A Night at the Summit

Happy New Year!! Hope you all had a great holiday season and were able to take some time to spend with your friends and family. Christmas with my family was splendid, my work is starting to chill out, and New Years kicked off to an amazing 2016!

For New Years, I was more than excited to hear my friend's idea to spend the night at the mountain. We travelled up towards Snoqualmie late afternoon on New Years Eve to check into the Summit Inn. With a group of 15 and a reservation of two rooms, I brought my sleeping bag to ensure I would be comfortable. As we all arrived, the majority of the group hustled to get their ski gear on and head up to night ski. I was fortunate to have two people stay behind and enjoy a quiet evening until everyone got back. In the meantime, we played in the snow, explored, and went into the hotel's hot tub where we met people from as far away as Germany. It was an awesome night and we counted down to 2016 sooner than we anticipated!

The next morning we all woke up and were ready to shred on the mountain. We packed up our cars and then grabbed breakfast at the famous pancake house. While everyone else ordered banana pancakes and eggs Benedict, I dug into some homemade chicken teriyaki with a side of bacon. With a filling breakfast undertaken, we headed over to Alpental. I cannot explain how beautiful the snow was. The trees were covered in feet of snow and the blue sky brought out the mountain. It was such a nostalgic moment, and one that I wish I could relive over and over again. If only I could build a tiny house that was covered in snow during the winter, one day.

Once we arrived at the ski lodge I began to double guess my idea to snowboard. I have never snow boarded and wasn't sure my knees would handle it. And it was so beautiful out that I just wanted to walk around and take pictures. But as my friends geared up, I gave in and rented a snow board and boots. I slowly made my way to the bunny hill but was having trouble breathing. I had no idea what to do and almost everyone was skiing. Sara and I were brave enough to go up the chair lift and wait for the others. As we waited in line, I started to receive tips and tricks on how to do this-But I didn't receive any good information. I was next in line to sit down, but as the chair lift came faster than I could move, I was taken down but somehow landed right where I was supposed to. As the line laughed, I knew I was in for a challenge. But, getting off the lift was even more difficult. As my board hung from my one foot, I was so unsure how to disembark this lift. Without surprise, I fell off the lift and tumbled down. At this point I knew I was ruined. All I wanted to do was enjoy the snow but now couldn't even take a deep breath. As the rest of the group joined us, Sara's one roommate who boarded had a lot of patience to teach me. We went over a few basics and then I was on my way down the hill! I almost killed this guy at high speed but he assures me it's all good. After a few more runs I was feeling comfortable at what I was doing and ready for a break. Sara and I took a small strolls through the winter wonderland and then headed to the lodge for a snack. We eventually turned our gear in and drove around the little villages. The homes were all decorated with christmas lights, so it was the most perfect drive. By the end of the day, everyone was exhausted and ready to go. With a quick nap in the car, I was already back home and ready to got to work again. 2016 will be a great year filled with new experiences, LEGGGO! But before the year ends, I will be taking Mac sledding!

#Celea #CeleaMcInerny #McInerny #PNW #WA #Snoqualmie