hopefully she will this season too! Last time I hiked to the top, which was last weekend, it was waist deep. WAIST DEEP! I've never experienced that in my life, and how nice it felt :) 

With Thanksgiving being tomorrow, I guess I've been thinking a bit more about what I'm thankful for. I know I was posting something I was thankful for every day for a while and kinda slacked off on that.

And now that you've suffered through a few minutes of my rambling, I will not take up any more of your time. 

Check back later though! Dustin and I are about to head out on a hike, so that means pictures to follow!

Happy Pre-Thanksgiving Everyone! 

The End of the Boring and the Start of the FUN!

Well, tonight is my last night of work at the good ol' Beech Mountain Club. The Club is closing for the season, which means it's only a matter of weeks before Beech Mountain Resort opens and I'm once again snowboarding every day! :D

I'm SO excited. I'm getting the new board I want (Smokin' Vixen) and hopefully going to look at a new car next weekend. It's an '08 Subaru Impreza WRX. It's so pretty... and practical. The 4Runner just eats up too much gas. Subaru's were made for me. I just hope they don't sell the car before I can get to it.

It's gonna be an epic winter, and I'm freakin' PUMPED!

Bring on the snow!

Oh, and I'm getting my snowflake tat in a couple weeks! Yay!

Happy Shredding

XOXO

Boots, Boards, and Karma

I got new boots! They are last years model Burton Mints.

I find that staying a year behind on buying new gear really saves some money, and tech really doesn't change that much in just a year.

I do need a new board. My old faithful Burton Blender is on her last leg. My top 3 picks for new boards are the 2012 Smokin' Vixen, 2011 Burton Blender, and the 2011 Niche Minx.

Maybe if I put enough positive thought into getting a new board, karma will be on my side and the cosmos will make it happen!

I'm a firm believer in the 'Law of Attraction' and know that it does work! The positive energy and thoughts that you put out into the world will be returned to you in one way or another, usually with what you want! That's why I try to stay away from anything negative or anything that will make me sad, mad, or angry that would cause me to send out negative vibes. Ever woke up in a bad mood? The rest of the day seems to go bad as well. Nothing goes right, and little things that do go wrong pisses you off when it normally wouldn't. That's the Law of Attraction in action. So if you wake up in a bad mood, change it immediately! Think happy thoughts, do something that makes you happy before the negativity takes over for the day!

Now how this post about getting my new boots in the mail turned into a philosophical view on positive energy and good vibes is beyond me! Haha.

Hope everyone has a great, negative-vibe-free day!

Light up the sky...

Fireworks last night were amazing <3<3<3

We were right underneath them. It's such a cool feeling to be that close... almost seems like it was our own personal fireworks show! Gotta love Beech Mountain! We rode 4wheelers up the lower part of White Lightning, right above where the lifts 3&4 unloads and also where they were shooting them from. So awesome. I think tomorrow night we're going up to the Oz rock to see if we can see any other fireworks shows in the valleys that chose to do them on the actual 4th.

I'm so glad Dustin and I were able to be off of work and go to the Pig Roast and watch the fireworks. The bbq was sooooo good by the way. It will probably be another 4 years till we're both off for this event again haha.

Anyone have any advice on riding a mini ramp?

Beech Mountain Resort is building a 5ft mini ramp in the retail shop, and it's looking awesome! Almost completed. I really wanna learn how to ride a mini ramp. I really don't skateboard that well, mainly because I never really have the chance to get on a skateboard. It would probably help if I actually purchased my own deck lol. I'm determined though... I'm gonna learn how to ride it, and ride it well!

I finally ordered the R.E.D. helmet I've been wanting forever! So excited! Probably won't get here for another week though. Now I'll have no excuse not to go balls to the wall this winter in the park!

Almost done with Phase 2 of p90x... got one more week to go until I'm on the final phase! I love it though... I can definitely tell I'm getting stronger, and I can finally fit into some of my old favorite clothes! :)

Everyone have an amazing day!

Hello Summertime

So after my previous post full of bitching about the snow melting away,

I figured I might as well embrace the beautiful mountain I live

on and enjoy every season, even if it's snowless.

The sun and my bikini has been my best friend the past few days...

gotta fill in the fading goggle tan and my farmers tan

from our spring shred sessions, not to mention my blindingly

white legs.

Speaking of bikinis... I started my p90x routine yesterday.

I'm tired of the flab, so I'm going to make it disappear! Since yesterday

was my first workout, I knew I'd be sore today, but not THIS sore. I could barely

move my legs this morning. Instead, I'm going to dedicate this first

week as a 'warmup week' and just workout every other day.

After I work the soreness out and get used to the routines again, it's GAME ON!

Starting next Tuesday, my 90 day makeover begins.

Gotta get in super shape for shred season!

I've even gotten my fishing pole out a few times. Trout are abundant in the

lakes and rivers around here, and it makes a damn good dinner!

Homemade pecan crusted trout? Yes please!

I gotta admit, I'm a lucky girl, and I shouldn't complain about ANYTHING.

I've made my passion my job, well, at least as long as possible in this

section of the country, we all can't have snow till June!

I have a boyfriend that is awesome.

We are fortunate enough to have good health so we can

do things we love, like hiking and camping and biking and

of course, SNOWBOARDING!

I have amazing friends and family that are always there for

me when I need them.

And my cat, Winter, is the coolest kitty on the planet!

I have a fairly stress-free life... my dad is struggling with a lung

condition and is on the list for a transplant, and that scares me

to death, because I know that it's a very risky operation. My dad has been an

amazing father and I don't know what I'd do without him. I know everything

happens for a reason though and things will work out, like it always does.

Enough rambling for now.

I hope everyone has an amazing day!

Cool Temps = Happy Me!

Woke up extra early this morning for work. Stepped outside and wow, it was cold! Cold compared to what it's been all summer anyways. Checked the temp and it was 45 degrees! Yay! I put on a hoodie and sat outside and watched the sunrise, which was beautiful this morning! It's been rather cool all day. The temp right now is in the mid 50's. Coolest day so far this fall! Winter is in the air and that makes me SUPER happy! Forecast for tonight says it will be a low of 39. Might have to put on my new Bonfire snowboarding jacket and enjoy the cool air tonight for a bit.

YaY for cooler temps! :p

Can't wait till I start seeing these...

Dear snow, please come soon.

So I know it's gonna be another 2 months before I even have a chance of seeing a snowflake, unless of course mother nature goes loco and sends some white fluffy stuff early. Every day, at some point throughout the day, my boyfriend or I pop a shred flick in the dvd player and stare in sadness that we can't be experiencing the same joy that the snow is giving the riders on tv.

There are SO many good films out there, my new favorite being Factor Films' "They Came From...". This video is INSANE! The riding is awesome... more than awesome actually... some of the tricks I'd never even seen before, and the video editing is just plain badass. Of course, it doesn't beat the awesome producers from Knife Show Inc. Those KS vids are absolutely ridiculous.

As far as p90x goes... I'm on day 4. I did the yoga this morning, and let me tell you... it's hardcore! I couldn't even finish the video because I was so sore from the past few days and some of the positions they were doing was just plain crazy. I'll get there one day though... hopefully by the end of the 90 days I'll be able to do every video with grace! haha. We'll see about that. All I know is that I've GOT to get in good shape for this season. There's so many new tricks I want to learn and things I want to accomplish.

Well that's all for now. If you've suffered through reading this entire long post, then thank you and keep checking back! The closer it gets to shred season, the more snowboarding-related material I'll be posting.

For all you peeps who can get on some snow right now, happy shredding!

For everyone else... peace out!

Thoughts & Quotes

"Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you do, you will be successful." - Herman Cain

I love that quote. When my family starts ragging me about pursuing my love for snowboarding, I think back to this quote. Sure, I probably won't make a ton of money teaching snowboard lessons, but that's not why I'm doing it. I want to ride. Every. Possible. Second. I enjoy helping others learn to love the same thing I love most about this earth. Snow, mountains, cold crisp air, and the nature that comes with it is so beautiful.

I know it's not everybody's favorite thing. Some of my friends won't come visit me in the winter because they hate the cold and snow so much. I can't blame them, I hate hot weather! haha.

Nothing makes me happier than flying down the mountain and making it my playground. I'm so fortunate that I've found someone who also shares the same love for snowboarding. The mountain brought me true love and happiness. What more could I ask for?

It's about time...

Guess what world...

I got a MACbook! Yay! Finally!

Expect lovely updates soon :)

-Happy Shredding!

Late night rambling...

Well fuck.

I had a nice long semi-drunken rambling post ready to publish, but this stupid m*ther f*cking laptop randomly decided to refesh the page, and *POOF!* No more post. Grrrr. Really pisses me off. I had worked like 45 min on that one!

Well I guess I better go to bed now before I get mad and break something *coughcoughlaptopcough*

So yeah. Tomorrow's the downhill mountain bike race at Ski Beech Resort, so I'll try to get some pics and have a good event post for it.

Goodnight all.

Update!

I know it's been a long time since I've posted anything, besides my previous post of about 5 minutes ago. It's been a very stressful few weeks, and I'm getting really anxious about winter. It needs to get here ASAP! I have lots of big plans in store for this season as far as progression. I'm gonna really work hard on getting better in the park. I've played around a little on jumps, boxes, and some small rails, but this season I'm gonna be hardcore about it.

On top of all that, I'll be helping my friend (and boss), Matty, with everything at www.thesnowshow.tv. That will be tons of fun. I'll keep you updated with everything as the winter progresses. It will be outta control!!! =]

Peace & happy shredding.

Winter, where are you?

I want snow.

Now.

I know it's only September, but my heart belongs to winter.

Snowboarding sets me free!

Highlights of the day...

Did you show mother nature some love today? I hope so! :)

I think it's national animal suicide day... I witnessed a poor innocent little kitten get run over by a car, followed by crazy convulsions in the road... then on my way home from work, I hit a possum AND came within inches of hitting a cat myself... what a day!

A couple friends came to see me at work tonight. That was the ONLY thing that made the night go by faster.

Not much else exciting today...


Rock on!

Come on, keep building those houses.

Well... the hiking I wanted to do today didn't go as planned :(

We went to hike West Bowl Loop Trail and couldn't find it even with the map...
when we got back home I looked it up on Beech
Mtn's hiking website and they took down all the signs b/c
it's closed due to development :( Damn people and their houses lol.

I just had a wild idea... so I'm out.

Peace & Love!

I love this mountain.

I love it here on the mountain. I've found out that mountain
life is definitely the life for me! The best part about it?
I have the 2 things I love the most at my fingertips.
Dustin, of course, and snowboarding. With all the drama
going on with the resort I teach at, I hope next season it's
still the same kick ass place it's been the past couple years.
I guess there's drama anywhere you go though.
You can't EVER escape drama.

I STILL really want a pet bobcat. Wouldn't that be the coooolest?!
It would definitely be the most badass cat on the block!
They are SO cute when they are little,
and even when they grow up, they are the most beautiful feline ever.
If only I can dish out the $1,500 for one of those lil furballs.
Hmm... on the birthday list maybe? haha.
I doub't that would ever happen.


^ See?! They are just like a normal lazy housecat on steroids!

Well that's enough rambling for now.

Peace out & Rock on!

Hello

So this is my first blog. Hooray! I will be posting stuff VERY soon for your enjoyment.

Rock on! <3