I took this picture recently on a chairlift at the Cranmore Mountain Resort. Aside from the gorgeous scenery, this picture has a lot more meaning behind it. For the majority of my life I have had my heart set on learning how to snowboard. I can recall seeing the Disney movie Cloud 9 for the first time and being blown away with the concept of snowboarding. It looked like so much fun and so cool. Since then, I have had a determination to learn at some point in my life. It wasn’t until I came to college that I was given that opportunity and I most certainly was not about to take it for granted. About a month ago, I went on my first trip to a mountain. The first time I went on the chairlift, I looked back to see this astonishing view behind me. I quickly and carefully whipped out my phone to capture the beautiful site. There I was, sitting alone on that chairlift, snug like a bug in all my layers, just in complete awe of what I was seeing before my eyes. What made this moment all the better was the fact that I was finally about to snowboard like little Angelina dreamed of. I was so proud and so happy. I felt on top of the world with the amount of serotonin my body was producing the closer I got to the top of that mountain. There was quite literally nothing else on my mind other than being in that state of happiness. I was at peace. I fell a lot but got right back up to try again. My determination wouldn’t allow me to give up. I talked myself through the pain and found the humor in it. I can confidently say the bruising was worth it—It was a great day and a moment in time I will cherish forever.