California, Oregon

Today was another Sunrise (actually before sunrise) to Sunset (ok, after sunset) day!   We drove and/or were in the car for over 16 hours, a repeat to what we did on Tuesday.   Milestones… over 2500 miles driven; peaked the Fiat at 101 MPH; after over 5 close call car incidents, no car troubles or crashes to report.  Whew!

Highlights of the day… visiting Newport and Lincoln city along the 101 Oregon Coast (which by the way, if you get nausea from the smell of fish, don’t visit!); hanging out at the Portland Oregon Temple before checking into our hotel; and lastly, $2 burgers from a little burger joint called ‘Burgerville’ in Gresham, OR.

Portland Oregon Temple

Along the way, we had some good conversations and incidents with local peeps in Newport and Lincoln City.    One was with a young lady that worked at the candy store we parked in front of in Newport.   We started talking and come to find out she had never seen a paper map before (I bought one that was bigger than my old one as my eyes are getting old); Another was with the Bar Tender at the restaurant we ate dinner at (we didn’t want to wait the 45 min for a table so the hostess offered to have us sit at the bar, which we kindly accepted) and once she found out Joey was underage, kicked us out (which ended up being ok, as eating on a picnic table along the coast line was much more fun than eating at a bar!)

Newport US Coast Guard

Yaquina Bay Bridge

California

We took it pretty easy today, we visited the Oakland Temple; checked out a cool place called Jack London Square; took pics of the famous Golden Gate Bridge from Fort Baker; hung out at Pier 49; drove the streets of downtown San Fran looking for cable cars, which we didn’t find; then had Japanese fried chicken at this cool restaurant (can’t remember the name of it) in downtown Oakland, which by the way has some cool graffiti art!  Ok… maybe we didn’t take it pretty easy!

Highlight of the day… feeling like a 16 year old driving his first car!  Let me explain… while driving downtown San Fran (if you’ve ever driven, you’ll know what I’m talking about), we were first car stopped on the steepest hill I’ve ever been on!   I started to freak out a little… ok a lot!   I told Joey,  there better not be any cars behind us,  well, you guessed it… a super new and nice Toyota Highlander right on my tail… inches from our little Fiat!   I immediately put on the parking break and started sweating as I waited for the red light to turn green.    Green light, I better go!   First attempt, stalled the car… Second attempt, squealed the tires and stalled the car again!   Third attempt… 4K RPMS, Squealed tires, and whew!  We made it without rolling the car back!  I felt a huge accomplishment being able to get out of there without having to get out and having Joey give it a go.   After we were driving again Joey says, you know, the Fiat has ‘hill assist’ that would have held you in place without you doing everything you did… I replied, yeah, you’re right, yet now we have a story to tell!

Nevada, California

I woke pretty early today, woke Joey up just before sunrise.   We had a restful night in Boulder City, just outside of Lake Mead National Park and the Hoover Dam.   We ventured out to take some pics of Lake Mead as well as the Hoover Dam.   Funny thing, we had to turn back around to our hotel after being stopped at a security check point.  Something we learned today is that you’re not able to take firearms with you to the Dam.   :  )

It for sure was a sunrise to sunset day.   After a hearty breakfast at the local diner (Thank you Best Western for the $10 discount), we were off in the Fiat!   During our drive from Nevada to Northern California, we were able to accomplish a lot!   We stopped in to have lunch with our friends, Ruth and Jerry, who live in Bakersfield (Got to have lunch at In & Out your first day in CA, it’s tradition!); drove thru the San Andreas Fault; up the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway); then back in to stay at the Oakland Airport Executive Hotel for a couple of nights.

Highlight of the day was for sure hanging out at a place called Ragged Point to watch the sunset and take some beach pics.  We found this Nature Trail ‘Coastal Access’ and decided, let’s do it!   For sure in flip flops, so we can get in the water too… well, little did we know it was steep, ragged, and pretty rough trail.   We trekked down to the bottom (without injury and without being bit by snakes, yes there were snakes!), took our pics, enjoyed the sunset, and back up to continue on our journey.

A thought I had as I was climbing back up, which if you have every hiked a steep dirt trail (especially in flip flops)  it is much easier than going down as you’re looking into the mountain and able to balance yourself better, etc.   Thinking of spiritually going down and going up… when you’re going ‘downhill’, meaning making wrong choices, you are more likely to slip; fall backward; get hurt by falling without being able to catch yourself; lose control.  Yet when you’re going ‘uphill’ you can grip; fall forward; still get hurt, yet able to catch yourself; be in more control as you have more ability to do so.   So there you have it, if you ever find yourself going ‘downhill’ remember you can always turn around and go ‘uphill’!

Utah, Arizona, Nevada

Mission Launched!  Joey and I, left Heber right on time around 3ish AM, we arrived Bryce Canyon right as the sun was rising.   What great mental pics taken of red rock scenery all around us.   The morning drive was quick, Joey slept almost the entire way of our first leg.   We checked out some amazing vistas, first one being ‘Inspiration Point’ and then later found a cool trail named Sheep Creek and Swamp Valley (not sure why it was called that as it was dry as a bone!).   What we thought would be a short 3 mile loop, turned out to be 1.1 mile in (totally downhill) and 1.1 mile back (totally uphill) and took us MUCH longer than we anticipated.   It was pretty cool to see the formations from below instead of from atop, so it was totally worth the adventure.

The Grand Canyon is ah inspiring.  We drove by some lookout points, visited the ‘Visitor Center’ which by the way, have MANY visitors.   Joey and I were ready to bow out and just leave, yet I told Joey we should try to find some places in the area without so many people, and we did.  Good thing we stayed, as the highlight of the day was Joey running into a Japanese couple who he spoke to and was excited to have a quick conversation with them.

On our way out of the Grand Canyon, we got off the main freeway and drove into a town to find some dinner.  Little did we know, the town was part of the original ‘Route 66’, and was all decked out with vintage stores; neon lights; etc.   Felt like we had drove into Radiator Springs of the Cars movie!  Favorite pic of the week is this one Joey took of a shop on Route 66 as the sun set!

We just checked into the Best Western in Boulder City, home of the Hoover Dam.  It’s almost 11PM, PST, and I’m SOO glad Joey talked me out of camping at Boulder Beach at Lake Mead.  I was able to take a quick shower and hopefully be able to sleep like a baby.  It was a great first day and I’m so thankful for being able to drive our first day, almost 1000 miles, safe and sound.   3 states visited in one day!  45 to go!  Woo Hoo, we’re Looking forward to tomorrow!

 

 

Photo by Randall S Olson

‘Don’t Call it a Dream, Call it a Plan’ is what my wife messaged me last Thursday as I was talking to her about my anxiety and worries about my ‘Dream’ to travel the continental 48 states… which by the way has officially turned into a ‘Reality’ after a solid 4-6 weeks of planning!

When I was a youth, my Dad would spontaneously take us on last minute road trips across my home state of Utah.  He would come home on a late Thursday evening (he worked Swing Shifts) and say to us, ‘Let’s go!’   One of the most memorable road trips he took us on was one that lasted over 2 weeks.   I remember like it was yesterday, we traveled in a blue VW Van, headed north to Montana, then east thru Oregon and Washington, down south to Northern California, then back home thru Lake Tahoe area.  Ever since then I’ve had the ‘Dream’ of travelling the US in one round, collecting those fun state stickers that you see on the back of an RV!

This summer, our world Traveler son, came home from Japan and for whatever reason, I shared with him my Dream to travel the US and right off the bat, he was excited about my dream and we turned that into a plan!

Our plan, similar to that of Randall Olson’s, is to travel thru each and ever state of the Continental 48, visiting at least one National Landmark; Historic Church of Jesus Christ site; or Church of Jesus Christ Temple.

We want to thank all of those who are supporting us in our adventure!  My team members at Xcel Financial who are taking care of business as I work remotely; Paul with General RV who spent so much time educating us in RV travel (long story, yet we were going to road trip in an RV and are now in a little Fiat named ‘Davinci’, I like to call him ‘Leo’); and last but most definitely not least, my very supportive and loving wife who is taking care of things back home as we travel.   I couldn’t do this without her!   I hope you all enjoy our writings in the upcoming days and weeks.  Please share your comments of your travel dreams, and remember to not call it a ‘Dream’ call it a ‘Plan’!

Want to know something fun to do on Flag Day?   Road trip in the USA!  That’s exactly what my wife and I decided to do this summer.  We dropped a pin on the map, and the pin fell on a place in CA called Point Arena, north of San Francisco.   We didn’t do any research prior to coming, didn’t even plan the time we would have to leave to get to our destination until the night before.   We just knew it was a coastline destination in Sunny CA!

Our Maps app told us total time from our home to our final destination was 13.5 hours.   We decided we should get up at 3AM, leave by 4AM and with minimal stops along the way, we would make it before the sun sets as I’ve never been a fan of arriving to our destination in the dark.

3:45AM – left point A, myself being the first leg driver in our Mini Coupe S named Lokalani.  My wife sleeps.

6:15AM – arrive point B… I was starting to get sleepy, so quick leap frog of drivers.   I take turn sleeping.

12:00PM – arrive point C… Truckee, CA where we had a nice hour sit down lunch at the local SqueezeIn restaurant.  Good eats!

5:00PM – arrive point D… little market called Yorkville Market, in a little town in the middle of nowhere on CA highway 128… My favorite part of this place is when I looked down at my cell phone  and it says… ‘No Service’.  Really cool highway with many local vineyards and wineries.  We enjoyed the much needed break to eat dinner and get over car sickness!

8:45PM – arrival at point E, our final destination, Lighthouse Point Resort, in the quaint Point Arena.  CA local time 7:45PM… sun just starting to set.   Mission accomplished!

So what we thought would take us just a little under 14 hours, ended taking almost 18 hours to complete.    Am I complaining…   absolutely not!    We took time to UnPlug, enjoyed a couple of cool eateries and after taking the ‘long way’ to avoid what would have been the craziest curviest  road (so we were told) to our final destination… We drove past some way cool vineyards in the country and then thru an Amazing Awe Inspiring Redwood Forest, Navarro River Redwoods State Park (totally didn’t expect this!) as well as finished up by driving by northern CA coastline that you usually only see in movies!

It was a great first day of the next 10 days where my wife and I plan to rest; relax; and as ironic as it sounds, UnPlug, to ReCharge!   : )

I most recently returned from traveling the country of Japan, and what an adventure it was!   Flew in to Haneda airport Tokyo… bullet trained to Osaka… trained out to Nara one day (delay due to taking the ‘wrong’ train)… next day a different train to Kobe (glad we got on the ‘right’ train this day!)… another day, took an express train to Kyoto (express is the way to go!)… couple of days later, bullet trained back to Tokyo…  after a short break, bused out to Fujiyama for the day… that night, bused back to Tokyo… after resting for a couple of days to recover, bused to Narita airport and air planed back home!

This trip was a last minute, inspired, and needed break to visit my son who has been studying Japanese language and culture arts since the end of December 2017.   He was off from school for ‘Golden Week’ and it was likely going to the be the best time for him to check off the bucket list items he had for himself and I was excited that he was willing to let his old man tag along!

What does ‘Golden Week’ mean anyway and why do they call it that!!??   No one really knows except the fact that everyone takes time off!!   Well, I decided to do a little research and what I found out is exactly that, it’s an excuse to take a bunch of time off!   There are a few known national holidays during this week, one having to do with some old Japanese calendar that made May 1st New Day!  (Celebrated like New Year’s Day, my son and I clearly missed the party and fireworks the eve of as we didn’t know and slept thru it all) with May 2nd also being an additional public holiday with the succession of a new Emperor!  (Which by the way is the first time a Japanese Emperor to abdicate since 1817).  OK, enough with the history lesson.   Just say, ‘Golden Week’… it is a 10 day holiday for the locals!   In my opinion its the time of the year that the local economy makes ‘zutto’ (much) GOLD or YEN from the sale of everything from travel to gifts and food.

The first Sunday of Golden week was a most memorable time for me.  My son and I decided that we would attend the local Urayasu Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Sunday service.   The spirit overwhelmed me this day during sacrament service.    From the moment that the sacrament service began into listening to the translated talks and testimonies then finishing up with us singing hymn #34 (All creatures of our god and king #62 of the English hymn book) I felt the spirit so strong!

During the last hymn, I immediately had a flash back to just a few weeks ago where I attended the semi annual priesthood session of General Conference in person at the Salt Lake City Conference Center.   During this conference’s intermediate Hymn sung by the congregation I felt as if a choir of angels from our ancestors were singing the hymn with us.    Our loved ones who have passed away are among us, they are watching over us, they are cheering us on, they love us as much as we loved them.

I am honored to have witnessed in person a sacrament service in Japan, such a blessed place full of blessed people.   As I observed the members being so respectful of the sacrament ordinance, where I saw many (sisters especially) taking the cup with two hands; and both brethren and sisters bowing to the the deacon passing the sacrament, I was reminded of how I need to be more reverent and respectful of this ordinance where we remember our Saviors’ atoning sacrifice to overcome both physical and spiritual death.

I am a personal witness of how the love our Father in Heaven can make a person’s life better while on this earth and throughout eternity.   I’m so happy that I was able to Unplug during Golden Week 2019 and enjoy the sites and people of Japan!   I learned from the Urayasu Sunday service that we don’t have to travel to far away places to Unplug from the world… we can Unplug each and every week as we attend our local Sunday services and enjoy the blessings of the sacrament ordinance.  May we all remember who He is; and may we remember to be His witness in all things; so we may have His spirit with us always!

 

We all have had our ‘first’ adventures in life, for runners, they have their first 5K; their first 10K, then if they are willing and adventurous, their first Half Marathon and Full Marathon run.   For the ‘crazy’ and most skilled distance runners, you even have your first 50 miler and even 100 miler!

For those who don’t know (I used to be one of ‘those’ who didn’t) a 10K run is 6.21371 miles.   That may seem not like much of a run for runners who are used to running marathons, yet for me, it was the longest distance I had ever ran in a single moment in my entire life!

Farmington Festival Days 10K was the race; and after my sister-in-law had invited me three different times to join her in this race, I finally, morning of the race (4:30 AM to be exact) accepted her invite; drove over an hour from my home to the race venue; and registered for the event!   I wasn’t sure at the moment why I decided to join her, other than I was looking for something fun to do and have for years now, wanted to better understand the ‘Runner’s Mentality’ as well as comprehend ‘Why’ they put themselves thru so much training prior to races; so much pain during these races; and at the end; ‘why’ it brings them so much ‘joy’ that they immediately start thinking about the ‘next race’.

Well, for all you ‘Runners’ out there, you should be proud to know that I finally ‘get it’!   It may not be this way for all of you, yet for my LDS fellow members, you should appreciate the analogy and thoughts I had during my first race in the beautiful city of Farmington, Utah.   You see, as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, we are taught of a Living and Loving Heavenly Father, whom we once lived with prior to living on this earth.   Our time here on this earth is a time to prepare to return to live with Him someday.   We walk in faith, receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, and lean on Jesus Christ to make our burdens light until we meet again in the afterlife.   We call this The Plan of Salvation.  As I was running, for whatever reason, I began to think of how this ‘run’; my ‘first run’; was like unto Heavenly Father’s Plan of Salvation.   Let me explain a bit about my and our beliefs as Latter Day Saint members…

Before coming to this earth, we all lived with our Heavenly Parents, we were born spirits; in a heavenly state; and wanted to be like our parents, eternal beings with bodies of flesh and bone; and enjoy the gift of eternal life and happiness.   They told us that we could do this, yet we would have to be born into an imperfect world, have trials and burdens as they once did.  These trials and burdens would build us physically, mentally, emotionally, and even spiritually.   After enduring all that was given to us to endure, and by ‘choosing’ to obey God’s commandments; in a succession of right choices, we would be happy and return to live with them again.

This 10K that I ran, to me, was like unto the Plan of Salvation.    We registered for the race; were given a map of the run showing us where we would start, the route of the run, and where we would finish, this way we would have a plan of our beginning and end.  In the premortal life, we were all given a map as well, we studied it, some of us with excitement of what we were about to do; some of us a little nervous; and others down right scared of what was going to happen!   We then stretched; hydrated; did whatever things that runners do; waiting at the start line, excited to begin the ‘race’.   We were told that after running the 10K, and at the finish line, we would be given a prize; a cool t-shirt; and even have a complimentary hearty breakfast!   The same is true to God’s pan.   We all lined up in the premortal life, studied our individual maps; prepared ourselves; excited to begin our life.   We are promised that if we finish the race, and endure to the end, we will be given the prize of eternal life and salvation and have a feast of happiness.

The one thing that nobody told me about this 10K is what happens ‘during’ the race!   I had no idea how difficult it would be to run a little over 6 miles (I know, to some, this is NOT that big of deal, yet for me it was!).    Although, I will give credit to my sister in law, who time and time again has told me that I need to ‘prepare’ that she was ‘worried’ about how I would do in my first race; that I should get proper shoes; that I should practice running 3, 4, and even 6 miles before the race.   Unfortunately, I didn’t really listen to her, and let me tell you, I paid the price!   On about mile 4, I was feeling my legs turning to Jell-O; my feet were starting to burn; I began feeling that I was getting blisters known by runners as ‘hot spots’ on certain parts of my feet.   I was feeling pain and was ready to just bail out and cut my race short,  there was a cutoff I could have taken, yet I told myself that I must endure and finish this race that I made the commitment to run!   I’m not going to lie, it was difficult, I had to walk certain points, I had to rest at the water station and then I began running again.    Yet I thought to myself; it doesn’t matter whether I run thru the finish line; walk thru the finish line; or even crawl thru the finish line… All that matters is that I finish the race!  I will be given the same t-shirt; be fed the same breakfast; and be given the same welcome by those at the finish line!   What was great about this 10K was to see those during the race cheering myself and others on; those that were watching to care for those that had fallen; those who had already finished and were running back to run with those that were lagging behind.  Mile 4 to mile 5 felt like eternity, yet once I hit mile 5, I knew I was almost to the finish; I began to run again and didn’t stop until I crossed the finish line, greeted by family, friends and the best part a bottle of water and food!

God’s plan is no different than that of a 10K; Marathon; or even 50/100 miler…  We all had our time in the premortal existence to accept and prepare for our time here on earth.    We all are here on earth; different abilities; different circumstances; different talents.  Some of us are able to run a 5K, 10K, others a Marathon, and even others 50/100 milers.   In the end, all that matters is that we finish ‘our’ race.   God knows our strengths; he knows our weaknesses; he knows what trials we will have while here on earth., which is why he gave His only begotten son, to take upon Himself our burdens; whether they be physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual.   He knew that we would need to be cheered; to be given rest; he would send his angels, both on this earth running alongside as well as those that had finished coming back and helping us along our way.    How grateful I am to have had the experience of my ‘first 10K run’.   It opened my eyes and heart and gave me the perspective I needed to continue to walk in obedience before the Lord in order to finish my own race here on earth.   So, when life beats you down, remember to not give up… endure… and finish your race! For once you do, you will experience the joy that I experienced in crossing your finish line!

Who’s up for a 7 day media challenge??!!!  Read on to learn about this historic LDS broadcast

Excerpt from http://www.lds.org:

In a special devotional for youth, President Russell M. Nelson told young people across the globe that taking part in the gathering of Israel is their most important purpose right now.

What is this gathering? President Nelson explained that anytime you do anything that helps anyone—on either side of the veil—take a step toward making covenants with God and receiving their essential baptismal and temple ordinances, you are helping to gather Israel.

“There is nothing of greater consequence. Absolutely nothing,” he said. “This gathering should mean everything to you. This is the mission for which you were sent to earth.”

The prophet invited each young woman and young man to do what he taught them would “change you and help you change the world.”

1. Hold a seven-day fast from social media.

First, President Nelson asked each teenager to choose seven consecutive days to disengage from social media and carefully pay attention to any differences in how they feel and think during that period of time.

“Give yourself a seven-day break from fake!” he counseled.

Although social media can be used for positive purposes, he said its power to create a sense of false reality and become a distraction from the whisperings of the Spirit is detrimental.

“It will be your sign to the Lord,” he explained, “that you are willing to step away from the world in order to enlist in His youth battalion.”

2. For three weeks in a row, make a weekly sacrifice of time to the Lord.

In his second invitation, President Nelson asked the youth, for three weeks in a row, to give up something they like to do and use that time to help others renew their commitment to God.

“As you pray about this sacrifice of time, you will be guided to know both what you can give up that week and what you can do instead to help gather Israel.” He continued, “Let the Lord know that you want to be part of His youth battalion—more than you want anything else.”

3. Keep on the covenant path.

President Nelson also asked the youth to do a thorough life assessment with the Lord to ensure they are on the covenant path—or living faithfully according to the covenants they have made with God. To those who have wandered off, he pleaded that they repent and return.

“If there are some things you need to let go of to help your mind and heart be more pure, today is the perfect time to change,” he said. “Please do not stay off the covenant path one more minute. … We need you with us in the youth battalion of the Lord.”

When youth aren’t sure how to repent, President Nelson advised them to talk to their parents or their bishop to better understand Jesus Christ’s Atonement.

4. Pray daily that all of God’s children might receive the blessings of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

President Nelson’s fourth invitation was that each young person prays daily that the doors of every nation will be opened to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

“You and I are living to see, and will continue to see, Israel gathered with great power,” he said. “And you can be part of the power behind that gathering!”

5. Stand out and be different from the world.

President Nelson’s final invitation to the youth was that they stand out and be different from the world.

“If you are sometimes called ‘weird,’ wear that distinction as a badge of honor and be happy that your light is shining brightly in this ever-darkening world!”

President Nelson asked that the youth prayerfully study the For the Strength of Youthpamphlet and give a copy to a friend who may not know or live these standards.

“You are among the best the Lord has ever sent to this world,” he said. “You have the capacity to be smarter and wiser and have more impact on the world than any previous generation!”

President Nelson boldly urged every young woman and young man to enlist in the Lord’s youth battalion to help gather Israel.

“You are the hope of Israel, ‘children of the promised day!’”

https://www.lds.org/blog/five-things-the-prophet-invites-all-youth-to-do-now?cid=HP_SU-3-6-2018_dPTH_fBCAST_xLIDyL1-A_&lang=eng

This weekend I enjoyed another great day skiing at Deer Valley resort located in Utah where I believe the ‘Greatest Snow on Earth’ still exists!  I spent the morning enjoying the fresh powder from the night before and the afternoon taking on the challenge of skiing the moguls also known as ‘bumps’ with a good friend that is a master ‘bump skier’!

I’ve always been more of what I call a ‘Jack Johnson’ style skier where I stick to the ‘groomer’s’ listening to my favorite Pandora station (which in case you’re wondering is called Jack Johnson Radio) making as many turns as I can, cautious and careful of skiing down the mountain.   As many skiers can relate, I have feared going off track into the trees, into the bumps, or heaven forbid, the ‘steeps’ on the mountain!

A couple of seasons ago I made a conscious decision that I wanted to stretch myself, become better, learn to ski stronger, thru the trees, thru the bumps, on the steeps! Besides, if I wanted to keep up with and ski with my son who has no ‘fear’ of finding some fresh power and just ‘going for it’ I would have to push myself and learn how to ski the terrain I’ve always avoided.

Last season, I decided I would start stretching slowly by taking a ski clinic titled ‘Intro to Steep’s’, thinking to myself that this would be an ‘introduction’ class where I likely would be on blue, double blue (intermediate terrain) at the most difficult.  This ‘intro’ class would be perfect way to see if I could begin to overcome my fears of skiing terrain I’d never skied before. I advised the clinician that I wanted to work on fears I’d had with skiing as well as work on my ‘vertigo’ issues on the steeps that I get when on a steep pitch.  Besides this was an ‘intro’ class and the clinician wouldn’t really consider taking us on any black diamond (most difficult, expert terrain), right? The first few runs were exactly what I was expecting,  easy blues, to intermediate blues, then we started going into tree runs, steep tree runs!!!  I seriously almost bowed out and said ‘adios mi amigo’s I’m outta here!’  Until the words of the clinician sunk into my mind and soul…   He said to me ‘Eddie, the best way to tackle your fear is entering the fear itself and seeing yourself succeeding.’  

By the end of the class, I found myself hanging the tips of my skis on the steepest expert double black diamond terrain on the mountain!   I never imagined that I would ever ski down the expert Daly Bowl and Daly Chutes of Deer Valley!   Was I scared?  Heck yea!  Did I see myself succeeding to tackle my fear?  You better believe I did as when you get to certain places on the mountain, there’s only one way down!   And guess what?  It totally worked!   I skied terrain I never thought I could, I overcame my fear that day and learned that we all can stretch ourselves, we just need to UnPlug from the worries and fears and PlugIn to seeing ourselves succeeding.   Since this class, I have become a better skier, and I hope to apply the same principals in life and become a better person.   I start by seeing others succeed (like my friend, master bump skier, tackle the bumps like nobody’s business) then I see myself succeeding, and in time, courage will prevail and success will be the end result!  So, take courage, see yourself succeed and enjoy the ‘steeps’!