Mad River Glen - Ski it if you can!

 

Last week, the five of us kids had an incredible day skiing at Mad River Glen! 

Ibs - our official ski deal finder - found us an online coupon to ski there for only $3.50 each! With that unbeatable price, we couldn't refuse, so we went out for the day. 

It turned out to be a rather icy day, with freezing rain blasting across the mountain, and only the most diehard skiers - or skiers with day specific deals :) - were out, so we had the slopes to ourselves. And due to a recent thaw-freeze cycle, Mad River Glen's famous moguls had turned to rock-hard icy monsters by the time we reached them!

We had an absolute blast, and enjoyed testing our skills against what is known as the hardest skiing in the East. And even better, we just found out that they are having the same deal on again next week! You know where we'll be then ;)

 

 Riding the last remaining single-chair lift in North America!

 "A pair of skis are the ultimate transportation to freedom." - Warren Miller

"Skiing: The art of catching cold and going broke while rapidly heading nowhere at great personal risk." - Anonymous

And of course, a ski day isn't complete until you've relaxed with Ibs' homemade hot chocolate!

- Isaac

Road Trip! - The Interview Trail

 Mums, Isabella, and myself just returned home from a three day whirlwind trip to Ohio, where I was privileged to interview at the Northeast Ohio Medical University for their class of 2017. 

 Interviews done, we hit the road again Thursday afternoon, and crossed the bridge into Vermont just as President Trump was taking his oath of office. 

It was a great trip, and the tollroad miles flew by as we read books aloud and munched on chocolates!! My favorite book of the drive was Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown. 

During our absence, 9 inches of fresh powder fell on Vermont, so Ibs and I were itching to get back on the slopes. When we arrived home, we made a record turn-around, and were headed up to the slopes 15 minutes later! Sure enough, the trails were amazing, and we spent the next few hours finding new lines through the Wilderness Woods at Bolton Valley. 

Quirkle!

 Ibs' and my new computer stickers! These should keep us motivated for our 2017 running goals!

 

Out for coffee and croissants this morning with Ibs at the Red Hen Bakery down the road. She was working on goals and scheduling for 2017, and I was writing a letter. But we still found time for a good talk in there somewhere!

Curtis, Austin, and Emily are returning home from Texas tonight, so we're super excited to have them back! Then Papa will fly home from California this Wednesday, and at last we'll all be together again!

Have a great weekend!

- Isaac

Ski Outing...

 Wow. Just wow. I love skiing with my lil' sis.

Isabella, Mama, and I are the only ones home right now, so Ibs and I headed out to the slopes to enjoy some spring like skiing a few days ago. The weather was beautifully warm, and there was several inches of fresh powder on the trails!

Ready for more!

- Isaac

Ski Season!

Ski season is here, and in addition to spending every minute possible on the slopes, I'm back to blogging! 

We had an awesome bluebird day out at Bolton Valley recently, and took advantage of the late afternoon sunset to get in some beautiful runs. On a day like this, riding the lift is incredibly peaceful. The chair sways gently and you glide effortlessly up the mountain past the snow-covered treetops and on to your next exhilarating run...

 Riding the lift, skis ready to rip the slopes!

Austin waxing his skis before opening day. The kitchen was rather overrun by the waxing station on this particular day, as there was a mad rush to get ready, and many people found themselves slipping wildly on the freshly waxed tile...

 My skis, waiting for a coat of wax to dry before I could scrape off the extra and polish them down to a smooth, fast surface.

Our house, decorated for Christmas! 

Disclaimer: As a good MK (missionary kid), I must include a reassuring disclaimer... that is, Bolton Valley Ski Resort offers us season passes for only $160, and since we live 20 minutes away and can get skis and boots for $2 per pair at the thrift store - when everyone wants the latest gear, old equipment is almost given away :) - it's hard to refuse so much fun for such a price!

- Isaac

New Post!!!

This past year has been simply amazing, and I'm looking forward to filling in my millions of loyal readers with an update soon. But for now, here are a few pics from the best part of last week - flying my first solo in the little Cessna 150 above!

Flying is AWESOME. There is really no other way to put it. The freedom of wind and sky, the country spreading out beneath, the lazy hum of the engine as you soar higher and higher into the pure blue above...........I could go on and on.

 Off the ground!

A student's first solo flight is supposed to be relatively uneventful, except, that is, for the stress of having to land a few thousand pounds of metal on a narrow strip without messing up. You only have one chance at this, after all...

Thankfully, my solo turned out very well, but little did I know just how wild it could have become! The airport was unusually busy that day, so after waiting my turn, I took off behind an Aztec twin-engine, climbed to 1,200 feet, and began my rectangular flight pattern to go around and land.

Turning downwind - paralleling the runway opposite to the direction in which I would land - I kept an eye on a plane down in the run-up area. Finally, just as I was at the north end of the runway, the other pilot decided to take off, and taxied out onto the runway in a very leisurely manner.

This meant I had to extend my downwind northward. Since I was flying at over 100mph, the miles whizzed by, and soon I was over 4 miles north of the airport. What I didn't realize at the time was that the Canadian border is just 4.9 miles north of the airport!

At last the other plane cleared the runway, and I was able to turn base, under half a mile from the border, and likely under the scrutiny of border guards from the ground. We heard later of a friend who had accidentally flown over the border and was chased down by Canadian fighter jets -- what a thought! :/

Anyway, after a nice unintended flight over Lake Champlain, I spotted the runway again and made a successful landing!

Phew! On the ground safely!

 Going around for another takeoff and landing - I completed three loops on my first time out. 

Down again, and time to gas up...

More news coming soon!

--Isaac

Thinking of you

Dear Future Wife,

It's a beautiful day here in Vermont as autumn slowly sets in, working its wonders across the tree covered hills. And I wanted to let you know that I am thinking about you.

I think of you when the sun comes up in the morning, as I'm sitting by the window drinking coffee and memorizing God's Word. I think of how you'd like the way the sunlight filters down through the trees, lighting up the scampering chipmunks.

I think of you as I study. Think of how I, by God's grace, will be able to provide for you and for our family as a result of these hours upon hours of pouring over books.

I think of you when I see the smile of a young mother cradling her baby. I can see you in her eyes.

I think of you when others are falling to temptation, and I pray for you. And I cry out to God for His grace and mercy, that by His grace, I might stand strong in the day of temptation, staying pure for you - physically, mentally, and visually.

I think of you when I hear a girl laugh. Think of how you will laugh, and how I'd like to laugh with you.

I think of you often.

Forever and ever I remain faithfully yours, waiting for and thinking of you.

Isaac

Life Lately

Isabella and I, home from an outing together

The last two weeks have been busier than I can remember for a very long time! Here are a few of the things we have been up to:

> Sending Curtis off to his first rotation away - obstetrics and gynecology about 4 hours away. He's been doing great so far, and just delivered his first baby yesterday!

> Celebrating Emily's 22nd birthday! #we'vegotanawesomesister

> Taking a quick camping trip over Ems' birthday to celebrate it with Curtis.

> Realizing part way through our camping trip that the Excursion's transmission is going out - i.e. stopped at an intersection with 20 cars behind us, and the vehicle treats "drive" as "neutral." #flareprayersstillwork

> Spending time with good friends from Quebec for a day

> Getting all my transcripts sent to Thomas Edison State College and AMCAS (American Medical College Admissions Service). When you've done college online, you have A LOT of transcripts!

> Spending two days scraping, stretching, and generally wrassling with two gigantic yak hides. More on that later...

> Harvesting thousands of heads of garlic at a local farm, and smelling like a walking garlic clove for days after (actually, I can still smell it on my hands)

> Getting TB testing so I can shadow a couple of doctors

> Going for a great mountain bike ride with the family

> Eating yak tongue chili - a first!

> Going out for cheesecake and present shopping with my lil sis - we're giving Ems her birthday presents when Curtis is back in town next week

It's a busy time, but a good one. My medical school applications are coming together, and I'm looking forward to shadowing both in the clinic and OR in a little over a week. 9 credits of math are yelling for attention, but I like math, so that shouldn't be too bad.

Right now, it's a beautiful day, and I'm just glad to be alive!