In Loving Memory, Ski Trip VI

It has been about a month since Ski Trip VI came to a close. Now that time has passed, you can look back objectively at some of the highs and lows of a weekend in the mountains.

Friday

One of the biggest surprises of the entire weekend happened right away. Not only was my reservation upgraded to include an actual bed, but I ended up with a bedroom and bathroom to myself. Big ups to PhD for recognizing the numbers at play here and sharing the bounty of getting a single room with me. The video was excellent and the surprise ending of Lisa’s pregnancy announcement was monumental. And of course, Dave’s now infamous line, “Chew on that Divines!” There was also some hot tub action and hot tub talk led by none other than a man by the name of JD. The night was filled with drinking, fun, singing and passing out. Matt decided to cash his chips in early and his sister made him pay. There are photos, but they aren’t pretty.
Friday’s overall grade: A+

Saturday

Saturday was very strange by Ski Trip standards. No one wanted to come down off the mountain, well except for Ben and Angel going shopping. It was a cold ugly day and it looked like the usual go karts and bull riding activities were out. There was still a lot of activity going on inside the cabin with the karaoke machine, pool table, foosball, air hockey and Nerf basketball. All in all, things were going well until Amy Harass strolled into the kitchen and asked me what I was doing. I responded to the tune of, “There’s a white girl over there collecting a bunch of money and I’m here working like a slave.” Classic comedy at its best. And comedy that pays huge dividends, because the lasagnas were a huge success. Of course, the big downer for most of those in attendance was the CATS loss to the Gators. I heard rumors that Gatlinburg Idol went off without a hitch. I slept off the UK loss and got up later to be attacked by little Kristin Stapleton. It’s quite possible, she’s the most dangerous creature known to man. Shots of Jim Beam were taken and apologies exchanged. The night closed so well that I ended up sleeping on the futon in front of the TV.
Saturday’s overall grade: A-

Sunday

Whereas the first two days of the Ski Trip were utilized to renew adversarial relationships, Day 3 saw differences put aside for the common good. I was randomly matched with none other than Jana Banker for the annual pool tournament. With the goliath like presence of the Daves looming, we had to work together as a team if there was any chance of taking home the title. We actually played pretty well together and made it farther than many people expected. However, after calling the wrong pocket, former champion Ben Alvarez finished us off. We had a good run Banker, but now we can return to the natural state of things, mano-a-mano. The Daves went on to win their second consecutive title (thanks to Kristin Stapleton for asking for returning champions to keep their team). They are a tough team to beat, but they can be rattled. Even though, I’m not sure if, “Oh my baby.” will work again next year. During the tourney, Kristin was working hard to provide a myriad of snacks to the bums in the basement. She did a great job all weekend taking over food prep duties from the likes of Amber Scott and Jen Miller. The Super Bowl betting was as heated as ever. The game was never really in doubt once it became obvious the striped shirts had bet on the Steelers too. I think I broke even on betting with Amber Moles defying all odds (and tons of predictions that she would win nothing) by taking home the big pot. It was nothing if not a fun-filled, action-packed day.
Sunday’s overall grade: A

As you can see, the Ski Trip still scores well against the competition. It looks like it may also have spawned an evil bastard child in the Ski Trip goes Summer. Just be sure to get yourself ready for Ski Trip VII: Couples Therapy.