Washington

So it's been a while since I have updated ya'll on what's been going on. I have been in Washington state for the last week on vacation. Bri and I went up there for a wedding, but we did a lot more than that while we were there. I had never been to the Northwest before, and it was surprisingly gorgeous (at least once we got within about 2 hours of Seattle). We drove through Idaho, Oregon, and then into Washington. In Oregon, apparently you can't pump your own gas. And I thought mormon's were weird. Once there, we stayed with her parents in Redmond, which is right outside of Seattle. Her parents were cool and made sure I had a great time while visiting.
We drove up on Tuesday and spent the entire day traveling. Our good friend Mareike rode with us and got dropped of in an beautiful little town called Cle Ellum. I'm pretty sure it is right outside of where the series Northern Exposure was filmed, but who really cares. We started the actual vacation on Wednesday morning with a trip to Starbucks. They really do have one on every corner, it is not a myth. Then we went into town (Seattle) and walked around Pike's Place Market. I sat on a pig there. Wahoo! Then we went to her "aunt's" house for dinner. Her "aunt" isn't really her aunt, but she was a hilarious old lady nonetheless. Thursday was the rehearsal dinner for the Lau-Pilgrim wedding (the main reason for our trip). They had a little wedding run through and then we all ate a Buca De Bepos, which was AWESOME! After the dinner, we went out for a beer and then home.
Friday was the actual wedding. I went to eat "breakfast" at about 1 O'clock in the afternoon with Bri's family while she was doing wedding stuff. Then I met up with the wedding party for some pictures in downtown Seattle. While they were getting nice pictures taken in wedding dresses and tuxedos, I got mine taken in front of a giant wall covered in chewing gum. Classy. I had about an hour to kill by myself inbetween that and the actual wedding, so I walked around Seattle and observed the street people. They were really fun to watch, but it was a little depressing seeing how unfortunate their lives were. I probably gave out over $10 in change that day. I was, however, pretty picky with the bums that I gave change to. If their little stories (which I'm sure were all lies) seemed honest or were just outright funny, then I would shell out a little change for them. I was very discriminatory with my vagrants. They were a lot of fun, but on to talking about the wedding. The actual ceremony was really short, which rocked. Nobody likes to sit through a long wedding. The party afterwards was a lot of fun. Open Bar. Who doesn't have a good time there?
I spent Saturday with Bri's family while she put on a Bachelorette party for another friend that is getting married soon. Her mom, dad, brother, and I took a ferry over to one of the islands in Puget Sound (the little inlet where Seattle is). We chose Vashon. It was beautiful. Funny side note, there were pictures of two foreign looking dudes posted all over the ferry with instructions to report them if you saw them on the boat. Apparently, they had been riding the ferries very frequently and taking pictures of their structural parts. Quite suspicious. After we got back from the ferry ride, her mother Durell cooked me dinner and then I was off to meet up with the intoxicated girls and crash the party. They actually loved the fact that I was meeting up with them, and I was OK with that, too. We went to a few dance clubs (I obviously didn't have a say in that) and a couple of bars while I pretty much stayed in the background while they continued their celebration. I know that sounds like a really boring agenda, but I honestly had a blast!
Sunday we hung out with Bri's various friends in Seattle and I got to see a little more of the city. Then Monday we went to the locks they have between Lake Washington and some other smelly body of water. The locks were pretty mundane, but there was this really cool "fish ladder" built into them. It aided the spawning process for the fish going upstream to make babies. It's nice to know that they spent over $1 million to help fish get laid. After watching the fish do it, we went to the Experience Music Project in Seattle (that was my choice, the fish brothel was not). This place was AWESOME.
It's basically an interactive music museum. I could talk about it for a really long time, but I'll spare you the details. Bottom line: Grand Master Flash's turntables were there. How cool is that!?!
After the EMP, her parents took us to a Mariner's game. While the game was a whole lot of fun and the stadium was SUPER nice, they sucked and got crushed 6 to 0. I'll still pull for the Mariners now anyway though. Their loss didn't really effect my fun, as I have a good time unless Auburn is losing or Georgia is winning. The next day we woke up at 7 to travel back to our comfy mountain town.
PS: I almost got food poisoning on the way home from uncooked chicken in a taco. Never eat at Taco Time. Ever.

Adult Field Day

So Saturday was the Adult Field Day - The First Resurrection. What an awesome time! Bryan and Alison started this absurd event 2 years ago, with a one year hiatus because of rain. They are some good friends that I used to work for out here. This year's gathering consisted of about 30 people, 2 teams. CJ (the guy currently on our couch) and I carpooled together and ran a little late because of a traffic jam. Bri met us there a little later. Once we arrived, there was a meet and greet volleyball game in place, beers in hand. We then gathered for the team selection (ours was stacked!) and Mark, another buddy of mine, carried in the torch and lit the "flame".
The first event was the "shoe find relay". Each team member had to run down to the drinking stand, slam a beer or a jello shot, and then find their individual pair of shoes mixed up with the others. Then the shoes were adorned and the team member ran back. Our team CRUSHED Bri's team in this event, as well as almost all of the other events. There was also the option for a pinch drinker, but I don't think anyone took advantage of that. Next we were on to the "500 event". This was a simple game of 500 with frisbees. Each team had two throwers and a score keeper for the opposite team (eliminating the cheating). Of course we won this event as well. By the way, Mark is awesome at 500. Then we felt bad and offered double or nothing, which was later negotiated to a 2 out of 3. Naturally we won again. Then we were back to the drinking stands and relay arena for the buddy planks. This was the classic relay with two people walking on planks, which we won yet again. It was getting ugly. Bri met a new friend and plank partner, who happed to have worked for the same rafting company we worked for. He worked there long before we did.
Next was water balloon volleyball. Each team paired up in two's with a towel. Instead of using hands, you had to use a towel to catch and throw the balloon. Standard volleyball rules. The other team finally won an event. They were a little better at this, especially when multiple balloons were in play at the same time. Not to worry though, we were still severely beating them overall.
Next was Dodgeball, my bread and butter. This time there was no nudity though. We played with sponge balls soaked with freezing cold water. And, of course, our team ruled it. We even took the side with the sun in our eyes. This arena wasn't quite as extravagant as most of my previous dodgeball experiences, but it worked all the same. Once you were out, the unofficial rule was to pound a drink. I don't think anyone had objections.
As far as I can remember, the next event was the last one. My memory had gotten a little fuzzy by that point. The Beer Obstacle course was the final event, and rightfully so. Not only had we been drinking during the games, but we had 5 minute recesses for pounding drinks in between the games as well. This consisted of a tube, waterslide, rubber chicken, hula hoops, spoons, ping pong balls, and of course beer and jello shots. It was done in relay fashion like most of the others. The team member started by running from the starting line down to the tube. After fitting through on of two tubes, they then jumped on the slip and slide and had to grab a rubber chicken from a hula hoop on the way down. Then a beer was slammed at the drinking station. After chugging, the chicken was thrown back up the hill through another hoop. Then a ping pong ball was carried on a spoon down and around a cone. The participant then ran back to tag the next victim. I regretfully must admit that we somehow lost this one, which Bryan strategically made worth enough point for them to still win. Even with his sneakiness, everyone knew who the real champs were.
After the events, we all relaxed with Jim's Rocket Fuel Margaritas. Alison had quite a sandwich spread, along with snacks, desert, and soup. What an awesome time! Oh yeah, one more important piece of information. My neighbor Joel passed out about half way through the games, disappeared, and was later found walking down the highway barefoot. Priceless.

Lilykins Von Petway

Lily is the newest member of the Petway family. Born on May 31st, 2007 Lily was one of 12 Rottweiler puppies born from a 150lb sire and and an 85lb bitch. She was adopted on July 12th on her 6 week birthday with a clean bill of health. She has continued to grow rapidly for the past 5 weeks. She went to the vet today for an early 12 week checkup and a round of shots. Weighing in at 19.2 lbs already, she's gonna be a beast. Lily already sits with a hand cue, no verbal command necessary. As far as puppies go, she is suspiciously well behaved and doesn't really get into any trouble. With a calm and caring personality already in place, I'm sure that she will grown into a gentle giant. I'll keep you updated on her probably just about as much as myself, as she immediately became the newest love of my life. Between bi-weekly walks on Main Street, frequent visits to the O'Shuck's bar patio, and concerts in the park she is quickly making many friends. She's a big hit with the kids (both young and old) of Park City. I do, however, fear for the lives of neighboring squirrels. Her playmate and best friend Theya is helping her learn the ropes. She responds to "Fatimus" as well as her given name Lily.

Shot Ski

So yesterday's rainy boredom did end up leading to something productive. The afternoon project was a shot ski and a bottle of Ice 101. Perhaps the night before I had to work at 7am wasn't the best timing for the project, but it had to be done. I used an old ski that was given to me 2 winters ago. 4 shot glasses and a little bit of superglue later the Dynastar Shot Ski was born. And it definitely works. This will be a valued new addition to the homestead.

My new house

We moved into a new house just a couple of months ago. The location is awesome, only about 7 minutes from my favorite ski resort. We also live within walking distance to a grocery store and out local pub called O'Shucks. There is a sushi joint within walking distance as well! Our key piece of furniture is our Fooseball table. We also have the old big screen from college in the living room to watch movies and football. War Eagle! As you can see, there is always a PBR on the table.

Everything up until the Blog started

Ideally, it would have been perfect to have started this blog as soon as I moved here, but unfortunately I was pretty much a poor ski bum and didn't have the resources to do so. Now I'm not saying that I make enough to do whatever I want whenever I want now, but I'm getting by alright. I have also realized that money is definitely not the most important thing out there, just a necessity to continue to enjoy the things you like. As far as jobs, I have worked for Deer Valley Resort, Skis on the Run, and now currently work for backcountry.com. These have all helped fuel my outdoor addiction in some way. As far as a "career", I obviously haven't made my mind up yet.
My view on working and job security is best described by a quote from Chris McCandless, from "Into the Wild." "So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit withing a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man's living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun."
I have found this to be true so far, and though I am young a still a little naive, I believe this will remain true for me at least for many years to come. As far as feeding my adventurous spirit so far, I'll compile a little list of experiences to get you up to date so as this blog grows it will make sense to you. Here is a little "timeline" if you will for my Utah endeavor so far:

• Summer 05: I became a raft guide for a summer job. I didn't know this at the time, but this "job" (if you can call it that) would help shape the rest of my life. Obviously I have been an adventurous person for my entire life, but the experiences I had as a raft guide will never be forgotten. Fueled by a concern from my Dad to work during the summer instead of wakeboarding everyday, he put me into contact with Outdoor Adventure Rafting. I immediately took to rafting with a passion. Driving up for training every weekend during spring semester was my main motivation to get through the week. Not to sound cocky, but I was a natural. I graduated from my training class at the top and way before anyone else. This made for a little hostility between me and the others training, but they were a younger crowd anyway. I quickly jumped into the "senior guide" crowd of the Ocoee Raft Guides and had a blast. Rafting had it all: Outdoors, stupid fun, partying, kayaking, and a fun living environment. I was hooked and didn't want to leave.
• Winter 05: I somehow graduated from college in December 05. My only real motivation was to get out to keep the parents happy and also to be able to do something like rafting full time. 2 days after graduation, I headed out for Utah. I had lined up a job as a "Liftie" at Deer Valley Resort. In a nut shell, I lived in employee housing, blew off work whenever possible to go skiing, and partied a lot. I was miserable in my job. Deer Valley had filled my head with an awesome outlook to working there before leaving Auburn. I soon realized this was all a lie. I hated working there and quit within a month. My parents visited me over Christmas (Mom couldn't stand the idea of me being away for that). They had never seen me so miserable. Soon I told everyone at Deer Valley where to go and what to do and found a new job. I also moved out of employee housing with 2 friends from Auburn (one I didn't meet until in Utah). I started wirking for a company called Skis on the Run and loved it. I made pretty good money and got to ski literally everyday. I have also become good friends with Bryan and Alison who own the small company.
• Spring and Summer 06: Back to Tennessee for another rafting season
• Fall 06: Back to Utah for another ski season. I worked for Skis on the Run again and lived with a buddy I talked into coming out from the river. Yet again, I skied literally almost everyday putting in over 90 ski days. I also began backcountry skiing, which has taken over my skiing activities. I still ski resorts, but I get out into the backcountry whenever possible.
• Spring 07:This year I decided to stay in Utah for the summer as well, awaiting the next ski season. The rafting company I worked for was being run very poorly and I was ready for something a little different. I got lucky and got a job very quickly with Backcountry.com as a "gear expert". My experiences with the outdoors and the knowledge of the gear for them that I had gained through doing them finally paid off in the form of cash. I was getting paid to basically answer questions about outdoor gear over the internet. My dog Mickey and my girlfriend Bri also moved to Park City. We had previously dated through the rafting seasons and now are dating once again.
  
• Summer 07: I moved into a sweet condo with some friends from out in Kamas ( a town close by) and began working from home. Now I answered gear questions, but from the comfort of my own home. Mickey had a hard time adjusting, especially when I got a new puppy. I got Lily the rottweiler shortly after moving and Mickey was having a really hard time. After attacking 5 different people (including myself) and then attacking the new puppy, unfortunately it was time for him to find a new home. I got lucky and found an older couple in Salt Lake that took him in. I miss him, but he will be happy with his new family and home.
  
• So that pretty much brings you up to date on my life so far in Utah. Obviously there are tons of details and awesome stories left out, but more will come soon. Bri and I are still together and very happy. Lily is doing great and growing very fast.