COLORADO

March 26-30, 2009

Started my day off at 3:30am in Washington DC. Flew home to San Diego so I could pack and hopefully catch my flight at 3pm to Colorado. Too bad I had a layover in Denver on my way home. It was snowing pretty bad and it was only 7 am. I began to wonder if I would evenb be able to get back in. I got home, packed, checked in online....FLIGHT CANCELLED!!! I freaked out and called Frontier and was put on hold for almost 30 minutes. I decided to change my flight out of Orange County to San Diego in hopes to make it into Denver. If not, I wouldn't be able to get there for another 2 days. My flight ended up being delayed, but I finally made it to Denver. There was so much snow in town and we were anticipating a great powder day up at Vail. 

The next morning, the entire Colorado Burton crew met up at Rob & Doug's to ride up to Vail. On the way there, Jason and I got to do our first 540...in a car! Nothing like facing on-coming traffic. Luckily we didn't get in an accident and all we had to do was pop the bumper back on and tie up a piece hanging down with a shoelace.  Unfortunately, Vail didn't get much snow, so our powder day was lack there of. Regardless, we had a great time riding together and exploring the mountain. 

We stayed in Keystone for the weekend. Although it was still really cold, we had 2 wonderful days with blue skies. Definitely a great way to end the season...

Note: If you go to Keystone, stop by Parrot Eyes and get a River Runner, you won't be sorry, one of the strongest drinks in the place...unless you are feeling brave enough for the 120 oz. fishbowl. 

Spent the last day in Denver, relaxing and devouring the best banana split I've had in a long time.   

I'm on vacation!...I'm allowed to have something that just might kill me. 

 Doug, thanks for not making me cry like usual. You are definitely losing your touch! So long Colorado, I will be back sooner than you know it!

FLYING

March 25, 2009

Leaving El Paso, TX at 5:30am, we were off to Monterrey, CA to pick up some passengers.  As we approached Monterrey we were presented with a blanket of clouds, which obstructed us from landing. We tried 2 approaches, yet still no luck. Fortunately for me, I got an absolutely amazing view that I thought I would share with you.  One thing about flying so often is that I am blessed to see some of the most beautiful things that Mother Nature shares with us. 

Sunrise
Monterrey , CA

EL PASO, TX

March 23-25, 2009

Welcome to El Paso, Texas! Make a wrong turn and you will end up in Mexico. Wasn't really sure what to expect from this town, and in the end, it wasn't much. The best part of El Paso is the Super Guppy from NASA. It opens in the front and is used for ferrying outsized cargo components. It was a fascinating sight. We had some good tex-mex mexican food at Carlos and Mickey's. Everything was extremely spicy and we got out of there before the local entertainment began...eeeekkk. Our last night there I got pulled over for doing 73 in a 60mph. OOPS. Thankfully, being from out of town, having a borrowed car, and telling him we were a flight crew, he left me off with a verbal warning! I guess El Paso isn't that bad...the weather was warm enough that I could work on my tan a little bit. :)

 

Super Guppy

 

BREAST CANCER 3 DAY

Over the past few years I have always had a desire to walk in the Susan G. Komen 3 Day for Breast Cancer. Despite a hectic schedule, I signed up for the 2009 walk in San Diego Nov. 20-22. I will be walking 60 miles in 3 days and I will be camping out in tents with thousands of other people. I am really excited and I've been trying to train as much as possible, even if that means walking on a treadmill in my hotel. It has been a struggle trying to train in cities I'm not familiar with, not knowing what areas are safe and walker friendly. My goal is to walk at least 2 miles, 5 days a week with one long walk of 5 miles or more. 2 weeks ago, Carly and I walked round trip from Grandview to Swamis (Leucadia-Encinitas) which was about 6 miles- quite the adventure. We felt really good after and really enjoyed ourselves. I am hoping to raise $2,300.00 for the cause. I am walking in memory of my Grandmother who was a survivor of breast cancer when I was a child. If you would like to donate to the cause and help me reach my goal please follow the link below. 

Click here to visit my personal page.

For more information on the Susan G. Komen Foundation you can visit: 

www.the3day.org

UTAH

March 6-11, 2009

After 10 days off, I was granted another 10 so I decided to take a trip to Utah to meet up w. some friends and go snowboarding. I flew out Friday night where I met up w. a friend at the Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake City. This is probably one of the most beautiful hotels I have ever been to. It is a European "boutique" hotel of American Scale...truly five stars.

 (View from the Grand America)

Walking into the hotel I saw Carmelo Anthony and I wanted to say hello since I had flown him when he got back from Beijing from the summer Olympics. Of course I got to nervous and continued on my way. Getting out of the elevator I was faced w. the Denver Nuggets, Chauncey Billups. That's when I realized that the team must be staying here. The bellman told me that most of the NBA teams stay at this hotel when they are in town. Later that day I actually got to meet Chauncey and that night I got to go to the Denver Nuggets vs. Utah Jazz game. We had amazing seats, 15 rows up from the court.

(Chris Paul, myself, Carmelo Anythony)

 Evan LeFebvre picked me up the next morning and we made the trip up to Park City to go snowboarding. There was a contest going on in which Sean White won...what a surprise. It was a beautiful sunny day and we had a great time riding the park. After riding we were blessed with the most amazing hot tub on a balcony that overlooked a golf course covered in snow. Sushi and then Harry O's later that night... I hate Utah and their silly alcohol % laws. 

 

Brighton was the next stop on my journey. My friend Clark, from APU, was taking up a group from Cal Lutheran up for their Spring Break and invited me to come along. It snowed Sunday night and all day Monday so we got 2 days of powder, the 2nd day being the best. It was sunny out and there was about 2 ft. on the ground. Joe Mertes had just arrived from Minnesota so it was great catching up and watching talented snowboarders ride. The last day was sunny and I rode a little powder that was left over and then the park. Being my 5th day in a row, I was extremely sore and tired so I didn't last too long...I guess I'm getting old! Overall it was a great trip. I got to see a lot of my friends, had great snow, and best of all, I got to snowboard!