Last year when we were skiing at Aspen Highlands, I saw a ski instructors' clinic being conducted on the mountain (translation: ski school for Aspen ski instructors), and the woman conducting it was / is an amazing skier. Her name is Jenny MacArthur, and my dream was to take a lesson with her this year.
With that said, taking a lesson with Jenny is, shall I say, “beyond my pay-grade.” In a big way. In a big fat, no frick'n way can we afford that, private lesson kind of way.
I mentioned this to our friend, and he so generously presented us with an incredible offer: 50% discount coupons for me and 1der for a group lesson. While 1der and I are decent skiers, that does not mean there isn't room for improvement. We jumped at this chance.
Mondays are seemingly good days for group lessons. A good day is defined as minimal amounts of people taking lessons, thereby enabling us to have essentially private lessons for a group price. This Monday was a good day!
We were supposed to meet the instructors at the Merry-Go-Round chalet at 10 am to get our assignments, but unfortunately we were running late and got there about 10 minutes after the hour. Luckily, everything was good, and we were “randomly assigned” an instructor with “El Patron” on his name badge. Hey, if this works for “The Boss,” then it works for us!
El Patron turned out to be Terry “T-Bone” Bannon, a 27-year ski pro veteran who has a wonderful, mellow energy about him. We spent an awesome day with him in the bumps, learning all kinds of fantastic techniques and new tools that have taken our skiing to another level. We really appreciated his approach — in addition to being kind, patient and articulate, he has a zen perspective to the art and science of skiing. It was an absolute pleasure to spend the day with him, and in the end, we gave him our heartfelt thanks for the gifts he bestowed upon on us. If you are able to take a private lesson, ask for Terry. He will be worth every penny. Unfortunately one cannot request an instructor for a group lesson, so cross your fingers to be lucky enough to get him if you take a group.
We asked Terry to join us for dinner as we wanted to get to know him better. In addition to a tremendous love for skiing, Terry has a lot in common with us / me: sailing, traveling, of course a great passion for skiing, and he's a musician; a very accomplished musician! He's a jazz pianist and performs throughout numerous venues in and around Aspen. We really wished we could have stayed in Aspen to hear him perform later in the week, but unfortunately such was not the case.
Instead, we really hope Terry and his love will come visit us. Nothing would make me happier than to have him play my beloved piano and make it sing. I love it when other musicians play my piano and fill our house with their music, talents and energy. Book that ticket, Terry!
I want elaborate on the “randomly assigned” reference I made earlier about Terry. Having Terry as our instructor was not “random” at all. Meeting Terry and having our lives intersect in this way was truly meant to be.
You see, 1der and I have a philosophy / mantra about our lives as individuals and as a team. We call it “Life's Magic Dance,” and after spending time with Terry, it was clearly obvious he is also a dance with life's magic. The way he touched our lives and the depth of the connection we shared was magical. We look forward to meeting you again, Terry, and here's a toast to our Daddys!!!
I made "Life's Magic Dance" bracelets for us to always remind us of all that is possible.Bananas Chimpos wanted to show them to T-Bone!
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