Geocaching

A couple of weeks ago Andy and I joined the Geocaching craze. For those that are not familiar with the activity, Geocaching is, according to it's official website, "a high-tech treasure hunting game played throughout the world by adventure seekers equipped with GPS devices. The basic idea is to locate hidden containers, called geocaches, outdoors and then share your experiences online." (http://www.geocaching.com/) So far we have found 7 caches around the Vail area. A couple were hidden in town, others out on the mountain, and a couple required quite a hike. Caches come in a variety of shapes and sizes. The first one we found was a little plastic container hidden under a rock. Inside that one we found something called a "travel bug". A travel bug is a little trinket attached to a dog tag with a code on it. When you enter the code online you can find out where the travel bug was originally placed, where it has traveled, and it's desired destination. The one we found last week started out in Hawaii and is supposed to be returned to the U.P.! Shouldn't be too hard for us to help it find it's way back to Michigan!! Inspired by the travel bug we found, Andy placed a travel bug of our very own here in the village and set a destination that will for now remain a secret...who knows, the travel bug may someday end up in a cache near you!!!

Our Travel Bug!!! It is currently sitting in Vail Village waiting patiently for someone to help it move toward it's final destination!!




So like I said, the caches vary in size and shape. The caches we found last weekend were the size of tupperware containers. Larger caches are what I like to refer to as "treasure boxes". These caches are stocked with a variety of little objects (figurines, pencils, stickers, suntan lotion, etc). The idea is to take something out of the box and replace it with something of equal or greater value. At one location we took a little plastic donkey and replaced it with a dolphin air freshener. While skiing on Sunday afternoon we found a cache burried in the snow inside a little cluster of trees.

Andy writing down the date and our code name in the log book. Each cache, regardless of it's size, has some sort of log. The cache is sitting open in the snow.

Andy looking at other peoples' entries. This particular cache has been hidding in this location since at least 2005. We were excited to find somebody from Holland MI had visited this cache in 2008! Small world!!
The view from the cache. People must have thought we were crazy when we stuck our skis and poles in the snow then proceeded to climb into the middle of a cluster of trees.



The final type of cache that we have found is called a magnetic nano cache. These things are, in my opinion, the hardest to find because they are tiny (the size of a marble) and can be attached to any metal object. We found two this weekend. One was attached to an outhouse back in Blue Sky Basin and the other was right in Vail Village (we searched for days for that particular one).

The cache is attached near the top of the pole on the right side. Inside is a rolled up strip of paper not even a centimeter wide on which you are to log your information.




Geocaching is a lot of fun. Check out the website (http://www.geocaching.com/) to find a cache near you! There is bound to be a few within driving distance because there are 760,667 active geocaches worldwide.

Unconventional Art Project

The day before Spring Break was a half day for our school and a celebration of sorts. We had planned to watch a movie, eat popcorn, and simply enjoy the time spent with one another. At the last minute plans changed from a calm movie morning to a crazy, messy, unforgettable morning. After an hour of normal morning work, we herded the kids outside. They were told to wear clothes they could get messy in but had no idea why. When they learned that they were going to be "painting" with pudding they were ecstatic! We handed out the paper (wax paper stapled onto colorful pieces of construction paper) and the pudding then let them loose. Some of the kids drew cute little designs in their pudding with their fingers. Others though dove face first into their pudding, using their nose and tongue to move the pudding around the paper. Hilarious! When it was all said and done we had 22 very messy kiddos but not shortage of smiles and giggles. Here a couple of pictures to help you picture the craziness:





Hmmm, where do I start? I guess I should just dive in head first and see what happens!






Not only is painting with your tongue fun, it is also very delicious!! Hooray for chocolate pudding!!




Some of the kids chose to use their fingers instead. Less on the page means more in my tummy!! Yum!!









So many different approaches and all equally fun!!
Pudding was everywhere! On their faces, down their necks (and shirts for that matter!), in their hair, all over their fingers. Let's just say the bathroom was lot cleaner before the chocolatety mass of kids descended on them!

Mountain Picnic

Andy and I had quite the adventure yesterday. After attending the early service at church, we returned to our apartment, packed our bags, climbed into our skiing gear, and hit the slopes. It was a beautiful day-blue sky, sunshine, comfortable temperatures-who could ask for more. We had decided the day before that we would ski back in Blue Sky Basin so we took the necessary lifts and trails in order to make our way to the back bowls. (Check this link if you are unfamiliar with the mountain: http://vail.snow.com/VailAssets/files/winter_content/WinterTrailMap_08-09.pdf) By the time we finally made it to our destination it was about noon. We weren't hungry yet so we decided to hit a few runs then return when the grills were open. (Oh yeah, we brought meat along to grill at the top of the mountain--more about that later.)

We had a lot of fun cutting back and forth across the mountain and through the semi-wooded areas. After a little while Andy suggested that we explore an area he had never experienced but had heard others talk about. A nice long chair lift later we were positioned near the desired run. I personally was a bit nervous about the run given the fact that it was a black diamond, aka most difficult, and I am at most an intermediate skier. The view however was worth it. We could see all the way to Copper Mountain which is on the other side of Vail Pass. As the car drives, Copper Mountain is about 25 miles from Vail! It's amazing what you can see from 11,400+ feet!

So, back to the fact that this was a black diamond run. The thing we found most interesting at first was that even though it was a busy day on the mountain there was hardly anyone else skiing in that area. It seemed like a nice run. About halfway down the nice snow turned crusty and bumpy. Andy and I stopped and surveyed the area, attempting to find a nicer way down. In the distance we saw a nice groomed trail so we began to ski in that direction. The funny thing about looking at something far off in the distance is that it can be quite hard to judge the depth of something until you are standing right over it. It turns out that there was indeed a nice trail, on the other side of a gully. A gully with a 6-8 ft drop. Imagine our surprise when we made it to what we thought was the end of the trail and discovered that in order to make it to our destination we would have to jump over a cliff of sorts.

So there we sat, wondering what to do next. Andy decided that the best course of action would be to take his skis off and poke a hole in the snow with his pole in an attempt to figure out just how high we were. After poking a cute little tunnel in the snow he determined that we were probably only 8 ft from the bottom. That didn't seem like too great a height so I removed my skis, through my skis and poles over the edge, then scooted/jumped over the edge. Andy was in disbelief. I simply stood up, turned around, and told him it was his turn to jump. Before he jumped though I was able to capture a couple of pictures...

Andy looking over the edge after my very successful and thrilling jump.

Getting ready to jump...and avoid the skis and poles that went over the edge before he did.

"Here I go!!" Andy made it over the edge without a problem and with a smile on his face.

So by the time we finally jumped over the edge, gathered our skis and poles, and made it down to the nice groomed trail below we were feeling quite hungry. We decided to head back over to Blue Sky Basin's famous Belle's Camp. Belle's camp is basically a cabin at the top of the mountain where you can go and sit by the fire, grab a glass of water, and eat lunch. Although the fireplace is definitely a perk, the thing that really draws skiers and boarders alike to the area are the outdoor grills. What could be better after a long day of skiing then a freshly grilled steak, burger, or hot dog?!?! Yes, in fact, people pack a variety of meats and fixings in their backpacks and ski on over to Belle's Camp for lunch. There are a couple of big grills and plenty of picnic tables scattered around the side of the building. It reminds me of the beach in the middle of summer except instead of grilling in their bathing suit people are standing by the grill in their snow gear. Oh, and you certainly can not beat the smell of meat on the grill. Seriously, if you close your eyes and forget about the cold, you can almost make believe you are at the beach!

Our meat of choice was a nice juicy steak. We also packed some pudding in my Nalgene bottle...talk about crazy and random. Here are some pictures from our grilling adventure:

Picnic tables filled with hungry skiers and riders. The Belle's Camp cabin is the building on the right. The other two buildings are chair lifts.

Andy staking out a place on the grill.

Flipping our steak over!! For the record, it was delicious and cooked to perfection!!

That about sums up the day. A day filled with skiing, jumping, grilling, and so many great times we will not soon forget. We definitely have a great life!!

Girls night out

Last night I had the pleasure of hanging out with a bunch of ladies from church. The older ladies of the group (aka our M&M's-moms and mentors) hosted a pampering night for all of us 20 and 3o somethings. I felt like such a princess! One lady painted my nails, another was giving head messages, there was so much yummy food (chocolate covered strawberries!!), and lots of laughs and stories. It was a night of celebration of our uniqueness and the fact that we are all uniquely loved. It was such a blessing to be surrounded by so many loving and supportive ladies. I also enjoyed meeting new people and can't wait until I can see them again at church on Sunday. It is hard to be so far away from the people I love but spending time with this group of ladies definitely helps. Life is good!

And then there were two

It is really quiet around our apartment these days. We had so much fun last week when Laura, Mitch, and Jolene were here. We went to Utah, spent some time on the slopes, bowled a few frames, and shared a lot of laughs. The only thing our guests did not have the pleasure of experiencing was one of our famous powder days. It was sunny and warm the entire time they were here. This week has been a different story. When I left school on Monday night I could see grass. The next morning I couldn't see the road. I definitely snowed about a foot over night! Talk about crazy. Other than that, life is back to normal (whatever normal is). I'm looking forward to my spring break (only a week and a half away!) and my parent's visit (3 1/2 weeks). Life is good!

Spring Break '09

We are having so much fun with our Spring Break guests, Laura, Mitch, and Jolene! On Saturday we went skiing and on Sunday we drove out to Arches National Park in Utah. Here are a couple of pictures from our adventures!!

I Can't Sleep...

So this isn't like alert the newspaper news but I can't sleep. I'm not the least bit tired. I wish it wasn't like 1 something in the morning in MI because I would love to call and share my excitement with someone. Laura, Mitch, and Jolene are coming in two sleeps!! You would think I would want to go to sleep so time would pass more quickly. It's true, sleeping would be a great idea...it just doesn't seem to be anywhere on the radar. I'm too excited!! Can't it be Friday now?!?! Hooray for visitors-friends and family!! Hopefully it gets a little colder here. Kind of a crazy wish I realize but you must understand that it was nearly 50 here today. Beautiful for walking around outside but not so great for the whole skiing deal, one of the many activities I hope to share with our visitors I am so excited to take the group out on the mountain! Pictures do not do the scenery justice. One must simply enjoy the sights in person. I can't wait!!! We are going to have such a great week!!