Jackson Hole, Wyoming

You inhaled exhilaration and exhaled anxiety, as we approached the Snow King Mountain. Looking up at the Double Black Diamond, you said, "The Black Diamond runs at Caberfae would be a Bunny Hill here!" We had been dreaming of this trip for a few months, and now that it is finally here - you. me. Teresa. and our boards... we were so excited! As a middle child, you crave quality time and this was our opportunity to focus on you. With undivided attention, we spend four days in Jackson Hole, snowboarding our brains out.

To be honest, it was a bit of a roller coaster. After the first couple of runs, you began to struggle with reality of a steep fall, human limitations, and your own skill level. This is one of the first times I ever witnessed you demonstrating apprehension due to physical fear. You fell. You slid. You struggled. You looked at me with tears in your almond eyes and said, "I literally told you I wasn't ready for this!" 

I bought you a sticker for your helmet that says, "Hold on, let me overthink this." 

Because the reality is that you are classic PsychoAnalytic. You process the formulaic equation in your gut, and then you step out based on the probable outcome. After falling a few times, you spent the first two days totally psyched out. At one point, you opted to trade your snowboard in with Teresa's skis. While she fell on her tailbone on the bunny hills, you and I took the chair lift to the Blue Square run. This was a terrible idea, because you hadn't been skiing in a few years! You fell repeatedly, and eventually we both sat down in the middle of the snowy run, and contemplated our options... "nobody is coming to rescue us. So we have to keep going." We literally took our gear off and began to walk down the mountain together. I told you, "I'm going to be right here with you the whole time. I am not going to leave you, don't worry." I held you by the arm as we steadied our footsteps over the icy conditions. 

Eventually we slid our way to the very bottom. You traded back to your snowboard and committed to giving it one more try. 

And the final half of the final day would prove to be the greatest four hours ever! You rediscovered your swag, found your confidence, and charged down blue and even (partial) black diamond runs on the Snow King Mountain. 

That night we went into town and crushed some authentic Mexican food, and I looked at you my beautiful daughter and thought, "I'm the luckiest dad in the world."

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