Crazy times in Stowe, Vermont and our new adventure

Well, the winter season is about over. It has been a crazy winter here. The resort got about 210 inches of snow when they usually get 330 inches. We had a week where the weather was in the 70's and early 80's and that melted the snow very fast!

There were days when I thought skiing in crazy conditions was a joke. Some days were very, very windy. The three year olds would literally fall down or get swept away and hit other skiiers! There were days where the the slopes were a sheet of ice. I took some kids on a run that is usually very easy. However, on this particular day it was late in the season. The run was pretty icy. If they got out of control they would fly off the trail and hit solid ground or hit balls of ice. I did not take them on that run for the rest of the day. Of course, there were some amazing days as well. Around President's weekend, we got 5 feet of snow in 9 days! We had so much fun skiing through the powder and through the trees. The three year olds would get stuck! One of us would stay behind them so that we could pick them up.

Crazy and scary skiing times:

1. Child's ski falling off from the chair lift.
2. Kids sliding off the chair lift at the beginning of the ride because the public didn't help them on.
3. Kids not jumping off at the top and riding the chair lift back down.
4. Kids not keeping their ski tips up when getting off and end up doing a nose dive under the chair lift.
5. Three year olds crying the entire day.
6. Ice slide: They would slide down so fast and we would catch them.
7. Flying apple rides: If the kids were not into skiing we would take a ride on the gondola. It was called the flying red apple because the gondola is red.
8. Waiting at the bottom of the chairlift waiting for shuttlers or public to take our kids up.
9. Teaching 2 or more kids how to ski when they have never skiied before. (very tricky...trying to catch them as they come down because they can't do the wedge)
10. Having to carry kids down the headwall at the end of the season. The trail was about 4 feet wide and there were many rocks! The trail should have been closed.
11. One day I had a group of kids. Two of them were twins. One was a boy and one was a girl. They were the craziest, most annoying kids I have ever met in my life. I have met a lot of kids in my life...they were constantly talking, following me, very demanding, etc. The girl puked and it came out of her nose. We were playing uno which she had never played before. She said that she pukes when she plays new games and that was normal for her.
12. I heard a story about how a kid pulled down his pants and peed on the magic carpet!
13. Code brown and code yellow! Thankfully, I didn't have to change them.

I was an instructor for a program called Cubbusters. It was a season long program for three year olds. They came on Saturdays and Sundays. Most of them had never skiied before. We started them on the magic carpet. It was amazing to see their progression. By the end of the season we were taking them off of the gondola and through the trees!

The resort is officially closing on April 1st. I have one last day of work.

Kyle and I ushered at concerts and events at the performing arts center. These are the shows we worked: Cirque Shanghai, Anais Mitchell, Chris Davenport, Circo Comedio, Marc Cohn, Larry Miller, Danu, Celtic Crossroads and Second City.

I also worked in catering. There were some really cool events and there were some famous people. I catered a martini event where they would pour the drink through an ice sculpture. I worked at a wedding which was a lot of fun. They had a live band. I worked at an event that was hosted by Abigail Johnson. She is the president of Fidelity Investments and she is a billionaire. I worked an event where Bob Woodruff spoke. He is an ABC news journalist. He was in a coma after a bomb went off in Iraq. He miraculously survived.

Kyle and I are planning a trip to Montreal for a couple of days. We are moving out of our apartment on April 16th. We will then go on a road trip to Boston, NYC, Philadelphia and D.C. We plan on settling down in Asheville, NC if we like it there and if there are jobs there. If not we will probably find a place to live in Virginia or North Carolina.

Living in a tiny house

●The typical American home is around 2600 square feet.

 Tiny homes are living units under roughly 400 square feet. Many tiny homes are under 8 feet, 6 inches wide, so that they can be easily transported across roads and highways without special permits or traffic provisions. Most municipalities mandate that a permit is not required to put a building of less than 120 square feet on your property. You can purchase plans to build it yourself, order a kit, or buy it ready made and delivered to your site.

There has been an increase in popularity of tiny homes. There is something about them that makes them charming. They are modeled after some huts in India and are used as mini cabins for cross country skiing. There are a surprising number of options available.

1.       Tiny structure built from a used cargo shipping container

Benefits: rust-proof, water-proof, highly wind-resistant, bear-proof, fire-proof, and resistant to damage from downed trees. Shipping container homes are too tiny and air-tight to safely use indoor wood or propane heating. Prices start at $17,000.

2.       Tumbleweed Tiny House Company: Prices start at $16,000 if you built it yourself.

3.       Tiny Green Cabins: These cabins are made from organic certified material. They have welded steel frames. Customizations include solar panels and solar hot water heaters, allowing the homes to be taken entirely off the grid. Prices start at $14,999.

*Many of these homes include a toilet, shower, and sink. Most people use small propane heaters or electric space heaters. Some people use wood stoves but they tend to overheat such small spaces.

Benefits of tiny homes:

1.       Utility consumption: lower utility bill.

2.       Reduced maintenance: There’s less space and less stuff. Caring for it takes less time, effort and cost.

3.       Life simplification

4.       Self sufficiency

5.       Less impact on the environment

6.       Less initial cost

7.       Less insurance and taxes

Negatives of tiny homes:

1.       It is difficult to host visitors.

Things to consider:

1.       Your bed needs to be a loft, or a fold-away. Multi-purpose items are great.

2.       To build to code in most localities around the country, your structure requires two entries in case one is blocked during a fire. However, many floor plans and designs for tiny homes incorporate only a single entry.

3.       Make sure you love the person you are living with. There is little privacy and when there is tension there is not much room to blow off steam.

4.       It is important to consider what your needs are before designing your home.

Where can you park or build your tiny house?

Most people park their mobile tiny home on their own property or on their friend’s or relative’s property. Some people travel and move around from place to place. You can park them at campgrounds.