A Whole New World, by Jan and Tony Cartledge

Tony Cartledge, one of my seminary professors, taught a class on the books of 1 & 2 Samuel, which became my favorite class from seminary. It was only his second semester, then, as a professor at Campbell Divinity School. When it was announced that he would be joining the faculty at Campbell, my pastor at the time, who is a friend of Tony's, told me something like this, "Tony Cartledge is a man who knows something about life. Campbell will be lucky to have him."

I later learned what my pastor was referring to when he said, "He knows something about life." Dr. Cartledge, when he was a pastor, had a seven year old daughter who was killed when the car they were driving was hit by a drunk driver. Their sweet daughter's life had been cut short by another man's terrible decision to drink and drive.

Some years later, Tony and his wife Jan (who is also a minister), wrote A Whole New World: Life After Bethany, a book about their grief experience and the impact that losing a daughter had on their lives.

My new job is to offer support and counseling to bereaved families who lose a loved one on hospice care. I have learned and am learning much about the mourning experience and the grief process. So, I thought with this new job, it was time I picked up my professor's book and read about his experience with grief.

The book opens up by telling the horrific story of the tragic accident through the eyes of Tony and his wife, Jan. Tony was driving Bethany home from her grandparents' house in South Carolina. The accident took place still several hours away from their home in North Carolina. It happened in the mid-90s, which was just before you could expect everyone to have a cell phone. So, it took some time for Jan to hear about it, and information gathering happened a little slower than nowadays.

As Tony and Jan recap the events, they're not shy in sharing emotions from their experience. The subsequent chapters paint a beautiful and painful picture of grief's messy collage. Dealing with broken ribs in the ICU, guilt brought on by "What if..." questions, the pain of seeing his daughter lying motionless moments after the wreck, painful recovery time and transfers to a NC hospital, Tony's story is vivid and terrifying. Jan's account, as she planned and attended Bethany's funeral without her husband, cared for herself as well as a broken Tony, wrestled with intense anger and struggled with forgiveness, is heart wrenching and endeared me toward her all at once.

They share about how their faith community, Woodhaven Baptist Church, acted as the church was meant to act, as the body of Christ, as the hands, feet and caring faces of Jesus. They shared what was helpful and what was not, as well-meaning friends and family offered comfort.

I noticed that Tony's entries tended to offer theological reflection and new conclusions. These sections engaged my seminary-tainted trained brain, causing me to reflect in new ways on death, life, God's role in suffering and beliefs as a bandaid vs source of hope. Jan's entries were heavier on the deapth of the emotional journey through a wilderness of feelings never before considered. Her writing opened to me the cyclical process of grief, and the difficulty in finding forgiveness as they confronted Bethany's killer and struggled for justice through the court system all the while struggling with grief.

The book is well written, and thought out. It's very readable and flows at a pleasant pace. It is not long, but coveres a vast journey in it's pages. I will keep it in my mind as I often recommend resources to grieving parents, spouses, children and friends.

Thank you Tony and Jan, for sharing your story, for sharing you hearts, and for opening up yourselves to me and so many others. Having read your words, I feel somehow connected to you, connected to dear sweet Bethany. From this book I have grown, I have learned and I have been blessed.

I've Been Tagged

Maybe responding to this "tagging" will pull me out of my blogging slump. I hope so. I just read about this "game" going around the blogosphere from my sister's blog. She tagged me to respond/participate, so now I have too.

The Rules

1.Post these rules
2.You must post 11 random things about yourself
3.Answer the questions set for you in the post you were tagged in
4.Create 11 new questions for your tagees to answer
5.Tag them on Twitter, Facebook or your blog


11 Random Facts About Me
1. I have an abnormally large space between my first and second toes. With said toes, I can pick up a tennis ball
2. My favorite M&Ms are by far the peanut butter kind, followed by the dark chocolate as a close second
3. My favorite band of all time is the Dave Matthews Band. I had one of my first beers, during high school, at a DMB concert in Raliegh, NC, when my older (of age) sister bought me one. For some reason, I'm very fond of this memory. Thanks, Audrey.
4. I regret giving up piano lessons when I was little. I'd love to be able to play now.
5. I love to teach. And I think I'm a good teacher. Whenever I finally "arrive" in a career, I'd like it to involve at least some element of teaching.
6. The other day, I bench pressed 235 lbs. That's 127% of my body weight,  and the weight-loss goal for my friend Robert that if he doesn't reach by next week I get to slap him in the face for free.
7. I love to play music and learn new instruments. So far, I can play, many kinds of drums, 4-mallet marimba and vibraophone, guitar, piano, harmonica, Native American flute and a mean kazoo.
8. When I was unemployed, I learned to juggle and how to solve a Rubix Cube.
9. I can clap with one hand. Not cheating or anything. I can really do it.
10. When I was 13, I caught a 65 lb King Salmon during my first trip to Alaska.
11. I love bad puns! The worse the pun, the better.


11 Questions I Was Asked To Answer
1.What’s your earliest childhood memory? - I have vague memories about my families first house in north Asheville. I remember the hill in the front yard, exploring the woods out back. I remember a small living room and sharing a room with my older brother. One time, during his sleep, my brother rolled out of the top bunk and into the open toy box - it didn't wake him up.

2.What place would you most like to visit? - Australia. Since I was little I've always wanted to go to Australia.

3.What’s the scariest thing you have ever done? - As a young'un, I was terrified of roller coasters. Getting on my first one was terrifying. Of course, since then, I love them! Also, sleeping in the back of a truck while boar hunting as a kid, I was pretty scared because of what my brother kept telling me.

4.When was the last time you got a giggle fit and what caused it? - Sitting on the couch with my wife not too long ago, we both got to laughing and couldn't stop. I absolutely love the sound of her genuine laugh, that giggle sound that comes out without expectation. We got to laughing, I think, because we were both just being absolutely silly - you know the kind of silly you would only be in front of certain people.

5.How many cars have you owned? -
1982 Monte Carlo (a. k. a. The Pimp Mobile)
1995 Mitsubithi Expo (minivan thang)
2002 Saturn Coupe (probably my favorite of all time so far)
1998 Dodge Neon (it didn't last long. Heather was run off the road by a mac truck which totalled this car)
1982? Buick (A great running grandma car given to us by my granda after Heather's wreck)
2008 Dodge Ram (affectionately named Jayne. You know, like the hero of Canton...)
1996 Chevy Blazer (A clunker bought in AK as a cheap get-around-town car. It was cheap and it barely gets around)
Wow, that was more cars that I realized!

6.Who were your childhood heroes? 
Michael Jordan - he was the greatest. I wanted to play basketball like Mike. I used to practice all the time, for hours, in our driveway, but I never got good like Mike.
My dad - As a kid, dad was my hero, and I thought he knew everything and could do anything. Even though he's no longer my hero in that childhood sense, I still think very highly of what he's accomplished in life. And I've also learned that when he doesn't "know" the answer, he's pretty good at making something up that sounds like it could be...hehe (sorry for "outing" you dad).

7.What was your favorite game as a child? - So many to choose from as our family played LOTS of games. Some highlights were Risk, Monopoly, Capture the Flag, Gestures, Scattagories, but the winner would probably have to be Taboo.

8.What book have you read that had a profound impact on you? - I can't name just one.
Blue like Jazz, by Don Miller (this was the first eye opener to me that conservative evangelical theology may not be the pinnacle of Christian theology)
A Fine Balance, by Rohinton Mistry (true stories are always the profoundest)
A New Kind of Christianity, by Brian McLaren (more on the death of conservative theology within me)
The Total Money Makeover, by Dave Ramsey (Priceless practical advice on managing life and money)
The Bible (This list wouldn't be honest or complete without this one, even though I haven't read it cover to cover)

9.If you won the lottery, what’s the first thing you would do? - Pay off school debt, then call Dave Ramsey and ask for advice.

10.Who was your favorite teacher and why? - My New Testament/Greek professor in seminary, Dr. Wakefield, is probably my favorite of all. He really inspired me to learn and be a better person through his teaching. He's now the dean of the seminary.

11.What is the thing you like best about yourself? - My sense of humor and with it my ability to be likeable very quickly.

11 Questions For You To Answer
1. Who was your first kiss and how old were you?
2. If you could go back and change one decision you've made in life, what would it be?
3. Which person, (alive, dead, or historical) has had the greatest influence on your life?
4. What thing in life or moment in life are you the most proud of?
5. When was a time when your heart was broken?
6. Which was your favorite Power Ranger?
7. What is your favorite food?
8. Have you ever reached the end of your rope, your breaking point, your wit's end, been pushed beyond your capacity? What was it like?
9. What has been your favorite pet? (If you've had no pets, your favorite animal?)
10. What word(s) would you like to know the definition of?
11. If you won the lottery, what is the first and last thing you would do with the money?


Now I'm Tagging:

Robert at Soaking up the world (my sister tagged him, now he has more pressure to blog)

Erin at On Call

Vicki at Showing up to the Moment

Sadie Bee

Meet Sadie. She is a pure bread Miniature Doberman Pincher, who belongs to my dear sister-in-law, Lauren. And as such, she is the newest member of the family. She was born Oct. 9th, 2011. 

Probably full grown at 6 lbs.

When Lauren graduated from college, her sister promised her a puppy when she was ready. Approaching this past Christmas, Lauren told us she was ready for a little darling.

Already knowing which breed we were looking for, we found  Minpin breeder not far from Raleigh. And during our trip home to NC before Christmas, we picked up a 9 week old cutie!

In the car ride from the breeder's

We met Lauren at work and presented her with her new baby. 

Lauren meets Sadie for the 1st time

Her first leash outing with Lauren, already has beautiful stance

Back at Lauren's apartment, Sadie is no stranger to "ruff" housing and playing around. 

But, like every puppy, after a bit of fun play, she was out like a light on her new bed. 

You can't tell from this picture, but she's sleeping under the X-mas tree

Lauren may not like me saying, but she's got some sassy-ness about her. And because of this, I thought it was hilarious when that little dog, after the first time Lauren tried to discipline it, gave Lauren all the kind of sassy protesting she could muster. A fitting match, I think.

Sassy Lauren, waiting for her new "dog"hter to pee outside rather than inside again

We Need A New Word, part 2

In my last blog post, in which I considered the Enlish language's lack of a word to denote a long-term committed relationship that does not involve contractual marriage, I offered a few possible words and asked for more suggestions.

Since then, I've been asking people and even trying out some of the alternate words in casual conversation to see how they "go over." I've also gotten some good feedback from the comments.

One commentor offered that we call these people who are in our family though not by law, "family." As she noted, this is not a new word, but simply a wonderful inclusion that expresses love and acceptance, two things of which I'm in favor. So, while I very much like this suggestion, it doesn't solve the problem.

My mother suggests that because Kiwanis (a Christian men's group) uses the term "partner," and since it's good enough for this national organization it ought to be good enough for everyone else. But, I already expressed why I think "partner" is not quite right. At least not yet. Society still thinks "partner" means homosexual.

 Similarly, another comment shared that "life partner" is used by the company she works for. And, it's understandable why the coorporate world prefers this term. It's easy, and most companies nowadays don't care of about the gay/straight issue to which this term might give rise.

Audrey also stated that she sometimes says she's "unmarried" or "a little bit married" to her long-time committed boyfriend. Generally, I like this phraseology. It's witty fairly and clearly describing their circumstances.

An unknown-to-me commentor agreed she doesn't like "partner" for reasons that it sounds too uptight or formal. She suggested "spouse," but obviously this doesn't work, because "spouse" comes with too much assumption of a marriage contract. The marrieds have the patent on "spouse." She says that she refers to her boyfriend of 18 years as her "man," which he likes. Though, I'm not ready to close the deal with "man/woman," because, let's be honest, it would just be weird and unclear if I started talking about my brother and his "woman."

Last night, in casual conversation I tried using the term, "unwife." Afterwards I asked the person I was talking to if she knew what I meant. She did not. I then suggested "not-wife," which she immediately thought was better.

We talked about it some more and came up with some more suggestions, which are "semi-wife/husband," "pseudo-wife/husband" and "para-wife/husband." Of these three I like "para-" the least and "pseudo-" the most. If I casually refer to my sister and her "psuedo-husband" in conversation, I think the correct meaning would translate fairly well to most people. Though, "semi-husband/wife/spouse" is a close 2nd to "pseudo-." What do you think between these two?

Further thoughts on "not-." I previously said that I'm not sold on "not-wife/husband," because it may convey a negative connotation of condemnation: that though these two are not married they should be. But does the term "not-spouse" actually convey this? Or am I just being a little paranoid of offending people? If you are in an unmarried although committed relationship, how does this term sound to your ears? Do you find it offensive in the least? Condemning?

Another option for seaching out a new word/term is to come up with an acronym that can be used as a noun. For instance, I could refer to the Person I Live With Un-Married as my "PILWUM." Now, "Pilwum" isn't very smooth, but I imagine more creative minds could do better than I did after only two minutes of thinking on it.

So, it's time for deeper discussion people! We need a new word, and the popularity of this blog is just the platform to spawn something that can take our society by storm! Comments, comments comments, please.

We Need A New Word!

Please help. Both my brother and my sister have, respectively, a girlfriend and a boyfriend with whom they live. And I don't know what to call them!

My sister lives in Raleigh with her boyfriend who is totally chill, go-with-the-flow, witty and is someone to whom I look up in the field of bad puns. I love them both and have spent many of my favorite family nights around a game table at their house or on the couch playing Wii. If my sister ever did anything to jeapordize their relationship, I'd be upset with her and miss him with a pouty stuck out lower lip.

My brother lives in Chicago with his brainy, dry-sense-of-humor and awesome girlfriend. She is working on her Ph. D. in something about which, I know nothing. I love them both and miss hanging out together as we did when we all lived in the same town. In fact, if my brother ever did something to jeapordize his relationship with her, I'd head slap him a good one. Actually, there was once some form of proposal and an exchange of an engagement ring between them. But, that was a number of years ago, and as far as I know there are no active plans in the works to get hitched. So, I could call her my brother's fiancee, but that kind of conveys a message that doesn't fit.

I think of both my brother's and my sister's significant others as family, siblings-in-law, just as much as if there was a signed marriage contract registered with the state. The fact that there is no such document between either couple doesn't matter to me at all. As far as I'm concerned, my bro and sis are in committed relationships each with someone who cares deeply for them and treats them well.

Here's my problem. In casual conversation, I get caught up when describing my family and referring to these people. It doesn't do it justice to refer to her as my brother's "girlfriend" or to him as my sister's "boyfriend." Because, "boy-" and "girl-friend" implies a relationship in which people are dating, or are less committed, are younger or whatever. It just doesn't say it right. So when talking about them I have to say, "My bro's girlfriend...well, they've been together 10+ years and live together so..." (people shake their heads in understanding). So, "boyfriend/girlfriend" is out.

What about "significant other." This term in the English language in western American culture best describes the situation. But the problem is it takes so much effort to say. I mean come on, it's 6 entire syllables that don't flow smoothly off the tounge. And, I just don't like it very much. It's dry, bland, almost academic in nature. It conveys no feeling or care whatsoever. In the world of words, it's as tasteful as a rice cake.

Partner: some people would refer to them as a "partner," or "life-partner." And this one isn't bad. Except, at least where I come from, many people associate "partner" with same-sex relationships. If you say casually, my uncle Carl's partner..." most people will simply assume uncle Carl is gay. So, if you use partner, you always have to qualify it, which takes more time and effort and interrupts whatever story you may be telling.

A quick Google search shows people suggesting phrases such as common-law marriage, cohabitating, defacto relationship, domestic partners, roommates with advantages, and one even suggested that we call these non-married couples, "happy." But none of these suggestions work for me.

So, back to the title of this blog: We need a new word. I'd like to be able to smoothly tell about my sister or brother and describe their person-with-whose-life-they-are-conjoined-yet-legally-unmarried using a word that is accurate and rolls smothly off the tounge.

Here's what I've got so far. On my own, I came up with the mildly creative term, "not-husband/not-wife." I've recieved some good reviews and chuckles on this one, and people seem to instantly know what I mean. But, simply adding the negation (e.g. "not") in front of husband/wife kind of implies that something is lacking, incomplete, wrong. It almost implies that they should be married or something, and I don't want to should on anybody. So, this one is, at best, close, but not a winner. Perhaps we should consider "unwife/unhusband." This would remove the negative connotation that something is lacking and replace with the suggestions that something (i.e. the marriage) simply isn't there.

From my brother's witty un-wife, I heard the term "outlaw." For instance, she might refer to us by saying to a friend, "I'm going to spend the weekend with my outlaws." I like this phrase, and I think it has potential to maybe catch on; however, currently it's a little clunky in the singular. For instance, it would take a little getting used to to say, "My brother-outlaw is really good at poker."

That's it. I have no other options. That's why I think we need a new word for this kind of relationship. I think that "partner" has the best chance at filling this void, but we'll have to wait and see what our culture does with the connotation currently attached to it.

So, I'm looking for suggestions. What have you heard in your circles? What rolls smoothly off the tongue for you? We need new words!! I want to hear your suggestions.

Alaska with Audrey and Lance, part 2: Beluga Point, Buckeyes and a li'l mo Moose

Days 3 & 4: Ohio State, Turnagain Arm, Twilight, moore moose and the beginning of an obsession

Saturday morning we awoke early and went to a local sports bar to eat breakfast and watch the biggest football rivalry in college sports: Ohio State vs Michigan. Lance is an avid Ohio state fan and graduate (I think). In fact, he's such a big fan he once again wore shorts to go watch the game. (Don't know if he intended the shorts to be a means of rooting for his team, but it sure seemed extreme enough to me to be  an act of Buckeye support.)

Short story short, the Buckeyes didn't have it in'em that day and came up with an "L" on their record against the Michigan Wolverines. Booo. A sad Lance makes for a san Nathan too.  

Later on that day, because it so so crystal clear and beautiful outside, we took a drive down to the Turnagain Arm. This is a inlet of water just south of Anchorage that is about 30 miles long. With snow-covered mountains on both sides and the road hugging the winding topography, it is for sure my favorite scenic road ever. 

Turnagain  arm, looking out toward the inlet

The tid was in at the time, but the water had so many frozen areas and some fresh snow fallen on it that, from this picture, it hardly looks like what you'd think ocean water might look like.

Audrey, in her Buckeye garb

We stopped at a fun pull off known as Beluga Point. There's a rather large island thingy that you can climb out and around on (during the summer when it's warmish). But even from the road the views are great.

Part of Beluga Point visible behind us

We never stayed out of the car long since it was fairly windy and quite chilly that day.

This pic shows how the road sits between water and steep mountain side

On to the main reason why Audrey really came to Alaska - Twilight. Since the second of Stephanie Meyer's Twilight movies hit theaters, Audrey and Heather have seen them together in the theater. As far as I know, this wasn't really planned, but it kind of happened, and now there's precedent for coming to AK to see a movie. I don't know...ask them. It's something fun, and they've bonded over the glistening shirtless muscle rippling ware wolves of Team Jacob.

Heather got them matching shirts to increase their geek-hood

Personally, I'm team Alice (*wink*). I think my friend Robert is with me on that one.

In protest to the teen sensation now turned 20-something-sensation books and movies that are the Twilight series, Lance refused to see the movie and instead went and saw The Muppets.

Dakota, rooting for the Buckeyes

One of the evenings they were here, we introduced Audrey and Lance to a knew card game called Dominion. As was expected, they liked it. But I didn't realize just how much they liked it. Because of the nature of Dominion and it's popularity, the creators have put out several expansion sets to the game, increasing the amount of options for differing games. When Audrey and Lance were visiting, we had just the one base/main game. For Christmas, I got one expansion, which is exciting and adds lots of cards to our game.

Now, before they even left AK, it became apparent that Audrey intended to buy Dominion for herself. Then, I read on her blog that she and Lance were enjoying playing Dominion in the weeks following their visit. Later I read that over Christmas she was sad, because no one wanted to play Dominion as much as she did. Still later, I read something that said a weekend was spent playing a Zelda game Lance got and lots more Dominion.

In preparation for a family trip in March, I recently sent an email out asking folks to bring a few games. I offered that if my sister can bring her base Dominion game, I can bring my one new expansion, and we could put them together. The response I got was somewhat comical to me and evidentiary of an obsession. She told me not to bother bringing my game, that since Alaska, she has acquired not 1 or 2 or 3, but 4 of the Dominion games and consolidated them all into one large box, which I hear can probably hold 2 more Dominion expansions. I cracked up as I read the email knowing my sister and how she loves to find a good thing and really "get in" to it. Nonetheless, I look forward to lots, AND LOTS, of Dominion during our family trip.

Their last day in Alaska, we took them to see a few last sights around town. The above picture is from the overlook at the Flat Top mountain hiking trail head. It's hard to tell, but over the cliff you can see the greater Anchorage area and the ocean/Cook Inlet beyond it. (Perhaps you can click on the picture to enlarge.)

The coldest Lance has ever been

This one cracked us all up. A description directly from my sister's blog: Note that we have on hats and gloves and appropriately heavy jackets. However, our legs are only protected by simple pants/jeans. At this moment in time, we are near the top of Flat Top Mountain just outside Anchorage. It is snowing and the wind is blowing fiercely. The temperature is definitely below zero. We stepped out of the truck and headed to an overlook (that’s ocean you can see in the background), and near froze in the three minutes we were outside, despite the heavy coats.

It was so funny, because once we got back into the warm truck, Lance took a moment to reflect saying, "I think that's officially the coldest I've ever been."

"Hurry up and take the #*$& picture!"

What's funny to me is how long I usually like to stand and take in beautiful views and what not. But we literally were only there long enough to snap two pictures and scurry away like warm blooded North Carolinians cowering from the bitter cold.

A good sign when searching for moose

We hadn't had a close or clear moose sighting yet, and it was their last day, last chance. Luckily, on our way to another lookout point we came across this young adolescent male, most likely freshly out on his own away from mother.

Bulwinkle's younger cousin, me thinks

Not far from our moose friend, we took in this view of downtown from across a little water.

That evening was their time to depart. After they packed, we said goodbye, and dropped them at the airport. Audrey and Lance, I'm so glad you got to see Alaska in the winter, covered in snow and majestic. Hopefully, you'll one day get a chance to come during the wonderful summer, and we can show you all kinds of new awesomeness. Thanks for coming, and we miss you already.

Alaska with Audrey and Lance, part 1 Thanksgiving and Hatcher's Pass

Well, my sister, Audrey, and Lance came up to visit us over Thanksgiving. I was SOOO excited for her to come to Alaska and to just get to spend time with them.

(By the way, sorry guys for taking SOOO long to blog on your visit.)

One thing I love about these two is, they are "floor people"

After the ~12 hour trip spread over three flights, they arrived the night before Thanksgiving. The airport pick up area was packed, and the pick up event itself was rather uneventful. We inched along in a traffic huggermugger, Audrey and Lance walked to us, we loaded their luggage and jumped back into the truck trying to fight traffic just to leave the airport. It was cold and snowy out. Lance arrived in Alaska wearing shorts.

DAY 1: Thanksgiving

At dog park, missing Nugent right about about now

On Thanksgiving day, Heather had to work the first part of the day, so Lance, Audrey and I took the dogs to our favored dog park. This outing was also a trial run of their cold-outdoor clothing. If I remember right, the temperature this day was somewhere in the low single-digits.

I just love this pic Audrey snapped of our two dogs taking off after a stick

We walked to Conner's Lake, which was completely frozen over, and unless you'd been there before, you probably wouldn't even know it was there. We all walked out over the lake, the dogs romped and Audrey played in the snow flakes!

My sister and her snowy flakes!

T'was this day, we had our first moose sighting. It wasn't a great sighting as we couldn't really make him out, but you can definitely tell he's there.

They don't hide very well in this environment, just look like big dark brown spots

After the dog park, we came home, cooked a bunch of food, Heather got off work and we enjoyed a super Thanksgiving feast along with a few of our friends whom we had invited. Good times were had by all.

DAY 2: Hatcher's Pass

The next day, Black Friday, we got up early and geared up to go snowshoe hiking in Hatcher's Pass. It's about a 1.5 hour drive to this popular hiking location north of Palmer, AK. Almost there, we had a second yet dodgy moose sighting. It was snowing hard and the light was very flat. It was tough to see him, but the camera shows he was there.

Bulwinkle, up the hill from the road

We rented and borrowed 4 sets of snowshoes and polls to trudge around in for the day. Hatcher's Pass is a vast area in the Chugach Mountains with peaks nearly 360 degrees to hike and lots of places to explore. For us, it was completely covered in snow. The surrounding mountains were hidden and the light was so flat we could barely decipher, at times, the terrain in front of us.

An old mining town in Hatcher's Pass

We were so worried about being cold this day we came prepared: lots of snow gear, hand and toe warmers, extra hats and layers stuffed in a book bag, and double socks on our feet. Our formerly Alaskan uncle who's a bit extreme when it comes to 'preparedness' would be proud.

Heather was worried about avalanches all day

After all our preparations for cold weather and keeping warm, turns out hiking in snowshoes is hard work. About 10 minutes into the trekking, we stopped and all started shedding layers. I was sweating like nobody's business within the first 30 minutes, after going it alone up a steep embankment.

See, on a clear day there'd be all manner of beautiful-ness behind them, but not this day

A look-down at our get-up

 We hiked around the mining town for a few hours and then took a trip down the board walk to the mouth of the mine.

At the mouth of the mine, Audrey being silly, me sitting on railing

There were several feet of snow on the ground. It was fun just to fall into it, and it caught you perfectly and gently like an expensive memory foam mattress or something.

Heather decided to beat me whilst I lay on my expensive snowy mattress

I just love capturing this side of my sister on camera 

Were it summer time, that railing he's leaning on would be as high as his shoulders

Another sighting of She-Heather! Watch Out!!

I think, by the end, we hiked about 3 hours. That was enough, because we were definitely tired afterwards. What cracked me up, was the surge of energy that overcame Lance come time to head to the car. The whole day, he took up the caboose, following the other three of us quietly. But once we pointed toward the car - zoom - off he went. The picture below is Lance, at this point way ahead with his sights set on warmth and a place to sit. He eventually got so far ahead he was out of sight. Unfortunately, he didn't have the keys, so once at the car he had to wait a good 10 minutes before we caught up. 

I think Lance is what you would call..."indoorsy"

After having some hot chocolate at a little restaurant thing and almost getting the truck badly stuck in the deep snow on what is probably the worst and stupidest road in the world...we started back home. Finally, then, it began to clear up a bit, and you can start to get an idea for the kind of place we spent our day.

I love the colors the sunset created

That evening we enjoyed Thanksgiving food again and got some needed rest.

To see what Hatcher's Pass looks like during the summer, click here.  Also, here's a picture of the mouth of the same mine we visited but during the summer. Gives some perspective on how much snow was under our feet.

Up next in part 2: More moose viewing, the creation on a Dominion obsession and the coldest Lance has ever been!!