trails and trials...

The last bit of my time has included a variety of trails and trials. I have been riding my Specialized mountain bike on the trails a lot with Christine to try to get my body back into shape. My soul is in a building process amidst the trials of dealing with the loss of a great man and influence in my life. My heart hurts for his wife and sons. My last post was an introspective on the moments just after I talked to my big brother and he told me about Dave Jackson's passing. I was at work at the airport and sitting alone at my empty gate on B13, which overlooks downtown SLC and the Wasatch Range. Airplanes and workers buzzed around me, but I was not hearing or really seeing any of it. More like seeing through it all and only feeling the wind and the movements of the clouds. It was a surreal space in time. I am trying to use the emotion to motivate and inspire my life to do everything that I do, better. I am training with more vigor and intensity in honor of his drive, working harder at all of my working endeavors in honor of his work ethic, and deepening my appreciation for love and life in honor of his family, their love, and hurt.


^In my work endeavors I have been concentrating on just getting my work and financial life back in order. This includes getting back to the variety of freelance work that I do in order to maintain my lifestyle. My home office is an integral part of juggling my jack of all trades lifestyle that has evolved as a result of the path I have chosen. My lifestyle includes a certain amount of entrepreneurship in order to make the boat stay afloat. I always tell youngsters that being a great skier is only the skill that allows you to acquire the skills that will make you some money. Like the advertising, marketing, freelance writing, video shooting and editing, promoting, and variety of other creative skills that produce the dollars. I am spending more time in this office learning more and more skills to continue to grow the earning capabilities of my brands. As you can tell, my partner takes a lot of naps under the desk, but she is good company. So I will keep her around. This office is headquarters for my ski brand, research in trying to build my fledgling real estate empire, and managing all the funds that come and go as a result of having myself extended in three seperate working directions after including my part-time night job with Delta. It is a juggling act. My days are a consistent juggle between remodeling work, office work, a physical training program, and Delta work. I like the variety though, and I am getting better and better at it.



^My training regimen has been including a lot of mountain biking with Christine. Here she is coming up a nice climb on a ride we took with some friends down in Park City. The trail system there is very well taken care of and laid out, and as a result there are a good amount of people too. I had to book it out of this ride to make it to work at Delta on time, but it made for a nice fast downhill.



^On a ride we did near Layton, UT that starts in the Fernwood neighborhood we had a hell of a sunset climb on our hands. The climb was strenuous, but the views were delicious. Motivation is abound when you are climbing next to a beautiful mountain sunset. The temperature drop was a blessing as well.



^However, a climb is a climb and this one was real gasser that ended up in sucking air and sucking water. Christine is taking a moment to suck down some H2O before I press her on to get after the downhill before it gets dark.


^The downhill got pretty dark near the end, but the view held out for one more ill-timed shot of Christine rocking the fun part after the hard work part. I like the work reward concept of mountain biking, much like backcountry skiing. A real earn your stoke mentality is good for the body and mind.

In the perpetual move forward, that we are all victim too day-in-day-out, it is the matter in which we undertake that forward momentum that matters most. I always hope that I am making the proper movements and decisions. Now though, more then anything else, I am taking this introspective space in my life to make sure that I am making moves that are good, just, heartfelt, and inspired. Finding the right life balance is hard to due, but the committed attempt at proper balance is a worthy one that usually results in more time standing tall then falling on the ground.

trying to live inspired...

I am trying to gather and hold on to all of my reflections of his life lived "all out" that are swirling around me in the warm summer breeze. His legacy of hard work, toughness, dedication, and family is floating on this wind and it settles heavily on me like the dust of the baseball diamonds of a youth I shared with his sons. My humbled heart sits low in my chest as my soul searches the skies for one last glimmer of guidance from his kindred spirit that "left it ALL out there" while he was on this field and now soars without regret amongst eagles and ancestors into the setting sun. May I be able to live a life more inspired because of his.

remember when...

A little flashback to early this winter with my loves, Christine and Murphy. We did a little ski tour in the lowlands together and meadow skipped around. A nice sunny day with these two is always a real treat. Especially during winter because of the crazy busy schedules that Christine and I are wrapped up in that time of year.



^Murphy is showing Christine the way to her new favorite ski spot that her and I had found together. The trees are pretty tight especially on a low snow year, but we can still get in some good turns out there.


^Murphy is taking a little break here while Christine and I are taking off our skins and getting ready for the downhill. The fall leaves were all holding on the scrubs in this one spot. It is kind of cool being amongst all the color in the middle of winter. Murphy is also drawn to the spot as well, which makes it even cooler to watch her get all excited and prance around in the color in anticipation for the downhill payoff she loves so dear.


^After a nice decent down to the creek bed it is time to dig some ice out of the paws. Christine poses up a silly one while Murphy gets to work on her paws. The creek is a nice finish to a nice little meadow skip. It is very tranquil to put the skins on and get ready to head back up with a trickling creek soundtrack. At peace.



^The trail footbridge is a classic photo opportunity not to be passed up. Murphy and Christine are posing one up for me here on the bridge. Murphy was super pumped to be skiing with her momma. Usually it is just Murphy and I and we are getting after it in the early morning for training so we don't have as much time to mess around. On a day like this one we can slow it down and take our time a little bit more, which gives Murphy more coveted sniff around time. This is one of those "good day" kind of mornings that sticks with you all summer until you get to try for more of them again in the fall. I am looking forward to this year more then ever.

back in the saddle...eerrr bin...

I have been back to work again at Delta Airlines here in Salt Lake City, Utah. Now I am trying to catch up on funds, getting into shape, and a long list of projects. It is actually nice to be back to work and trying to get back into the swing of things. My fiance, Christine, has been a saint throughout the whole ordeal. It is actually nice to be back to work and get out of my habit of ripping through Netflix movies and laying on my back.


^My view from inside the bin of an airplane out on the ramp at Salt Lake International Airport. I am slaving on the B gates these days and I have been trying to ease myself back into throwing bags around and stacking them up in the bins. Deicing in the winter was a nice change of pace from handling bags, but now I have to get back into the bag season.


^Waiting in the back of the bin for the barrage of bags to begin. Gotta pick them up and stack them to the top in rows. The job involves a lot of hurry up and wait, but the perks are nice.


^Working outside is still my cup of tea for moments like these. It is not so bad pushing back a huge sleek flying machine at sunset with a mountain view at my back. It is a job. If it wasn't work they wouldn't call it that. All and all it is good to be back, and I am looking forward to getting my life back into shape again now as well as my body.