It's Strange How Things Work Out

This past weekend I went up to the mountains to go snowboarding, as I often do these days, and I couldn't wait to get on the hill. I had spent all day Saturday in a bookstore doing research, so I was itching to get outside and enjoy some fresh air and riding. But then, everything seemed to go wrong. When we got to the parking lot it was packed! They were almost completely full, and it was only 9:30. I knew right away it was going to be a busy day, full of crowded runs and waiting in line. To add to this, there hadn't been any new snow in about a week and the expected high was 35 degrees. Don't get me wrong, I love snowboarding on beautiful days (such as this past one), but it wasn't helping the snow situation in any way. Despite these markers for a not-so-great day on the slopes, I wasn't any less excited about being there, so I geared up and headed to the shuttles with my friends. We knew the chances of finding any fresh or good snow were slim to none, so we found other ways to enjoy the day. And enjoy it we did! Although we spent the majority of our day waiting in lift lines, and the other part of our day riding on old, packed down, or thin snow, it was a phenomenal day! Who would have thought a day set up for disappointment would turn out to be so great?! Maybe it was the company, maybe it was the weather, or maybe it was just the joy of being on a mountain with a board strapped to my feet, but whatever it was, it made me HAPPY. We hit a little bit of everything too: groomers, trees, back bowls, jumps, bunny hills (whoops! took a wrong turn)...It was wonderful! I even finally did a 180 off some little poppers. I tried a 180 off the actual jumps too, but that didn't turn out so well (ouch!). Maybe next time. Towards closing time we noticed our exhaustion, and made our way down one last run. Then we headed to the shuttles and back to the parking lot.

After piling in the truck, we headed down the mountain towards Silverthorne, and as I sat there reminiscing about the days events, I heard these words from my brother, "man, that was a great day." I found it strange that both of us had enjoyed it so much considering the circumstances. But as we (along with Mike and Donnie) began talking about it, we came to this conclusion: that against all odds, it was one of the best days of the season. And it wasn't over yet. We knew there would be lots of traffic heading back to Denver, so in our best attempt to avoid it we decided to get dinner and relax at the condo a bit before making the trip down. Much to my liking we decided to eat at a little place in Old Dillon called Arapahoe Cafe and Pub.


This place is a Summit County hotspot, especially the pub downstairs! Not to mention, it's one of my favorite places to eat. So we let ourselves in the backdoor, an entrance specifically for the pub, and found a place to sit. When we arrived, there were only about 2 tables with customers, but within 20 minutes the place was packed and already had people waiting to be seated. Mind you, it's only about 5 o'clock. Soon our waiter came to take our order, and who do I see but the same waiter who has served me for about the past 5 years at this joint. It makes me wonder if he's the owner. But the more I think about it, he's probably just a great server making bank at a constantly busy restaurant. Anyway, as our food arrived, another thing made me smile. Remember I was the only girl in a group of three guys, so when the waiter (a different person than the guy who's been there forever) arrived with two hamburgers, some chicken strips, and a salad, she naturally assumed the salad was for me. However, she still did the typical waiter thing. You know, stating the item in hand and waiting for a "that's me." But she didn't wait for a "that's me," and I actually wasn't the one who had ordered the salad. So when she started to set the plate down in front of me, I told her that the salad was actually "for him" as I pointed to my brother across the table. Her response is what made me smile, and this is what she said: "Oh, niiice" (with a nod and a smile). I'm not sure if the "oh, niiice" was because a guy had ordered a salad, or because a girl had ordered a hearty meal. Either way, that too made me happy.

The rest of the evening was pretty uneventful. We ate our meal, watched some football in the condo, and decided to brave the roads, assuming most of the traffic would be dispersed. We made it down to Denver with only a short stint in heavy traffic, and I immediately jumped in my own car and headed home to the Springs. With a couple long weeks of research ahead of me, I already can't wait to be back in the mountains and enjoying the slopes. In the meantime, I'll be dreaming of this.