Colorado

I got to spend an afternoon with Emily Stokes, who drove three hours one way into the mountains just to hang out for about the same. It was so great - One of the highlights of my whole trip!

Mark and I just off a chair lift at Copper Mountain in Colorado's snow-capped mountains. Apparently it is the best snow Colorado's had in 20 years, so if you want some good ride-time, I'd head out there asap!

Our group got hooked up with a house to rent for the week...it was awesome!

Here's the living room portion.

Here's the kitchen.

We took the Schmerse's mini-van...it wouldn't be a road trip unless you had a mini-van :).

Here's the whole crew that went out. Notice the boy in the center with the arm sling. Jamie decided to attempt a front flip and ended up with a broken collar bone. :) Actually he just hit a jump wrong, but from what I hear, it looked like he attemped the front flip! It was an AMAZING trip--we had so much fun and miss the slopes already!

I finished reading East of Eden by John Steinbeck on the trip. I started reading, knowing nothing about the story line [only hearing from numerous sources that it was a great book], and it has moved into the realm of my favorite books ever. There is so much complexity and depth to the characters stories and the interweaving of their lives. In his summary of the book, Steibeck references these themes: "the mystery of identity, the inexplicability of love, and the murderous consequences of love's absence." He calls it "a modern retelling of the book of Genesis." I was constantly aware of the decisions and motives of the characters involved, and it's so insightful to see the actions and reactions as the story unfolds.

Not only does it have depth that will make you think for hours, but it is a great literary read as well. He's a phenominal writer, and will have you sucked into the story within the first few chapters.

I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a great book to dive into!