Christmas is a very special time for me and my family. I love it because it’s a time that we all get together with our families and don’t have a set agenda. I got to spend so much time with my boy Tristan and that is very meaningful. I am sure he had an awesome Christmas as well.

We always plan a trip to go on during the off season. This year we elected to not go to the Caribbean but to go snowboarding with the family. This trip was a gift for Angie and I from Scott and Amanda. They reserved us two condos at a platinum resort at Snowshoe. It was fabulous to say the least. We could basically ski out of our lodge onto the slopes. We arrived on Friday morning early. I had to get up there before everyone else so I could practice. I knew Scott was good at snowboarding. Dad, mom, Angie, Tristan and I hit the slopes about 1:00. We skied until 4:30. The first slope we went down was a black diamond. It's not good when you turn around and your son has busted really bad and your dad is laid up in the trees. I was laughing but at the same time was concerned that dad was hurt. It took him a few minutes to get up. Scott, Amanda, Rex, and the Speed family arrived and we all had pizza. We hit the slopes again for night skiing. Scott was trying to teach Amanda how to snowboard. That was entertainment in its self. She had lessons scheduled the next day.

Saturday was going to be the day with the best weather. We got up early. It was 55 degrees. A good day for slushy snow and snowboarding. The whole crew including the Speed family skied all day. Amanda is starring in a reality tv show and the film crew was there taping. It was hilarious because we got into a snowball fight. We finished up around 4:30 and decided to call it a night for skiing. All of us are very competitive so we decided to play a little game of Scattergories. It was interesting. Scott and Amanda elected to play separately. Angie and I played together. Scott tried “bending the rules” and Amanda wasn’t having it at all. By the end of the night we were exhausted so we all went to bed.

Sunday, all of the Smiths except Amanda went to the slopes again for another adventurous day of skiing. After going down two slopes Angie decided to sit the rest of the day out. She actually looked like someone took a bat and beat her. She had bruises all over her from falling. I can honestly say it was pretty funny. She went shopping while Tristan and I stayed on the slopes. My mom brought a helmet for her safety so I had a helmet cam. Of course all of you know what I did. Yep. I put it on the helmet and went down the slopes. There were some pretty bad crashes. From me to Angie to Tristan its pretty funny now. Sunday evening was our last night of skiing so we headed over to Silver Creek again. The slopes were alright. Lots of icy spots from it being hot the day before and freezing back over. A cold front moved in and they started making snow. It was much cooler than the previous day. It was so cold that we got in the hot tub that night and the sidewalks were frozen. Boy was it cold making a run back inside. I locked my mom out for just a few seconds. I thought she was going to kill me.

Monday we departed early for a nice ride home. All in all we had a blast. I am hooked on snowboarding. We might go this weekend. I just want to say thank you to Scott and Amanda for giving us a great gift of getting away for a vacation.

I also want to say thank you to Don Schumacher and to the whole DSR crew. They are giving a wonderful opportunity for this upcoming season. I will be back on a Suzuki, which is the type of bike that I started racing Pro Stock with. I think 2009 will be the biggest year yet.