Pre-Turkey Post

Beaver Creek opens tomorrow and we are pretty excited about it! We begin the day at 830am. Need to get our 'uniforms' on. They provided us with Winter Jackets, a vest, and snow pants that are apparently warm enough for us. So that's good! We will be wearing Red and sporting some very slimming helmets the resort has provided us with. We got to pick out which one we wanted and Vail Resorts paid the bill, $160 retail! So it was sweet to get a really nice brand new helmet to wear on the mountain! Not sure if we get to keep them or not after the season.

We have a better idea of what we'll be doing: For part of the day we will be scanning lift tickets, and the other part we will be checking in with guests. Making sure they're ok, if they need ANY sort of help whatsoever. Our resort is TOP OF THE LINE when it comes to resorts. Infact, the average family spends $32,000 A WEEK there!! On hotel rooms(avg$2000 a night) and ski lessons ($600 per hour), lift tickets($100 per day), food, transportation, etc... I was floored when I heard that! Our resort also recieved #1 in guest services for the last 3 years out of over 400 resorts. Pretty much our job is sucking up to the guests and making sure they're having 'The Ultimate Experience of a Lifetime"(vail resorts motto). Pretty crazy though!

Nina and I also found a church out here. We're pretty excited about it! Nina was skeptical at first, but I definetly felt the Holy Spirit through their not-so-perfect worship. I've been spoiled by great Worship at The Chapel. :D I talked to the student pastor's wifte after service on Sunday to see if I can get connected with the HS ministry somehow. I plan on meeting with the student pastor next week, which I am pretty excited about. There's talk about a snowboard ministry, which will be SA-WEET! We also chatted up the 'information center' to where we left our information for a single women's small group, starting up in a couple weeks. Hopefully we hear back from that!

Still continuing to get acclaimated, and to meet new people.

Nina and I will be working on Thursday and feel that we'll celebrate Thanksgiving on Sunday. As we have Sundays and Mondays off. Soooooooo,

We Miss you, and Happy Thanksgiving!

Work has Began!

FINALLY! We are no longer bumming around town! We have started work!! Woo Woo! Training to start off, but we are part of the Beaver Creek guest services crew this winter. Beaver Creek has been #1 in Guest Services for the last 3 years out of 400 resorts and we are part of the 2010 crew! Pretty exciting stuff! We are here to make sure the guests are having 'The Experience of a Lifetime!'

Beaver Creek opens the 25th and we will be scanning lift tickets, but also skiing around seeing if anyone needs help, talking with the guests, and being friendly. Pretty exciting stuff!

Vail Mountain opened this past Friday, so drove over there(10 min), rode down three times, and headed home. It was awesome to get out and get on the slopes!

A Colorado Start

Well we're here! We successfully made it to Colorado, and are adjusting to the climate, elevation, and life. Our first encounter with employee housing didn't go as planned. We didn't get our 2 bedroom that we drove out here early for, but instead ended up with a 4BR 2BA. Which we weren't super happy about, and made that known to the front office...There wasn't anyone that was compitent there that could help us, but we moved into the 4BR anyway.

Place is nice. We currently are residing in the best employee housing in the Vail area, which is good to know. We over look the river and have a great view. Small kitchen but our roomates are pretty cool. One a culinary student from Boston and the other a new graduate from Maryland. All out here on their first season working for Beaver Creek. It should be a pretty good winter.

I am excited. I'll be more excited when the season starts, which won't be for another week and a half for us. So far we have set up our PO BOX and Library card, as well as find where the local coffee shop is and grocery store is. Weather so far has been GORGEOUS! 50s and 60s with not a cloud in the sky. They say the weather should be turning this week. Getting colder and some snow...there's not much on the mountain and it's hard to believe it'll be open in two weeks.

Nina, myself, and Dave headed up to Aspen on Saturday(1.5 drive) to check out a ski swap to get Nina some skis. It was PACKED! but we got some skis for Nina at a great price! Sunday we checked out Calvery Chapel (ccvv.org). It was a nice church. They have great times for services including a Sunday night service and Midweek service as well. We're going to check out some other churches before we land on just one....

Life out here for the 'locals' is just different than life back home. I definetly miss the stability of my friends, even though my life may not have been super stable. But everyone out here lives for the winter....Getting by through the summer, traveling, visiting friends, or just finding something to get by until the winter starts back up again until they see old friends again and get back to life....to me that's just not how I want to live.

I appreciate my friends back home and the connections I have made with them. I miss the stability of the community of friends and family I had back home, but it's time to build here! Please pray for a healthy Christian community for both Nina and I as well as a great home church. Weather will be kicking in soon as will work...We really need some encouraging and building up.

If u feel like sending letters OR Christmas Cards :D OUR post office box is:

Cat Olson OR Nina Hill
PO Box 4430
Avon, CO 81620

Thanks All!!! Much Love!