Weekend Trip Home

I had the honor and privilege of flying home this weekend to attend Laura's graduation. She is officially finished with her undergraduate experience!! Hooray for the newest and coolest social worker around!! Although I was not able to be in MI for very long, I am excited about all the people I was able to spend time with this past weekend. On Friday morning I had breakfast with Laura and a couple of friends. After breakfast, Laura and I ran errands together then she dropped me off at the ECC so I could spend time with my mom and the staff at one of my all time favorite schools. On Friday night I climbed on the back of my dad's motorcycle and went to the Trestle stop where we celebrated G&G Kleis' (belated) 60th anniversary. On Saturday we watched Laura walk across the stage with her cap and gown. Later that afternoon the VerHulst family gathered at mom and dad's for cheesecake :) and other yummy goodies in order to celebrate Laura's graduation, G&G's 50th anniversary, and Grandma's birthday. After filling our tummies with dessert we piled into our vehicles and made our way to Johnny Carino's for dinner (dessert then dinner--totally the way to go!) On Sunday we went to church and I had a chance to catch up with people that I totally adore. Sunday was also wonderful because Mitch and Jolene came over for dinner after church! After relaxing for awhile and catching up with one another, Jolene and I joined mom and dad on a Geocaching outing. We found 2 caches within less than a mile from home. The storms that rolled through Saturday and Sunday offered some challenges to our hunt (lots of muddy territory to tromp through) but we definitely experienced success and had a lot of fun!!
What a weekend! I can't wait to see everyone again in less than 2 months!! The best thing about my June visit is that I won't be making the trip by myself for the first time all year!! Andy and I will be visiting California and Michigan together!! Hooray!! Come summer come!!!

Pond Skimming World Championships

Today was the last day of skiing here at Vail. To celebrate the end of a great ski season, there was a pond skimming contest. The "pond" was literally built into the snow. It definitely puts the amount of snow still piled up at the base area into perspective. I wonder how long it took to dig the pond...it was about the size of an underground pool. The sides were covered with plastic and a fire hose was constantly pumping more water into the pool. About an hour into the competition it became clear that the "skimmers" were displacing more water than the hose could pump into the pond. There were definitely some big splashes! Some skiers came down in style-catching a lot of air and pulling off some neat tricks. Others got a lot of air but failed to stick the landing. People were quite impressed whenever somebody made it all the way to the end of the pond and skied up onto the edge. Another thing to take note of was the costumes. Some of them were a bit crazy. There were Easter Bunnies and Teenage Mutant Ninga Turtles, a two person horse, people wearing just their swim suits, somebody in a "shower", cowboys, and so much more. Lots of crazy people! Here are some pictures and video clips just in case you are having a hard time picturing all of the festivities...

The "pond" and very large group of spectators.

The top of the run and beautiful blue sky!

Close up of the pond and jump.

The pond with a very brave swimmer.

New Motorcycle

Andy did in fact purchase a motorcycle on Wednesday. It is a 1999 Triumph and has two saddle bags and a trunk. Andy spent quite a few hours on the bike today and is enjoying it immensely! My mom and I both had a chance to ride around on the back today but my dad got to drive it. I think that it will be a great way to spend summer evenings together...riding and geocaching, two things that will from now on be paired together on a regular basis. Here are some pictures of the new motorcycle:

Spring Break Take 3

Spring Break has come to us three times this year. First, my sister and friends came out for their Spring Break at the beginning of March. A couple of weeks later my school suspended classes for a week. Now it is my mom's turn to enjoy Spring Break. On Saturday morning my mom and dad flew into Denver for a week of fun in the mountains. The weather was anything but "springy" on Saturday but the front has moved on and now we are all enjoying beautiful blue skys and sunshine. Despite blizzard conditions Saturday morning, Saturday evening turned out to be beautifully clear giving us the opportunity to take the Gondola up to the "top" of the mountain. We were greeted with spectacular views and an opportunity to introduce my parents to geocaching! On Sunday we attended the first service and introduced them to our friends. After church we took a nice scenic drive and ended the day by making pig-in-the-blankets!! The arrival of Monday morning meant that both Andy and I had to take a break from the fun and return to our jobs. Mom and Dad decided that it would be more fun to explore the surrounding area so they dropped me off at work and took a day trip to Arches National Park in Utah. They had a great day and returned with some amazing pictures. Tuesday began with breakfast at the restaurant downstairs and shopping around town. Both Mom and Dad found some really great deals and now have enough Vail clothes to make it through an entire week! After work on Tuesday night we made our way to Eagle where we showed them our storage unit and the famous Back Bowl bowling area. We all managed to break 100 while enjoying very tasty burgers and onion rings. After bowling we returned to the hotel, grabbed our swimsuits, and made our way to the hot tubs where we spent a relaxing evening under the stars. Today, well, we will just have to see what happens. Andy found a motorcycle that he really likes so the guys are driving down, with a uhaul, to check it out and, barring any complications, purchase the bike. So, if things work out according to Andy's plan, I might get picked up from school on a motorcycle at the end of the day. I just hope the snow holds off until we get home...they are forecasting a return to winter weather tonight. At least we had a couple of nice days for the Spring Breakers!