My 1st rodeo and more skiing

One of my favorite things about being out here is all the new experiences I am having. To be honest, DC was becoming a bit like the movie Groundhog Day, where I was doing the same things over and over each year. Here I am trying to be "yes girl," by accepting all invitations to do anything and everything new and different, and it really is fun. 

So when I was asked to go to the National Stock Show rodeo thing, of course I said "Absolutely, why not?"

I had never been to a rodeo before and it was definitely an experience of being in the west. It was really fun and I'm glad I went, but I didn't like the treatment of animals. The whole idea of cinching a horse's legs and sending him out into an area to judge a cowboy's ability to stay on the horse while he tries to get the painful cinch off, and then sending another cowboy out on a horse to jump off and wrestle a cattle to the ground while twisting his neck if need be, while we clap and cheer...just didn't sit well with me. But it was an experience. 

Then Saturday morning I went to yet another mountain on my 5 mountain ski pass (I do realize that my blogs about skiing are eventually going to get old ;)) and tried out Arapahoe Basin for a VT Hokie alumni ski event. The UVA alumni group out here is pretty poor (I have tried to set up a happy hour 3 times now and the president has yet to come through with putting the date in the newsletter so that it actually happens...I might be telling her to move on over soon...) so I swallowed my pride and joined the Hokies...

...with my Hokie friend, Keghley, who I met through Kara. 

We had a ton of fun and brought her dogs.

Bailey, who does not prefer her feet to be chilly...

And Eric, who had the entire mountain and decided to sit here every time I took a break.

 

Isn't this just beautiful?
I can't get over the scenery here.

We stayed in Breckenridge that night with Keghley's sister and went to the International Ice Sculpture show (I'm sure you can guess who dragged everyone to that...)

This is an ice castle that you can go inside!

And I was able to meet up with my great childhood friend, Ashley Haddow, who I played soccer with on the Chantilly Electrics and lived with for a year after college. She lives in Utah now and it was so fun to see her!

Very exciting ski update = I am FOR SURE getting better! I did a blue run successfully 3 times without falling and feel a lot more confident now. I have no idea what happened but I understand the "feel" that you have to have in turning, and it's so much more fun to feel in control and confident. Black by April? Doubtful. But I am happy to be off green:)