An Amazing God Given Adventure...but First the Back Story

In 1982 when Sam was 11 his Uncle Chet took him on his first ski trip. They skied at Beaver Creek in Colorado the second year it was open! You can call me a ski snob, but I am pretty convinced BC is the best place on earth to ski. Sam and I also think any day you get to ski is a great day, but more on that later. The next year Sam's mom saved up and took the whole family. Uncle Chet helped make it possible by helping with accommodations. So, started a ski tradition and many wonderful memories with cousins. Sam skied Beaver Creek without missing one season for the next 15 years. Even the year of Desert Shield/Desert Storm he was able to make it back to ski. What a contrast, the heat of the desert to a winter wonderland.  In fact, the top pictue is of Sam during his Marine Corp days. He doesn't have any ski poles, because his wrist is broken.

When Sam got out of the Marine Corp he tried out to be ski instructor and despite 12 years of bad habits he made the cut and spent an entire ski season out at Beaver Creek. For the next several years he returned between semesters and during spring break to instruct. One of those years, I drove out with Sam's family and joined them for ski vacation. I got to learn to ski and watch Sam work all at the same time. It was so much fun to be in his beginner class. As you can imagine, Sam is very good at teaching. After we married, we drove out together. Sam instructed and I worked at the children's ski school. What wonderful memories we have of that beautiful place.

Our first Anniversary picture taken by a sharpshooter photographer at the base of the mountain.

Our last year at Beaver Creek was the 1996/1997 ski season. We finished college, moved to Germany, and had five children. A few weeks before Sam deployed to Iraq in 2003 we were able to take a ski trip to Austria. The kids were small. Hannah and Josiah, ages 3 and 4, were able to go to ski school, but Samuel and Adelina were very young. We had a great week, mostly just thankful we could spend it with Dad before he deployed. We enjoyed the snow, sledding, lots of hot chocolate and a little skiing.

What a fun chapter skiing has been in our lives, but it is something we have never had the opportunity to share with the children.

Here is a picture of us.  We had skied and sledded at a small local hill near our friend's the Elkin's house near Hohenfels, Germany.  You can see how small the children were.  Sam is wearing his ski instructor uniform.