1,206 Minutes of Reading

Here's a photo of Sophie from our hometown newspaper, the Superior Observer, along with some of the other Read-a-Thon champions at Superior Elementary School. The PTA challenged the kids to read as much as they could over 11 days. Each grade level had its own champion. The winners are fourth-grader Angela Fei with 2,545 minutes, second-grader Byron Staynings with 1,930 minutes, first-grader Ethan Huffman with 2,200 minutes, and kindergartner Sophie Kelly with 1,206 minutes. Not pictured are Rohan Mylavarapu with 2,540 minutes and fifth grader Matthew Tubbs with 3,750 minutes. The grand champion, also not pictured, was Logan McCoy who woke up between 4 and 6 a.m. to begin reading and read an average of 11 hours a day. 7,250 minutes. He's glad he won the iPod grand prize, but he's giving it to his little brother. Way to go, Sophie!

Skiing Friends Re-Unite at Vail!

Here we are with our good friend Tim Mattingly at Vail's Blue Sky Basin. I've known Tim since my earliest days as a Boy Scout. In High School and College we had some great skiing adventures together. Tim was one of my groomsmen and I was one of his. He's now in the real estate and mortgage business in Orlando and I'm a pastor in Colorado...who would have thought!?! We re-united today at Vail and experienced another adventure...skiing with the kids! Tim and Megan look like they did in High School, but I'm starting to look like my Dad in this photo. Thanks for skiing with us, Tim!

7 and 1/2 Hours of Driving?

I-70 was closed at Georgetown yesterday morning, along with Berthoud Pass, Vail Pass, Kenosha Pass and nearly every other route into Summit County. But the obsessive skier wouldn't turn around and go home. Hoosier Pass was still open, but we had to drive to Colorado Springs in order to get to it. So here's a picture of Anna and Sophie at Garden of the Gods on Friday afternoon. We left home at 10am and made it to Silverthorne just after 5:30pm. 7 and 1/2 hours of driving just to go skiing? That's obsessive.

Skiing with 6 girls?

That's obsessive.

But it was worth it.

Today was an incredible day at Breckenridge!

I do not want to die like that!

I may be an obsessive skier, but I do have my limits. I DO NOT want to die in an avalanche. According to The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook, "if you are completely buried, chances are you will be too injured to help yourself." Check out this article on the 1987 Peak 7 avalanche at Breckenridge from the Summit Daily News. I skied over 60 days during the winter of 1987 and I remember this like it was yesterday. It's a windy, snowy day today. High avy danger.

Pun #9

I'm glad God has given me Canadian friends in Keith and Becky. They have a better sense of humor than us yanks. Here's an example from the International Pun Contest, sent my way via Becky:

9. Mahatma Gandhi, as you know, walked barefoot most of the time, which produced an impressive set of calluses on his feet. He also ate very little, which made him rather frail and, with his odd diet, he suffered from bad breath. This made him (Oh, man, this is so bad, it's good) a super calloused fragile mystic hexed by halitosis.

Funny, eh?

I need to go skiing

I'm getting a bit antsy. It's been over a week since my feet were in ski boots. Oh well, at least there are videos like this: