It's finally here!

So it’s the end of January already and I have yet to strap into my snowboard outside my own living room where I tested the gear to be sure everything was tight. Tomorrow, we rectify that problem!

Thanks to the failing economy, ski resorts in Northern Michigan are having a hard time filling their rooms and we got a STEAL on a week of timeshare at Boyne Mountain. Initially Jen and I were thinking a long weekend at Crystal with Tristan and Chris this year, then we discovered that would cost us about $700. Knowing Mom and Dad had at least one unused week of timeshare that expires this fall, I asked if we could cash it in for a week at Boyne for the same price, and permission was granted. While we waited to see what would happen with her grandmother’s health, Jen and I put a few weeks on hold, lost them, and eventually began to check out the option of buying a Last Call week rather than trading in a week of timeshare. As it turns out, we got the week, yes the ENTIRE WEEK for $263, tax included. It’s a two bedroom condo with a full kitchen at the base of Boyne Mountain and, for less than the cost of one night in their hotel, we have it for the full week.

Our intent is to spend our days and evenings sliding down the slopes of Boyne Mountain, Boyne Highlands, and Nubs Knob (with a possible side trip over to Crystal Mountain) starting tomorrow and continuing for the next five days. Tristan, who is 8 and in the third grade, has to be back in school Friday for his spelling test, Mother’s orders, and I will return to work Friday as well. I figured as long as I had to be back home in time for Tristan to be in bed at a decent time Thursday night, I might as well go to work myself Friday and only burn four days of vacation instead of five.

It is my hope that by the week’s end I will officially be a snowboarder. As of right now I am, at best, a nooB snowboarder who spends most of her time on her knees in the snow. As someone who grew up skiing, I have good balance but am having trouble adapting to the motion of turning on a snowboard because it is so different from anything I have ever done. Something about having both feet strapped to the same stick seems to be throwing me off. At any rate, both Jen and I are looking forward to our week in the snow and with a little luck, and a lot of practice, should graduate from the bunny hill to the beginner hill by the end of the week.

While I am away I will have internet access, it is a requirement for school, and will be posting photos and possible video for all to see. A little proof that it is possible to play in the snow and love every minute of it even after age 30. With the one exception of Tristan, all of us on this trip are well past 30, in fact at almost 32 I am the youngest of the adults in this crew.