Colorado Rocky Mountain High

So, I need a little help - the plural of moose is... mooses? meese? meeses? moosen? Whatever the case, we woke up early Sunday morning to a couple of moosen licking the salt off of our bus in Winter Park, Colorado. One of the guys in our group concocted a plan to corral the moose to one side of the bus, and when she wasn't looking, jump on her back and ride her down the mountain. Now, I don't know a lot about angry mother mooses - BUT, this didn't seem like the greatest plan ever devised. I did, however, go against my better judgment and encourage him to give it a shot. I can't think of anything funnier than a 38 year old man being stomped on by a big momma moose... after all I did need some new material for the blog.
The trip started off with typical Stockstillian flare. We bought a 1981 school bus off ebay for $1500 - flew to Kansas City and drove the bus back to Laurel. In our own estimation we figured if the bus made it back, it would have no trouble making the trip to Colorado. (I'm glad to say no problems in transit - 32 hours there and 34 hours back). So, we loaded up 22 people and headed west.
I guess as a dad there comes a transitional time where you move from the "superstar" (at least in your own mind) to the coach. For a couple of days I strictly hung out with Dylan and Micah - who are terrors on the slope. Dylan has reached a point of great confidence and spends most of his time skiing in and out of the trees. For Micah, this was his first time. So, on the last day I took him down a steep blue (intermediate) slope, and it became obvious the mountain was getting the best of him. We laid down in the snow, took a breather and looked up at the sky and made a plan.
"Micah, I want you to pretend this mountain is a giant dragon. All of these trees are like giant scales and we have got to get to the bottom and slay this mighty beast."
The sniffles stopped and his ears perked up.
"How do we do that?"
"Well, your skis are like giant swords and at the bottom you will find his head. I want you to take those blades and kill the dragon."
After a minute he thought that this was a great plan. He picked himself up, pointed his skiis straight down and took off. As we raced down the mountain I saw him zig zagging across the mountain shooting his bow and arrow at all of the crazy critters hiding in the forest.
It's in moments like this that you get lost in the greatness of being a dad. I enjoy snowboarding as much as any activity I do, but it pales in comparison to watching my kids experience life.
If you get a chance... head West (or East if you live in California) and spend some time with your family and the moosen.