Integrals and Black Diamonds

"You don't drown by falling in water. You drown by staying there"

I was sitting in my room tonight with Mia finishing up homework because we missed school. She started working on her Calculus and got frustrated. "I'm just not doing it," but I knew that if i could get her to understand she would do it and be proud of herself for persevering. Now I'm looking over at her and she's finishing the assignment.

Likewise, today while we were skiing on the very peak of the mountain I was extremely terrified. We're talking on the verge of tears. I wanted to cry because it was harder than a double black and looking down was vertical. Sure enough, Mia went down a little and encouraged me to just let go of my fears and go for it. As soon as I made the first turn I was fine. I was so grateful to have her with me because like the quote I was not going to get anywhere by staying in the same place.

These two instances really taught me a lot about the importance of friends. They are there to help you when you want to give up.

My job for you: Help a friend. They will appreciate it.

Music for the mountain

"Nothing is more highly to be prized than the value of each day"

John Wolfgang von Goethe

My trip to Colorado has motivated me to make a playlist devoted solely to skiing.

So here we go with the best ski playlist!

1. I've Seen Better Days- Citizens King
2. YES- LMFAO
3. Jimmy- M.I.A.
4. Could You Be Loved- Bob Marley
5. Uprising- Muse
6. Embrace- PNAU
7. Creator- Santigold
8. Heads Will Roll- Yeah Yeah Yeahs
9. Love Today- Mika
10. Shake It- Metro Station
11. Sandstorm- Da Rude
12. Russian Privjet- Basshunter
13. Dumpweed- Blink-182
14. Better Than Heaven- Bloc Party
15. My Own Worst Enemy- Lit
16. Pretend- Number One Gun
17. You'll Find A Way- Santigold

There are just a few that I like to listen to skiing to pump me up. They are mostly upbeat so they can be obnoxious, but at the right time they are just right.

Breckenridge

"Without hard work nothing grows but weeds"

Gordon B. Hinckley

This is true with skiing. Without pushing yourself to the next level of trails and terrain park features, you will never become a better skier. I enjoyed working on my skiing skills through the woods (also known as glades) and on the double black diamonds (hardest level) at Breckenridge. Here are just a few pictures I took the first day we skied.

This is a picture of Mia standing on the edge of a bowl. It was honestly almost vertical when I looked down. I was terrified, but once I started it was easy as pie!

The next one is a picture of the sign before the bowl. It was for experts only, which we are!

This is just a picture I took on top of the mountain. The view was breathtaking.

These are just a few from the first day!

Airports, ski lifts, and snow

"Skiing combines outdoor fun with knocking down trees with your face"

-Dave Barry

Although I do not plan on knocking down any trees with my face, I do plan to have a blast skiing in Colorado. Tomorrow morning at 4 AM I am headed to Breckenridge, Colorado to ski with one of my best friends, Mia. Although I have been skiing for over seven years, I'm sure this experience will be very different from any other place I have skied before.

I will be sure to report back throughout my trip with pictures, stories and laughs.