Check The Pic... 18 Feet Above The Knuckle

This is a week of firsts for me. I skied for the first time this winter on Wednesday, a day that was not your typical first ski day. A friend of mine, Jason Jones and I went to Alta on the day after a magnificent storm that left both the valley and the mountains covered in snow. The morning snow report totaled 24 inches of snow over night, a total which didn’t reflect how much snow was actually there being that the storm was a five day storm that started the Saturday before. I haven’t started a season with that much snow since the winter a few years back where Snowbird got 100 inches in 100 hours. Incredible snow, fresh lines with no tracks and BLUE skies made for a day that has made me want to get back into that lifestyle in a very real way. My cousin Jake works at Brighton and told me that we can exploit one of the perks that he has and I can ski with him every Wednesday for free. I am gearing up for this coming Wednesday, so that I can break out a pair of skis that I haven’t skied yet, the Gun Lab from Salomon. I have a connection with the rep from Salomon Skis here in the Salt Lake area that I have had since my days at Deer Valley in the mid 90’s. I was able to get my hands on a very exclusive pair of skis and they are ripe for the picking. I haven’t been this excited about skiing for a few years.
Another first from this week is an effect of that day of skiing. I lost my first toe nail ever this week. The day I went skiing was 4 degrees F at the base of the mountain, an even colder underneath the fresh snow that had fallen. I have had issues with my feet for a number of years stemming from my masochistic desire to wear ski boots that are so tight that insulation is at a minimum. With it being such a cold day coupled with my boots my big toes on each foot was numb for hours after I pulled my boots off. At first I thought that I had serious frost bite on my left foot because of how black it was but later realized that I had just jammed my feet into the boots without the conditioning of a few days of normal skiing before going into a more jarring skiing of powder and deep snow. After the black wouldn’t go away I pricked a hole in the top of my toe nail and released all the pressure from the fluid and a day later my toe nail was off. It was pretty gross, but extremely interesting in the same light.
Today is Sunday again, and it was another good Sabbath. I wasn’t feeling it at church, but I felt a gust of encouragement come my way as the bishop called me out of gospel doctrine class to talk to me about my situation and give me a chance to report. It was the first time in a long time that I felt that the Lord specifically use His Spirit to prompt someone in my behalf and the person acted upon it to give me encouragement. I really appreciate when the Lord sees fit to do that, it reminds me of how mindful he is of me and how He really does want me to be happy. Plus, it made the church services worthwhile; elder’s quorum was ridiculous today. Personal opinion mingled with quotes from the manual make for a day when no real doctrine was taught. One comment made the day for me, one of the teachers asked a question that solicited answers from opposite ends of the spectrum and made for a discussion with no resolve when out of the blue Tim Brooks says, “What does the manual say…?” Classic… Days like today make me glad that I am not allowed to participate, there is no pressure to try to steer the train wreck. “Those who have the capacity to take action must take action…” Not today…lol. After church I took a very long nap and got the rest I have needed to have all week. I watched a movie with my wife, read my scriptures and now am updating my blog. Good day.
I will soon write more. Today’s entry is kind of like me, a bit too in depth on topics that have no real relevance and scattered. See you soon…