Records Up, Charlotte: Flags and DECA, Friends at the Cabin, Date Night at the Fairmont

Charlotte made the Shorecrest Flag Team!!! She practiced for many, many hours in the cold and rain to nail her routines. This will mean halftime shows at football games, assembly routines, marching band parades, basketball halftimes, etc.... Charlotte will be dialed into a lot of what makes Shorecrest great!

Charlotte competed at the DECA State Conference for business and marketing. She learned a ton throughout this process not only in relation to the business world and working with a partner, but also life skills including how to use an iron. Her long paper was on the topic of using AI to help a local mall. She is already planning for next year. 

Records from last summer are now posted at Aqua Club. My kids are on four of them which kind of blows my mind. Two of those are relays and it was fun to remember them working so hard together last summer to pull off those great swims. 

The kids and I spent the past weekend at the cabin. We each brought a friend which was really great - I brought Heidi. We spent Saturday in the sunshine hiking around a glittering Lake Wenatchee State Park with trax on our hiking boots. We had the best conversations and it was really good to have a big catch up session. Meanwhile Reed and his friend Adrian played on the sledding hill there. Edison added three more days of skiing to his count this year. Sitting in front of the woodstove doing an impromptu singalong to the Hamilton musical after dinner on Saturday was a highlight. We skied Stevens on Sunday morning and met with the Kurcinkas. It was spring skiing conditions - so everything was great except the snow, LOL! The three boys really had a blast a ski posse and wrapped up the day with a giant snowball fight.

James and I had a fun date night Sunday - we got dressed up and headed to the Fairmont Olympic Hotel in downtown Seattle which was a super fun change of pace. We had the best time and laughed a ton. Insert sigh of joy here. 

Edison - Boys State Swim Meet, Sophomore Year

Gutsy swims and an incredible overall performance for the Shorecrest Boys Swim & Dive Team as they take 2nd Place at the 3A State Championship Meet this weekend!!! Coach Scott Kelley was named 3A Coach of the Year! The relay teams were extraordinary - setting a team record in the 400 Yard Freestyle and the 200 Free Relay getting on the podium for a second place finish. Edison swam hard and earned a spot in the B Finals for the 100 BACK, finishing 16th in State in that event! It was fun to spend Districts Weekend and State Weekend cheering for Edison with his fan club: Sadie and Stephanie!

This has been a very special season to be part of as a fan and a supporter of the team. I am so grateful to his coaches and teammates and the other parents for making Shorecrest such a welcoming, dynamic and exciting team. Shoutout to our graduating seniors - we will miss them in the water and as mentors next year. Until next year, Shorecrest Boys Swim & Dive! We will miss you!

Midwinter Break at Park City

Midwinter Break = Park City Ski Week for me! I flew in Monday morning and was able to ski all afternoon. Tuesday I hit the mountain for a full for 32K vertical today and 33 miles. It has great conditions as it has been snowing the last few days and also all day today. I am grateful for my body and what I'm still able to do on the mountain. I'm staying at a fun spot called "YotelPad" in the Canyons Village base area. The space is very convertible and designed for a family of four - though I'm happy to be here just me and spread out. The views from my balcony up towards the village and mountain are lovely and there are sweeping valley views from the patio. 
Wednesday was a big ski day. It started out sunny and blue skies but turned gray and snowy midday. I ventured over to the Park City side for part of the day but they had longer lines, so headed back to Canyons side after lunch. I went up to the peaks off the Jupiter and 9990’ lifts - they’re right around 10k and there’s lots of cool terrain around them and they feel really remote which is cool to feel like a tiny and insignificant speck in a giant landscape.The grooming was incredible at the start of the day and I was ripping it - clocked my fastest speed yet on skis - 58 mph. I'm kind of proud of that one, lol. I also hit 36k vertical and almost 40 miles Wednesday. It was so nice to relax in the hot tub and steam room at the end of the day!

Thursday was my last ski day in Park City. It snowed all night and into the morning and the visibility was not looking great. I decided to just do some of my favorite runs to start, like Crowning Glory off of Peak 5, knowing there were not going to be any "groomers" on a powder day. And then I focused on some fun and challenging powder runs off of the 9990' chair which goes up to Desolation Peak. I like the front runs off of that chair as they're favorites of the kids (Aspen Grove and Talus Garden). But I really like traversing to the side area as it transitions to the Wasatch Crest ridge and then going down the Red Pine Chutes and Charlie Brown runs. It just feels so remote - they closed the backcountry gate on that side and it is next to the ski area boundary. It is a long way back to the resort from this outpost, but it is so wonderful to ski back there, especially in fresh powder! Farewell Park City! Hope to catch you again next season!