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!