It is absolutely beautiful here. The snow on the trees makes it like a winter wonderland fairy tale. But I do really want to come back in the fall. I think the fall foliage would be gorgeous. Meanwhile, I am having a blast. I haven't laughed this much in a really long time. It has been an absolute incredible experience. The group of ladies I have met are fantastic. I have had zero complaints except the bitter cold. We've barely gotten into double digits. And our low this morning was -27 degrees and recorded by NWS as the coldest place in the US today. We went snowshoeing today. It was another find time. My body is very tired and sore. It is partially wondering what I did to it. But I am ready to go home tomorrow and I'm ready to see my puppy.

I am really sore from yesterday. I'm glad I took the 20 mins to stretch before snowshoeing today.

I actually felt like this came very naturally to me. The hardest part was actually going downhill. Firstly, your heals aren't strapped to the ski like downhill skis, so you can't turn. Secondly, x-countrt skis have no edge on them. So stopping, slowing down, or having any control of your speed is difficult. On one of the hills I went down, it was a steeper one with a curve at the bottom. I picked up too much speed that in order to stop myself before going into the woods was to fall face first into the snow. My skis were sprawled in a V-shape. I was laughing at myself so hard, that I did pee my pants as well. But I also got myself into a situation that I didn't know how to get up with my skis on, so somebody helped me pop one off. Is x-country skiing something I would do again? Sure, but I wouldn't invest in the sport. I'd rather stick to downhill skiing. But I am having a blast! I like all the women I have met in this group. I would definitely do something like this again! Disclaimer: I am in October. I'm doing the Shenandoah trip with the Explorer Chicks company.

My morning didn't go as planned. I woke up with a headache. It went away quickly. I went to pick something up at the office that I forgot to then realize I forgot my ski socks at home. So then I stopped at home to get them. On my way out of my apartment complex, my low tire pressure was dinging at me. The 2 air compressors at Wawa were mobbed. But after topping off with gas and filling my tires, I was on my merry way. I got 8 runs in at Whitetail Mountain in Mercersberg, PA. I really enjoyed that mountain. It's small but steep. I also attempted moguls. Yeah, I still suck at them 🤣. And I fell once....first time all season! I am now checked into my room at Blackwater Falls Lodge in West Virginia. I am ready for some snow adventures to begin!

I decided to just take the first half of this week easy. I have been busy getting ready for a really big meeting with PA's Department of Environmental Protection and our clients about a site we've been working on the past couple years. All in all my first big meeting in the PM role went very well despite having to answer the question of why did you only analyze for what we call total metals and not filter for dissolved metals for groundwater? That was a difficult one to answer when you know the answer but you can't say in front of the client that the previous PM should've known this but just didn't do it. 🤯 And people wonder why he's still not working at this company! Meanwhile, we have hired somebody who starts on Feb. 9. My favorite part about it is that he is a ski instructor at Jack Frost, where I generally going skiing. I won't lie, during his interview, we may have bonded over our love for skiing and made the boss feel a little left out 🤣. I am excited to learn from someone new. And being as he is a ski instructor, he must have a lot of patience and really enjoying teaching along with just personal growth. So I'm very excited for him to join our team. I also finally got word about my raise. I got a 10% increase along with a really nice note from the big boss saying how much he appreciates me stepping into the PM role, which I hope to continue doing as we bring this new person on board. I leave tomorrow for my WV adventures with Explorer Chicks. I am getting very anxious, but excited about it at the same time. I think it's more the drive and the potential snow this weekend that has me anxious. I am really looking forward to meeting a wonderful group of women. I start my journey off with some downhill skiing on my way to WV. Then over the weekend, it will be filled with snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and sledding. So, let's bring on a fantastic long weekend (and some soreness).