I was riding up the lift when I looked down and saw four ski patrollers standing around a sled. There was a pair of white, child-sized skis laying in the snow next to the sled, and a smallish bundle wrapped up inside. I thought I recognized the skis, and my heart sank.

The lift kept moving me up the mountain and I was helpless to investigate further. I knew that Jack, Maren, and Lindsey had been skiing together. I knew that at some point they got separated. And I knew that Lindsey was prone to going off on her own to explore. Just then, my phone buzzed with an alert. It was Maren.

"Hey dad- this should be in the Hazard Chronicles. I will send you way more."

I looked at the picture. Lindsey is so fiery and weird and funny and charismatics all at the same time, and this picture seemed to bring that all out in her. I love it. And then I thought again about that little bundle in the sled. Those skis. My Lindsey. The ski patrollers weren't moving- they were consulting. Was that a good thing or a bad thing? There were four of them. That's unusual. 

I started to fret. The lift couldn't go fast enough. I kept the conversation light and didn't really feel panicked (I honestly don't know if my body is capable of panic), but I was thinking ahead- planning on straight-lining the entire mountain down to the scene once we were dropped at the top. The thought went through my mind- at least we're still in Idaho so we won't have to worry about insurance issues (I've wondered about what would happen if we were in Canada, for example). 

We got off. I tightened my boots, checked my goggles, and just as I was about to do the fastest run of my life, the phone rang. The screen said it was from Lindsey's number, and I braced myself.

Hello?

Hello?...

...Hey Dad! (It was Lindsey!) We're all ready for lunch. Have you seen Jack?

I was flooded with such a sense of relief that I don't even remember the rest of the conversation. I have no idea who was in that sled, but my heart goes out to them and their family. It didn't look great. But this brief little scare also made me profoundly grateful for our family. For Lindsey, and each of our kids. For our little adventures, and our health and ability to live life in the way we do. It's something I don't take for granted.

*****

As for our weekend, we were down in Boise this time, skiing at Bogus Basin. This is a great little resort with quite a bit of good terrain if you know where to look. We stayed two days, and did a little exploring around town when we could. We're at a time in life where kids are starting to look into options for undergrad studies (crazy, right?!) and the trip was also a little exploratory for this purpose as well. We all had a great time and got home safely.

Here are some more photos.

Before we get on to weekend pictures, we should recognize Evelyn and Addy. They both participated in a music festival thing a couple of weeks ago. It took most of a Saturday for them, so that was a sacrifice, but both of them came out with excellent marks and said they had fun. This picture is of Addy at a recent concert we went to (different than the festival mentioned above) when she was specifically recognized for her talent. 

This was a neat little outing. It turns out that there is a place in the middle of nowhere in Idaho, where you can walk through some fields and end up at a hole.

This is the hole. It isn't real big, and there is a ladder going down into it.

Once you climb down into the hole (about fifty feet), you are in a lava tube cave, which runs for about a quarter of a mile. It's pretty neat.

I don't really know what they are doing in this photo. I think they're trying to look tough? I just thought this picture should be saved in the historical record.

And now for some ski photos. I spent quite a bit of time with Lindsey on this trip.

Maren

This is Evelyn just casually climbing a tree with her skis on. I wasn't there and I have just as many questions as you do.

Have a good week!

This has been a week of projects for us, and it's been fun to check things off the list. For starters, we have noticed an increased need for study areas in our home. We have one small home office, but as kids have gotten older, the need for computers and workspaces has multiplied. To address this, we built spaces in Rachel's office and in my gym, both with large desks and computers with multiple monitors, and both of which are detached from the home and allow for some peace and quiet. The one in the gym also includes a projector with a theater-sized screen and sound system for online classes or movie nights if we want, so that's cool.

A second project was the addition of some new weight-lifting equipment to the gym, which required a little rearranging of things. I like the space- sometimes just moving things around is enough to make something seem brand new and I get a little shot of dopamine just walking into the building now.

Finally, we got done with a major milestone with the attic in Wallace. Carpet pad is done! So far we have done new windows, ceiling, walls, and subfloor. With the pad, the space definitely has more of a finished feel and we're starting to see a light at the end of this tunnel of a project. In fact, I think that we may be buying furniture by the end of next month!

We like doing projects. They bring us together. Usually. This is part of the fun of owning houses. And of having kids. Because the kids keep adding projects to the houses by breaking things that we have to fix. It's a great little cycle. This week, the house nearly burned down in a grease fire. Nobody was hurt, and the damage was mostly superficial. But now we get another project to add to the list! Yayeeee (in the most sarcastic voice ever). I love scrubbing and painting! Actually- this is one where I think I'll just pay someone else to do it. Ugh.

Here's a few more photos:

Ski club this week: Ev went on the trip too, but she skis with a different, more advanced group of friends. For Addy and Jack I think it's way more of a social thing and they just goof around the mountain all day.

Date night: Rachel and I went to see the play "Ride the Cyclone." I've been wanting to see this one for a while and it was super quirky and fun.

Have a good week!

On Friday, as part of her school's "math team," Lindsey went to a district wide math Olympics. Fourteen teams were there, and the event lasted all day. At the award ceremony at the end, Lindsey emerged with a first-place award for her school, and a 9th place overall. That's pretty neat.

The weekend before last, Maren got together with her two best friends and went to a tea party. It was a birthday thing, and I feel like all her wildest dreams came true. After that, she came home and had a sleepover party, complete with a fabulous cake shaped like a teapot that Rachel made. Due to technical difficulties, we don't have photos of the home part.

Last weekend, we all spent the night in Wenatchee and then skied at Mission Ridge the next day. Though it is a small resort, this is one of my favorite places to go. I really like doing these trips.

The three of us find ourselves skiing together a lot. It's a good little team.

Pizza in bed for the win. The travel/hotel/meals/together time are more important than the skiing on these trips. 

The day before Mission Ridge, Addy and I went up to our local resort for a half day. The sun was out and they were doing a park event and the whole mountain felt like a big party.

Have a good week!

Last week, Maren turned 13, meaning that teenagers are now the majority voice in our family.

Today, Evelyn turns 17, which seems crazy to me. 

Almost exactly ten years ago, I wrote the following passage on this blog: Evelyn's Birthday. Seven. Wow. I have a seven-year-old. Every once in a while I look at Evelyn and I have to remind myself that this is the same girl who I was taking on bike rides through Cuyahoga National Park just a few short years ago. Now she is reading chapter books and has her own ideas about things and is developing into an amazing person who I love spending time with. And I make sure that I remind her EVERY night that she will always be..."My. Little. Girl"...No matter what...Even when she's big. And then she reminds me EVERY night that I will always be "Her Awesome Papa." Yeah- it's pretty sweet. We'll see if she still feels that way in five to ten years. I hope so.

Well- over the years we have grown out of the little terms of endearment, but I think the sentiment remains and we still have a great relationship.  Conversations about college and future plans suddenly seem much less hypothetical though. Also, I have to admit that this birthday of hers hits me harder than I expected. In just one year she will be an adult, graduated, and probably off to greater adventures. I know it isn't happening yet, but it suddenly becomes very easy for me to imagine a house without drums, a room without vintage punk rock posters, and family trips without people having to fight over comfortable seats in the mini-van. I'll miss these things, and it reminds me to enjoy every second that we have together.

*****

On Monday night we sat around the table to dinner and had a conversation revolving around highlights of the weekend. The super fast slalom course through the trees with Me, Addy, and Ev that was probably the best ski run of the year. The Rock Run. The Fall. The Hot Tub. The kid's walk to Wendy's. The groomers with Maren. The joys and frustrations of deep, soft snow. 

This weekend we skied at Big Sky, bookended on either side with short days at Silver Mountain. It was one of those trips that seems meaningful in some intangible-yet-very-real way. Our family always seems to come together in the mountains- like little day-to-day frustrations seem to just disappear in the magnitude of what is around us. It just works, and I love it.

Here are some pictures. Enjoy, and have a good week!

Still Single on Valentine's Day, and not a bit sad about it.

The one and only photo I got at Big Sky was of Rachel locking our car topper. She was actually very frustrated in this moment. I don't think that me bringing out the camera helped. Oops. :)

On Monday, Addy used Jackson's board, and he used her skis. They both had fun, but I think they were both happy to switch back later on.

Just hanging out at the hotel. Trickster (the stuffed animal) has become part of the family over the years.

I don't really know what is happening here. I think that Addy and Lindsey static-electricitied the balloons to the ceiling? Or they are just climbing around on things, because that happens too.

It’s crazy how a week can feel like a month sometimes, at least emotionally speaking. This one definitely qualifies. I’ll be honest- it was a little rough…Maybe more than a little. It started with a couple of hard days at work- nothing terribly big, just some difficult (high stakes) cases that are proving to require a little more management than anticipated. On top of that, it appears that our Spring Break plans might not work out. Bummer, but manageable.

But then on Sunday on the way to church, Rachel got in a car accident. And not just a little one. This was the kind where both cars were totaled. A police car, ambulance, and fire truck all showed up.

Thankfully, everyone is okay. Truly. But the car? Her brand new Prius? Little Blue? Gone. Just like that. ALL of our other cars have been having little mechanical problems lately and this was the only truly reliable car we had. Not any more. On top of that, and as long as I’m being honest- having four teenagers can be fun at times but isn’t exactly a walk in the park. In short, all these things were adding up and self-pity was definitely a flavor I was tasting a lot of.

Then, something shifted. We saw two Pulitzer-prize winning plays: "Sweat" and "Rent." Powerful stuff. Stories about people facing real, significant hardships. Hardships that put our week – the work stress, the car, the teenage angst – into a little bit more perspective. It’s not so much about minimizing our struggles, but about recognizing the scale of things. These characters, these stories, they had real problems. Ones that matter a lot more than going from four cars down to three, or missing out on a ski trip. And suddenly, my self-pity felt…well, a little silly. Maybe a lot silly.

That feeling was reinforced around the dinner table. Jackson, because he is a teenager, was complaining about some perceived unfairness. And Maren, because she is also a teenager now, just calmly said, “Obviously life isn’t fair Jackson…and that usually works in your favor.” Boom. Mic drop. That one hit me too. She was right though. Things are often unfair, and by and large, that unfairness benefits us. Perspective.

The weekend brought some much-needed relief. A Super Bowl party with friends, good company, laughter, and lots of junk food. I also got a few days on the slopes, and that feeling of carving through fresh snow, the crisp air, the quiet…it’s restorative. It’s a reminder of the simple joys, made even better by the people you are with.

I started thinking- that car accident, as vexing as it was, could have been so much worse. It could have been a tragedy. But it wasn’t. And as stupid as kids can be, we wouldn’t be US without them in all of their quirky glory. And sure- work is frustrating at times- those very same factors make it extremely gratifying and fulfilling at other times though, and I wouldn’t trade that for hardly anything.

Byron and Amanda are pretty great for hosting the super bowl party every year- it's always a fun time. Also, Addy made a $4 bet with the group and came away with $100- so yeah, we are raising gamblers. Great.

Lindsey and I had a GREAT day at Schweitzer. Sunshine, soft snow, pizza, and campfires. Perfect.

Maren and Rachel had a day alone at Silver. I was at work, Lindsey was sledding with friends, and the older kids were all at a different resort for Ski Club.

The three of us made the walk up to Wardner peak to ski off the back. It always seems longer than it actually is.

So, I’m ending this week on a note of optimism. And gratitude. Gratitude for my family, for our health, for the perspective that sometimes comes from seeing stories of hardship, and for the wisdom of a TEENAGE daughter (Happy Birthday, Maren!). Sometimes, a totaled car is just a reminder of how lucky we really are.

...Even if it doesn't feel like it sometimes (I had to get that in there- I'm still convincing myself)

Addy practicing her moves for the ski park by jumping off the roof of our house. The recent soft snow has really emboldened her to try new things.