Snowbasin/Sullivan vs. Brighton/Irvine

     Do you ever have those moments when you could kick yourself for not having your camera when you really want it?  I had one of those moments yesterday.  I helped out with one of FCYD's (Foundation for Children and Youth with Diabetes) annual winter camp sessions for a day of skiing at Brighton.  It was an early wake-up call to drive up Emigration Canyon in time to drive the eager little skiers and boarders to Brighton up Big Cottonwood for the opening runs, but it was well worth it.  In the morning I was riding up the lift with my new friend Joe Curtis, and as I sat on the Great Western lift I saw the most beautiful sight.  A vast expanse of untouched snow on the mountains and evergreens appeared like a cascade of glistening diamonds under the sun as the lift carried us up.  It was stunning!  It took my breath at away at one point.  Even if I had brought my camera, it probably wouldn't have done any justice to what I saw in person.  It couldn't.  Not everything is meant to be captured on camera. 

      I had a very interesting experience while I was there.  I've been skiing since I was three or four years old, and I had some great flashbacks of my childhood yesterday.  I love volunteering at summer and winter camp for FCYD because I loved attending as a camper, and the best part was always the counselors.  I was seven when I went for the first time and that's when I learned to give my first insulin shot by myself.  More importantly, I learned that even though I'm a diabetic, I can still do what other kids do who don't have to worry about insulin reactions, or high blood sugars.  So, I attended camp every year, and loved it!  Especially winter camp because that meant I got to go skiing.  I was a pretty sassy little kid and thought I was all that on the ski slopes.  This being the case, I always made sure that I got to ski with Chuck Sullivan - he was the best.  Back in the day, camp used to be held at Camp Kiesel instead of Camp Kostopolus so the skiing adventures took place at Snowbasin instead of Brighton.  I don't remember the name of the lift or run anymore, but this particular run was my absolute favorite to ski with Chuck - a huge bowl of nothing but powder.  It was the east face off of this particular lift, and apparently no one knew about it, because every time we skied it, it seemed to be in pristine condition.  Tons of powder and tons of speed (keep in mind, this was speed in the mind of an 8/9/10/11/12 year old) was the greatest thing in the world for two blissful days.  Chuck always sped off in front of us like bait, but he couldn't beat us down (us meaning - me and my friend Carmen) the hill so we threw caution to the wind and barreled down the mountain after him.  Beating Chuck while skiing at winter camp was the equivalent of winning the NY marathon.  This was serious business.

      So, the flashback to all of this began when I was asked to ski with two young girls (9 and 11) in the afternoon after lunch - Grace and Sarah.  I saw so much of myself in Grace yesterday, I couldn't keep from laughing the entire time I watched her ski down the mountain.  She was up for anything and had a keen sense of radar directing her to every path through the trees that had a jump at the end.  This is probably why both of these girls could not get enough of the "skate park" at Brighton with all the built-in jumps and the half pipe.  A personal aside here - I don't think skiers belong on this particular run.  Unless you are incredibly good, and incredibly fearless, skiers look ridiculous doing the same things snowboarders do.  But, like I said, that's just my opinion.  I love jumps, and hit some great ones yesterday, but I have issues mingling with snowboarders.  I've grown accustomed to the ban on snowboarding at Alta.  I offer no apologies.  =)

       Back to the story - as I was watching these two girls, I saw myself and Carmen skiing with Chuck.  As such, I took it upon myself to do the same for them that was done for me.  I made sure we were all together at the top of the run, and then I took off at full speed.  It was the best thing ever to turn around and see them keeping up!  Neither have mastered the parallel technique, but they have the snowplow down pat.  Those two girls made my day.  It was so fun seeing them abandon all fear and enjoy the feel of rushing wind on their cheeks and managing some jumps that cautious skiers triple their age wouldn't touch.  They inspired me.

       I used to think that great skiing meant that I had no falls on my record that day.  I've come to see things much differently now.  I think the former opinion grew out of the fact that my ski instructor during all my years of training NEVER fell.  I repeat - never.  Even when I skied into him while he was holding a huge video-camera - I believe I was four - he stayed upright.  This person would be my dad.  It drove me nuts that I would fall, and he never did.  However, I have come to realize that a really good spill means that you're pushing yourself farther than you've done before.  It's just like ice-skating.  I don't know how many times I fell (I've even broken bones in the process) while learning how to complete an axel at the Bountiful ice-rink.  I fell, and fell, and fell some more, and then finally, I nailed the landing.  Best feeling ever.  It's the same with skiing.  Joe and I skied black diamonds all morning and I had a great spill on Wrangler, but I was just as happy at the bottom of the run as I had been at the top.  I pushed my limits, and the next time down, I didn't have the same problem.  In the end, I think that's part of what I realized yesterday.  When I was a camper, Chuck Sullivan didn't care if I fell or not (he wasn't keen, however, on letting a couple of ten year old girls beat him down the mountain), he cared that I pushed myself and improved - mentally and physically.  So - the lessons I learned at Snowbasin many years ago, I tried to pass on to Sarah and Grace yesterday at Brighton.  It was absolutely perfect.  And next month I'll be sure to bring my camera to at least capture the faces of happy skiers who are having the time of their lives taking on the mountain at Brighton.  Thanks Chuck!!!

A Nebulous Predicament

     I have come to discover that my life, at present, is what one might call a nebulous predicament.  Nebulous in that my life has no definite form or limits at the present in terms of what I'm doing, and a predicament because this situation is quite perplexing.  Basically, I have no idea what to do with my life now that I've graduated from college.  Yikes!  After being in school for 19 years - I'm including my mission as a part of that because, c'mon, that's the best schooling I've ever received - I now have to figure out what to do with all of the education I have received before heading back for more.  But that's just it.  I'm in this weird place where I've applied to eight graduate schools all across the United States, as well as one program in London, but I have to sit pretty until I hear back from them...and that could take a couple months.  So I ask myself, what should I do to occupy my time and contribute to society until I try my hand at a Master's degree?  Internship?  Hopefully.  EFY?  A back-up plan if I don't get accepted for the museum internship.  Do something with the flower business I opened five years ago?  I'd love to, but again, what happens if things pick up and then I have to ditch that plan for grad school?  See the perplexity?!?!?  I guess everyone goes through it in some degree at some point, but while you're in the middle of it, it's rather frustrating.  I have to give props to my parents for always keeping me grounded whenever I let myself get wound up about what the future holds.  For instance, after discussing my short-term plans with my mom, her response was, "take sewing lessons!"  After deciding to quit working in retail my mother suggests learning to sew?....interesting.  HAHAHA!!!  That came out of nowhere, and upon further inquiry she made her case that I have six good months of really getting into some things that will provide a useful foundation for the future.  I have some time now that I may not have later.  I think my mother is trying to domesticate me!  One of our favorite songs to sing on the player piano is "How ya gonna keep 'em down on the farm, after they've seen Paree?!?" and the lyrics immediately flashed through my mind as I contemplated the next six months learning the difference between a backstitch and a slipstitch.  As random as that idea seemed to me, I have to admit, I've always admired my mom's incredible abilities as a seamstress.  I've always thought it would be great to learn to sew, and sew well, but it's kind of like family history for me - where do I even begin?!?!  I guess I have six months to figure it out.

       My class project for Astronomy last semester focused on the Orion Nebula, and I think I need to take a few lessons from painting, and apply them to life right now.  You have an end goal in mind, and step by step, layer by layer, you trust that you'll accomplish what you set out to create.  It doesn't happen overnight, and you have to make lots of adjustments and mix together lots of different oils to get the exact color you're looking for, but in the end, everything comes together.  After all is said and done, I think I just need to spend a little more time at the drawing board...  

At this point I think I wanted to scrap the project entirely...I had no idea where it was going
But then a butterfly appeared on the canvas. =)  Mixing the paints became really fun rather than frustrating
A little too much fun with the mixing here...had to tone things down a bit
Kind of like the Mona Lisa...pretty from far away, but a little weird up close
Completed enough to turn in for a grade.  I don't stop working on my paintings until they're framed, which means that the complete works of Kristen Kathleen include only two paintings instead of six.  I should probably get on that one of these days and "complete" the rest of the oeuvre...
My ghetto studio in Provo - aka - my old bedroom.  I think my painting teacher would freak out if she saw that I had turpenoid in styrofoam cups.  Asi es la vida.  =)

A new nickname

     I found myself in the greatest company Saturday evening as I spent time with Cullen and Myca (my brother and sister-in-law), and their friends.  They got together to celebrate Ryan's birthday (Myca's brother), which included dinner at the Sizzler - and no, I didn't order the all-you-can-eat steak and shrimp platter - and then games afterwards.  Whoa nelly - it was a blast!  Card games, board games, a delicious cake and hilarious company = the best time ever!  And I loved how all the ladies were plotting pranks against their fellas who went to a late night movie.  Devious minds unite!!!!  hehehe...

     Anyway, throughout the course of the evening I somehow managed to acquire a new nickname.  Everyone in this group of friends has the nickname of a spice and I'd like you all to guess what my new nickname is: A) Rosemary B) Saffron C) Cayenne Pepper or D) Tarragon.  If it has anything to do with personality, let's see how well you know Kristen Kathleen Irvine.  After receiving one of the aforementioned names, I've been thinking of all the nicknames that I've accumulated over my 24 years.  In case you really don't know me as well as you think you do, here's a rundown that may help you get to know me better.  For your convenience, I've included the most common names and I've tried to keep them in chronological order beginning with the oldest:

#1 - PUNKIN: This has been around since May 23rd, 1984.  It has something to do with a toe-tag that my dad spotted on my toe the day I was born.  Legend has it that the toe-tag read, "This is the Punkin, take good care of her."  Variations on Punkin that show up frequently include, Punkin-the-Wunkin, Punk-Wunk, Kristen Punkins, Punko, or just plain Punk.

#2 - SILLY-BILLY-VANILLY: I said a lot of ridiculous things when I was a tot, so maybe that accounts for this particular nickname.  I have no other explanation, but if I find anything out, I'll let you know.  =)

#3 - BLUE EYES: This one seems pretty obvious (especially if you catch me wearing a blue shirt), but the funny part is that I HATED this name.  Loathed may actually be a better description.  My uncle used to call me "Blue Eyes" when I was a toddler and it sent me through the roof.  I was a crazy kid, what can I say?  I obviously hadn't internalized the notion of "the truth is an absolute defense."  My mom finally had to ask Ira to stop calling me that in hopes that I wouldn't be scarred for life.  Pretty sure I'm over it...

#4 - SNUFFY, or SNUFFELUPAGUS: I have no idea how to spell the long version, so we'll stick to Snuffy.  I have really bad hay fever (thanks dad!) and for years and years I would walk around with the sniffles come June and July.  I have a man-made crease across my nose (much to my parents chagrin) from rubbing it constantly for who knows how many years.  I like to think that I had great technique, but my parents think I ruined my nose with the way I rubbed it to make the allergies stop bothering me.

#5 - MUNCHKIN: A couple nicknames I have make fun of how short I used to be.  I say "used to be" because my Endocrinologist honestly didn't think I would reach 5 feet tall - ever.  Ha!  Fooled him!  I'm almost 5'4" and proud of it!!!  Honestly though, I used to be REALLY short.  This nickname is courtesy of my brother Scott.  When I talk to him on the phone, the greeting is either "Hey Munchkin," or "What's up Punko?"  If you don't believe me when I say I used to be really short, take a walk down the halls at WXHS and look for the photograph of the Munchkins with Glinda (played by my sister Lindsay her senior year).  You may spot a familiar face wearing a flower pot on her head.  Yes, that would be me....and I was 14 years old. 

#6 -  TWINKLE TOES: This one baffles me.  My sister Lindsay still calls me this on a regular basis, but I have absolutely no idea why.  If you have any ideas, let me know. 

#7 - KUTTER: Courtesy of Geoffrey (Jeff King).  He was my dance partner for a year on the Spring Performing Arts Company at BYU.  I could try and explain how this nickname came about, but that would be useless unless you know Jeff personally.  It's all about the attitude, sass, pranks, and onstage bloopers that came from a year of dancing together.

#8 - HERMANA CALABAZA (de la vina de ir): This comes straight out of the MTC.  My district leader, Elder Rowley, saw a letter I was reading from my dad, who had addressed it to "Hermana Punkins," and I never heard the end of it for the nine weeks I spent with my district.  Since we were all learning Spanish, Elder Rowley thought he would be clever and turned Punkin into Pumpkin....which then became Calabaza (it was the nearest translation into spanish).  The last part of the nickname is my last name broken down and mixed all around to work with the Spanish theme.  As Hermana Huayhua would say, "Que locaso!!!"

#9 - AMERICAN AIRLINES: Another nickname from the mission, but this came in the field.  My ward mission leader in my first area - Brother Perez - could not pronounce my name right if his life depended on it.  He decided to call me "American Airlines" instead of Hermana Irvine.  When he tried saying "Irvine" it always came out sounding like "air-bine" so airline seemed perfectly natural.  Oh how I love those crazy TEXANS!!!!

#10 - And last but not least....the correct spice is..........HA!!!!  I was being perfectly serious when I said I would make you guess.  Have your people get in touch with my people, and if you're right, you'll win the prize!!!  =)  Cheerio!

Resolute

      Happy New Year!!!  I can already guarantee that 2009 is going to be a fantastic year.  2008 was great and life always seems to get better and better.  I realized today that I haven't spent very much time pondering what my new year resolutions would be as I've done in the past.  Blame it on grad school applications, or a wicked cold, in which battle I am currently losing, but still, I haven't really thought about my resolutions.  As I've been thinking about it tonight though, I have realized that it really isn't that hard to figure out what my resolutions are for the next twelve months.  Studying for the GRE initiated a healthy habit of looking up every single word in the dictionary, and I did that tonight with the word "resolute."  It means "having a decided purpose; determined; resolved; bold; firm; steady."  So, all I have to decide is what I am determined or resolved to do this year, and the things that I will be steady in.  One of the greatest people that I met on my mission is Katrina Young.  She inspired me in so many ways and continues to do so today even though she now lives halfway around the world in Japan.  I remember her telling me of her resolutions for 2007 and I loved the way she broke them down - simple and effective goals in each aspect of life.  She made one specific goal regarding her physical, mental, spiritual and emotional self, which I loved.  As I've thought about it, that makes perfect sense to me.  So here they are for 2009:

       Physical - Dancing will become a part of my life once again - specifically - Scottish and Irish dancing.  My dear friend Rachel and I will dust off our Irish hard shoes and take lessons together, which I'm really excited about.  And after my First Night shindig last night with my fellow Scottish sibling, I realized that Scottish dance is a part of me.  I love that I'm Scottish!  Even though I never knew my Grandpa Bob (my dad's father), I think he'd be proud that I'm embracing my heritage through dance.  So, after a ten year absence, I'm coming back.  And since I have a swanky new kilt to prance around in, there's nothing to hold me back.  =) 

       Mental - Ich habe Deutsch lernen und sprechen!!!!  Graduate school is quickly approaching and I have to brush up on some languages that I've learned - first and foremost, German, followed shortly thereafter by Spanish.  If you call me on the phone and I greet you in German - don't be alarmed - it's actually a very friendly language despite what everyone thinks.  And if you're riding in the car with me and you hear some insanely fast Spanish coming from the speakers, you do not have permission to change the radio station.  Period.  =)

       Spiritual - This is probably the hardest category to narrow down to one goal, but for now, I really want to get into family history.  I've never done any (I know - shame on me!), but I would really like to dig into my past and do some good.  A girl in my ward in Provo always had family names that she asked us to do for her on our ward temple trips, and I really admired that she was involved in her family history and always provided names for us.  

       Emotional - Leave every relationship better than I found it.  Every relationship has room for improvement, and I think it takes a concerted effort to realize how to pull this off - especially if you see people on a daily basis.  I truly believe this applies to every relationship - those with parents, siblings, friends, significant others, coworkers, even strangers...who can later become friends.  I think this whole idea started on my mission when I was serving with Sister Soderborg.  Every night we told each other "I love you because ________," and it was a different reason every night.  That companionship was amazing!  So, I genuinely hope to leave a relationship with you better today than it was yesterday (even if it is already awesome). 

       And there you have it - these are the things that I am resolute to accomplish and carry out this year.  A favorite actress of the Irvine household is Bebe Nuiworth, who was on to something when she said, "People are at their happiest if they are true to themselves.  I think that applies to their chosen profession, friends and relationships.  It goes for your health too.  If you are true to yourself, it seems to me everything should work out pretty well."  Well said Bebe!  May that be the case for all of us in 2009.  Here's to a wonderful new year for each of you!