10 March 2005
Luke
Every year for the past few years (more or less), we have all gone skiing as a family. The first few years we went to Nub's Nob, in northern Michigan. Those trips were great. Carrie was an okay skiier, although she didn't really like the black diamonds too much. She stuck with what she knew and liked, after a certain degree. I remember she would spend all day or afternoon on "Sno Pro", which was a fairly easy blue slope she went down many times.
Carrie loved hanging out with us on those trips. Sometimes at night, my dad would drop us off at the mountain for night skiing. Carrie and I would ride the lift up together and then go down. On those nights, I couldn't try the really challenging runs. We both liked to just stand up and go down the greens, though - it was so peaceful in those back woods. Carrie was a great partner to hang out on a night.
My dad might tell a story about a time when she was skiing with a friend and ended up on an innocent-sounding but in fact treacherous hill full of bumps and quite steep. And then there was the night when I took my snowboard down the mountain and smashed my face into the ground. Carrie just about rolled on the floor laughing when she saw my face. She took some pictures back at the first aid station. I did look pretty goofy, I suppose.
She was a great ski partner. I think she spent hours and hours going down the same run with Nora and Scott. She really cared about her siblings and took time to make them each feel wanted. I definitely miss skiing with her.