Daniel UN-redeems himself at Mt. Hood Meadows

Stay tuned until the end to see how...

Oh! The suspense. It's just too much fun!

The day started out early. I'm talking about 5:00 early. But to a skier, it's worth it. The kids don't even complain. I wake them with a pat on the shoulder and a "Wanna go skiing?" and they bounce out of bed. It continued on with an exceptionally long and slippery drive to Mt. Hood. We figured it would be a quiet day at the resort because one of the roads leading there was closed due to a mudslide. But EVERYONE and their dog decided to drive around and use OUR ROAD to get there. (The nerve!) So Portland traffic was found on a beautiful and winding road between Hood River and Mt. Hood. Next we have a parking spot in a land so far, far away that they put you on buses to take you to the lodge, where you stand in line for 15 minutes so that you can happily give them hundreds of dollars for a ride on their fancy little chairs which are suspended from cables high up in the air.

But then you remember how happy everyone is when they're bundled up in several layers with long skinny things attached to their feet and a funny little square tag attached to their jackets.

And you realize that they have graciously replaced the *!#%^ rope tow with a blessed "Magic Carpet" which is ....

wait for it....

wait for it....

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COVERED so as to keep you out of the falling snow while you ride it! Hooray! And it's so easy to ride that Jantzen could do it all by herself and she could do her ten million laps on the bunny hill whilst I stood by and took pictures.

This is inside the tunnel. Does it look Star Trek-ish to you?

Notice the hands on the hips. She is so tickled with herself and her new ability to ski without using that harness you see attached to her. This girl had a permanent smile all day. And the red snowsuit? It has survived three kids now. Don't tell her that her brothers wore it. I know I'm already living on borrowed time because it's not pink.

This video is posted purely for the enjoyment of my mom, because grandmas just don't think this stuff is boring. Here you go, mom. As per your request.

And now for the end of the story, the moment you've been waiting for.

Yes, it's broken.

And the pictures don't really do it justice. It's uglier in person. Unless you're Daniel's parents. (Hi Tina and Thomas!) Then it's fine. No bruising, swelling or pain. Don't worry! He'll be good as new in 4-6 weeks and the doctor said that he can still go snowboarding with the cast on. That way maybe he can break the other hand. Aren't you so glad you sent him to America? He's getting the full American experience, including an up close look at the health care system. I apologize in advance for your upcoming doctor bills.