The Amazing Birthday

Bartee turned 40 this year and I wanted to do something special to celebrate.  Although I had 8 months to plan and prepare, until a week ago I had no idea where I was going with it.  A friend mentioned a themed birthday party that she'd attended.  The theme?  The Amazing Race!  Being that it's one of my very favorite reality shows, I immediately started planning Bartee's Amazing 40th Birthday.  I thought it would be the perfect way to start off Bartee's crossing into a new decade.

First, there was the invitation:

We'll be celebrating all 4 decades of Bartee's life by driving around town to complete challenges, Amazing Race style.

The early planning stages have begun and I have lots of fun things in store for you. Teams will be designated by me before the race, so I really need accurate and timely RSVPs. *wink, wink* Also, plan to get here on time as we will get started with the race right away. After the race we'll meet back at our house for libations, various snacks, cake and ice cream. No gifts please.

The race will be adult-only, but I am planning to set up a babysitting house somewhere in the neighborhood. I would just ask everyone to chip in a little something to cover the cost of the babysitter(s), if you don't mind. Alternatively, if you want to leave the kids home with their favorite babysitter, it just means we can keep partying late into the night. His actual birthday is the 11th after all. Don't you want to be the first to wish him?

One more important detail... let's keep it a secret from the birthday boy.

Then there were clues, challenges and pit stops marked with Indian Flags:

Bartee is turning 40!  In celebration of this milestone, you will be participating in a race that will have 4 challenges -- one to honor each decade of his life.  So get ready to learn a little more about Bartee, move fast, be creative, and most of all have fun!

To reach the location for the first challenge, drive to Cottonwood Creek Park (lower level parking, near the restrooms and soccer fields).  Look for the Indian race flag to check in at this pit stop and get your first assignment.

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Bartee enjoys working out daily.  He has a treadmill regimen that includes speed walking.  He maintains a speed of 5.6 miles per hour on the treadmill for an 11 minute stretch.  Can you compete with him?

Your challenge is to speed-walk the .6 mile paved sidewalk around the soccer fields.  You must complete this challenge as a team, meaning everyone must cross the finish line together.  No running or jogging allowed... get those arms and hips swinging. Check your form!

The team with the fastest time will receive a 4 minute deduction from their total time at the conclusion of the race.

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It's no secret that Bartee is a bit of a cheapskate.  One of his favorite places to eat for under $5 is Taco Bell.  For the next challenge, make your way to the Taco Bell at Powers and Dublin Blvd.  On the way, draw a picture of what you think Bartee looked like as a kid. Give these "works of art" to the race operator with the Indian Flag at Taco Bell to receive your next clue.

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ROAD BLOCK - Select one person from your team to complete this challenge. 

You have $5 for this leg of the race.  Go inside wearing the oversized Taco Bell foam hat and place an order for Bartee's favorite meal.  While waiting for the order to be filled, you must stand by the counter with the hat on.  It may only be removed once your food is received and you have been seated at a table ready to indulge.

Bartee's Favorite Meal: One bean burrito with extra onions, a Chicken Gordita Baha Style and 3 packets of Fire Sauce.

The chosen team member must eat the entire meal (belching optional).  Before each bite of the bean burrito you should squirt a bit of fire sauce on it... that's Bartee's method.  No matter how it's done, at least 3 packets of fire sauce must be eaten all together by the time you finish the meal.

If another team is inside wearing the hat, you must wait for them to finish before taking your turn.

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Bartee loves to read.  He plows through 600 page novels like they were 2nd grade chapter books.  Among his favorite authors are Dan Simmons and Robert Jordan.  For the next challenge, you need to make your way to the East Library.  On the way to the library, jot down how you met Bartee and your first impressions of him.  Turn these in to Sandy at the completion of the race.   

 Once inside, follow these instructions carefully:

1. Locate a copy of "Drood" by Dan Simmons.
2. Note down the total number of pages in the book.
3. Turn to page 644.
4. Transcribe the first sentence at the top of the page.
5. Locate a copy of "The Gathering Storm" by Robert Jordan (and Brandon Sanderson).
6. Note down the total number of pages in the book.
7. Turn to page 559.
8. Transcribe the first sentence at the top of the page.
9. Take your notes to the race operator with the Indian Flag for verification.  All information must be correct in order to receive your next clue.

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Bartee is an avid skier.  Several years ago he was pushing his limits hanging with a crowd that was a little more daring on the slopes.  He ended up with a back injury that he's been struggling with ever since.

For the final challenge of the race you'll have to drive to Colorado Ski and Golf at 2454 Montebello Square Drive.  One member of the team must get into a back bend position.  The rest of the team should gather around the "back bender" saving one person to take a picture of the group. The Colorado Ski and Golf sign MUST be visible in the background.  Bring this photo with you to the finish line.  On your way to Colorado Ski and Golf, complete the "word puzzle" worksheet on your clipboard.

We will always have our memories of this amazing birthday celebration, but thanks to our friends we also have race day highlights in pictures that will last forever.

Reading a Clue at the Park

Ordering at Taco Bell

Enjoying (??) Bartee's favorite meal

This team was so far ahead they took some time for a photo opp with the race operator.

Some folks enjoyed the Taco Bell hat more than others!

Fast walking at the Park

Posing in front of the ski shop

These over achievers decided to get the shop employees in the photo as well.  They were hoping for extra credit. :)

Between pit stops, the teams had some small assignments for which they earned prizes.  Some of my favorite answers to "How I met Bartee and what were my first impressions?" include:

(1) "I met you as a waitress in a cocktail bar... that much is true".  This person knows you can always get brownie points with me by quoting lyrics from the 80's.

(2) "I met him at game night.  My first impression was that he was not good at games."

Although all the artwork submitted showed a likeness to what Bartee must have looked like as a kid, in a side-by-side comparison, this one was clearly the winner (see: facial expression and sports stance):

The party lasted well into the night and as has been the case with the last 2 parties at our house, the sign of a good time is that inevitably late into the night, and by late into the night I mean sometime after 9pm, someone ends up peeing in a place other than the toilet.  In our old age though, the culprit is one of the kids rather than an adult who has over-indulged in alcohol.  Oh my, how times have changed!

Happy 40th Birthday Bartee!  Now, what shall we do for your 50th?  :)

And in case you missed it on Facebook, I made a little birthday video for Bartee as well.  His favorite part is the dancing solo.  Check it out!

First Day of School

4th and 1st grade!  I don't believe it.  The kids are super excited about school starting again.  Sanjay woke up early and kept pestering me every 5 minutes to get in the car and go to school.  Priya on the other hand had to be woken up.  She's not a morning person at all and to top it all off she had trouble falling asleep last night because of her wild imagination.  We rearranged her room before leaving for Maryland and the poor thing still hasn't adjusted to the new and improved scary shadows that are cast on her walls views.  The day ended well and they are ready to do it all again tomorrow.

These are all kids that live in our neighborhood, but 4 of them are missing from the photo.

Fishing in Maryland

My sister it turns out is an avid fisher.  You may remember that she took the kids to try fishing last year, but  that didn't work out so well.  We ended up with some great pictures but no fish.  This year we tried again.  A couple of weeks earlier she and my cousin had found a nice quiet spot and they caught "tons of fish".  She basically guaranteed the kids that they would make their first catch.  We ended up here...

Cute little dock.

Beautiful swans.

The algae was not here a couple of weeks ago when Jean was fishing.  Not surprisingly, we ended up with more algae on our hooks than fish.  In fact, we caught exactly zero fish after about 45 minutes of hanging out.  So on to plan B.

We picked up my Mom and nearly ran out of gas driving to the other side of town where she had a distant relative that owned a farm with a private stocked lake.  Lucky for us she treats the lake to prevent algae so we were in good shape.  We set up camp under some weeping willow trees.

Within one minute of casting his line, Sanjay had a fish.  But the little guy just ate the bait and took off before Sanjay could reel him in.  :(  Priya was the first to actually catch and bring to shore the first fish.

It was quite a small fish... you can see him on the end of the line.

It was exciting, but didn't compare to what she caught a little later.  Jean said this was probably bigger than any fish that she's ever caught, and I ended up getting the whole thing on video.  Priya's reaction was priceless.  Have a look!

Crazy Fun Family

In Maryland for our annual visit and today was the family reunion.  Here's a picture of the whole gang...

After a day filled with catching up, great food, family photos and splashing in the pool we decided that the reunion wasn't complete without some planking photos.  After all, it's what all the kids are doing these days.  Of course, late last night I found out that planking is so 2 weeks ago and owling is the new planking.  Just when you think you might be cool... it's time to reevaluate.  :)

Sanjay demonstrates the beginner plank.

Aunt Weezie gives her best attempt.  Later that night, she was complaining of serious back pain... I wonder if this had anything to do with it.

It's Dana's first time, too... clearly she needs to work on her form. The arms should be down by your side, but still Merlin the dog seems impressed.

I found a pretty good spot on the deck railing, but the shirt was not really conducive to planking.

A real pro, high-school aged Sam shows us all up!

Happy Mother's Day To Me

Last week I entered a drawing for a great Mother's Day package from Springs Family Values and I got the call this weekend that I was the lucky winner!!  The owner stopped by yesterday to deliver my package personally. What a pleasant surprise and it's an incredible gift.  I'm so excited to start redeeming all the lovely prizes.  Anybody need a ham?  :)

Prize package includes: A Romantic stay at Sundance Mountain Lodge with included meal at Oakley's Restaurant, a spring cleaning package from Dust Bunnies, A Ham from Colorado Smokehouse, and a special gift basket from Couture Cupcakes Co.

If you live in the area you should check out Springs Family Values.  It is a new magazine in town that offers lots of information for the entire family.  The first issue was just mailed out a couple of weeks ago and it contains an article on summer camps, an entry from a local chiropractor and lots of other great information on deals around town.  You can visit them online or look them up on Facebook.  There's already a new give-away on their site... a helicopter ride over Garden of the Gods... now that sounds like a blast.  What are you waiting for?  Go check them out.  

About the Uniform

Tonight was VIP night at the club so we've been cleaning and cleaning getting everything just right for the members.  Tonight was also the first night that we were all required to wear our uniforms so the members could pick us out of the crowd.  So this afternoon my boss hands me a t-shirt, pair of shorts and a swimsuit to go try on.  I grabbed it and ran to the locker room.  Being the full bodied woman that I am, I tend to have a hard time finding things that fit, so I really would have rather preferred having this stuff a few days back so I could make sure everything was just so.  But alas I had only a few hours before having to don the uniform in front of thousands of members and perspective members.  I was anxious and excited to put this sucker on.  Imagine my delight horror when I opened the package to discover this...

I tried it on.  Surprisingly, it did fit.  Needless to say, it was not pretty.  :)  

I marched right out to my supervisor and asked him if he was trying to scare the patrons away.  He looked confused, so I explained to him, "This is not a bikini body".  He got a good laugh and half-heartedly promised to order me a one piece when he places the next order.  He ordered bikinis for all of us and I'm not the only one upset about it.  There are even skinny girls who are not interested in showing off their midriff.  So, I hope this gets resolved soon.  Everything else about the place is fabulous... of course, we're not even open yet, but it seems like it will still be fabulous after Friday.  

Tonight was crazy... the amount of people and the steady stream of folks through the pool area was amazing.  The excitement was in everyone.  It's so fun to be a part of the grand opening of a facility like this.  Just watching the way everything is so well-planned and coordinated... it's like a well-oiled machine.   They even had folks parking in a nearby school parking lot then had a tour bus serving as a shuttle between the club and the school.  The CEO was here teaching a spinning class when the first people walked through the doors.  Kids visiting the child care area got free face painting and I think these folks were true artists.  Some of the designs on the kids walking through the pool were AMAZING.  They were giving away smoothies at the poolside Bistro.  And throughout the facility there were demonstrations going on for things like tennis, rock climbing, swim lessons, swim team and even zumba.  Fun times ahead!

Cute Spelling by Sanjay

And he still forgot to take in a paper crane last week.

The alphabet song, upper and lower case letters.  :)

My New Office

So we haven't put together lawn chairs yet, but I hear they should be here by Monday.  In the meantime we've carried box loads of stuff to aquatics, unpacked and organized it all, assembled benches for swim lessons, put together the poolside basketball hoops and done some cleaning.  We still have lots to do but it's looking pretty good.

I am enjoying the first days at work and I could spend many more of them reading manufacturer instruction manuals with this as my backdrop...

Working Woman

On Thursday, for the first time in 8 years I'll be able to say to Bartee as I'm walking out the door... "I'm headed to work, see you later".  I'm excited.  I'm nervous.  I'm anxious.  All kinds of things are going through my head.  Even though it's part time and should really only take up about 20 hours of my week, it's a big change from what we have going on now here at home.

There it is... my official uniform.  If only I had the figure to go with it.  I'll be able to cover up with the uniform black shorts though.  I have been hired on as part of the aquatics team at the brand new Lifetime Fitness that's opening up here in town.  It's exciting to be part of something that's just starting.  There's a lot of buzz about it among the community, and the staff that I met so far have been lots of fun.  This Thursday we are receiving equipment and they need us for "set up" which I can only imagine involves assembling lawn chairs or something fun like that.  Maybe we'll get a chance to go down the slide, too.  :)

Ski Season 2010-2011

Ski season doesn't officially end until April 24th at most of the resorts, but I'm ready to move on to spring.  I've compiled a video of our season highlights...

Sheltering the Kids

Bartee and I commonly have disagreements when it comes to the kids and "pop culture" for lack of a better term.  I am usually a little more liberal with what they can get away with in terms of clothes to wear, books to read or TV shows to watch.  That said, I feel most people would consider me a prude when it comes to these things.  I do shelter them from most of network TV because I find it to be inappropriate.  In the same sense, I enjoy watching TV as a family so there are a few shows that are not off limits in my opinion.  Wipe Out, Undercover Boss, The Amazing Race, Biggest Loser and American Idol to name a few.

On Sunday night we again found ourselves among the company of stray dogs.  Turns out, they belonged to a neighbor who was out of town for the evening.  While they were out enjoying the basketball game, the dogs managed to find their way out of the backyard through a hole in the fence.  One of our furry house guests was a pint-sized Lhasa, if I'm not mistaken.  The kids were enamoured with him, primarily because they are used to our larger-than-life beast of a dog.  So naturally they were fighting over who got to hold him and who held him longer and who held him on the couch vs. the dining room chair.  Yes, there was a lot of love for this dog.  So we decided to take turns on the couch for 10 minutes each while watching TV.  I sent them over to turn on Idol while I finished cleaning up from dinner.

Bartee was flabbergasted that I would send them over to watch it alone because it's one of those shows that he finds borderline appropriate for the kids.  I tried making a case... but inevitably ended up going to the couch to watch alongside them.  It was the results show and so the kids lost interest somewhere in the middle.  And it was about that time that I was hit with the Iggy Pop performance that sparked all the fleeting comments I had read on Facebook days before.

My goodness gracious, I see now why Bartee prefers to censor this show.  Now, don't get me wrong... I love me some Iggy Pop (well, I did back in the 80s) but seriously this performance really doesn't belong on primetime TV.  The fact that he's shirtless is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to things that are wrong with this performance.  To name a few of my favorites:  The gesture with the microphone at the beginning, his awkward approach and singing to Jennifer, the constant out of breath singing talking, and the odd positioning of himself on the edge of the stage to engage the crowd.

In case you missed it, you can find the whole thing right here.  You can thank me later.  :)

Soccer Season

Sanjay has been literally begging to play sports... anything really.  It seems that no matter what I ask him, he's game.  Do you want to do tennis?  Sure.  T-Ball?  Yes.  Golf lessons. Yeah.  How about soccer?  Of course Mom.  Rohan and Tarun both play; I want to be on their team.  

So, we did end up signing him up for soccer this spring.  It was pretty late in the registration process so he ended up on the only team with an opening.  It turns out none of his friends play with him on the "Lightning Bolts", but he is enjoying the season anyway.  Sanjay is very social and can make friends anywhere.  This past weekend was his second game and he's a natural.  Here are some action shots of him:

Taking the free throw from the sidelines

They all go after the ball!

Kicking with his coach's support

He's in the back getting effectively blocked by the opposing team.  :(

On "the bench" waiting to get subbed in.

In center field, taking the kick off after the other team just finished scoring a goal.

On The Meaning of Supervision

No one fights a shower like our little girl... for some reason she wants to argue and postpone and bargain when it's shower time.  What should be an almost daily activity has become more of a bi-weekly event because it's such an ordeal and we don't make the time for it like we should.  Some of you might be saying, why not just send her to the shower on her own?  Why must you be involved?  Problem is her hair is mighty long and terribly thick so she has a hard time getting it clean and washing all the conditioner out.  So shower time around here involves either Mommy or Daddy.

Well this weekend she expressed interest in really wanting to do it all by herself.  She knows that she's getting older and more responsible and therefore has been begging for more independence in a lot of things lately.  As is her nature, she also worries and hesitates because there are so many things that she still has to learn.  She is particularly afraid of learning to drive.  She has wondered "How will I know which streets to turn on?", "How do I turn on the headlights?", "What is that symbol on the dashboard with the triangle?" and "Really, you drive with only one foot?".

Back to showering... she was pleading her case to me while getting dressed on Saturday.  About how we really should let her be responsible for taking a shower on her own and so I said that would be fine, but she needed supervision when it came to her hair.  As she kept arguing with me that she could DO IT ALL BY HERSELF, I said with a somewhat strong tone, "Do you know what supervision means?".  Sanjay being within earshot and also being a bit of a know-it-all said "I know what it means.  It means great eyesight."  I guess he has a point.  Priya and I both started cracking up.  That little guy always knows how to lighten the mood even when it's unintentional.

Spring Break Skiing

I took the kids up over spring break for one last day on the slopes this season.  The weather was perfect and we had a blast.  One of our highlights was riding the lift with a guy straight out of the 80s.  Actually, he was much too young to have thoroughly lived through and enjoyed the 80s, but he was in costume and carrying around a classic "boom box" belting out 80s tunes like "99 Luftballoons" and "Take My Breath Away".  He admitted that the 80s wasn't really his decade, but he plays the 80s playlist because everyone knows the lyrics and it makes people smile.  He and his friends were really getting a kick out of all the ski instructors shaking their hips and the many random waves from strangers.

They were from Nebraska and had season passes to all the Vail resorts in Colorado.  I think he said they skied about 50 days this year and it takes them more than 6 hours to get over here.  Now, that's dedication.  It was funny on the lift when his friend was flipping through the playlist, the guy told him "Find something by Journey... that'll really get everyone going".  His friend decided to stop on something else, "Come On Eileen" and the guy says, "hmm... I don't know that one".  Cracked me up... even my kids knew that one.  Of course, they also know the lyrics to "Electric Avenue" and are a little stuck in the 80s themselves, thanks to their Momma.  :)

Sweet Doggie

definitely cuter than all the strays...

The Future

Were you beginning to think that I needed to be in a beautiful place with scenic pictures to share in order to update the blog?  Yeah, me too.  :)

Since the little guy started Kindergarten back in August, I've been contemplating what to do with all the free time I theoretically now have on my hands.  Of course, I have found lots of ways to keep myself busy. Specifically, the house has been quite a bit cleaner... I have been spending lots of volunteer hours at the elementary school... the laundry doesn't pile up nearly as much as it used to... I've been keeping the pile of mail down to a month's worth, and I get all the errands done without kids in tow.  But still I feel that I have time on my hands that can be better spent earning an actual salary and contributing monetarily to this household.

Honestly I have mixed feelings about this transition.  We know that there will be added sacrifices and stress that we may or may not be prepared to handle.  There may be times when Bartee will have to get the kids to and from their activities or he may even have to plan and cook some meals... that'll be an adjustment for both of us.  I may end up missing a soccer game or a dance performance or a music recital.  This makes me really, really sad.  But at the same time I am happy about having to do things on a schedule again.  Happy about people counting on me to be at a certain place at a certain time.  Happy about having to juggle my time so that the grocery shopping gets done and I put in a full day in at work.

So, now the question becomes "What exactly should I do with my incredibly robust skill set?"  This thought, and the fact that my skill set may not be as robust as I imagine, has been running through my head for a while and I shall now bring you the results of my six-month-long brainstorm:

Software Engineer
Web Designer
Property Management
Realtor
Lifeguard/Swim Instructor
Massage Therapist
Photographer
Substitute Teacher

Some things were considered briefly then almost immediately crossed off the list.  My days of software engineering are over as far as I'm concerned.  I've been out of the field so long that things have drastically changed.  Besides that, it really is a "career" and I'm not sure that's what I'm looking for this time around.  My focus is really on Bartee and the kids so I want a job that's less demanding and devoid of deadlines.  Which is why "Web Designer" also becomes less than ideal in my mind.  Since my early retirement from programming, I have done a couple of web pages for folks but I find that I'm not passionate about it.  I want to love my job.  The more I love it, the less chance it'll add stress to the household.

I am passionate about Photography, however I'm not all that good at it.  It just wouldn't fly as a career for me, I'm guessing.  Besides, photo shoots happen mostly on weeknights and weekends... cutting seriously into family time.  :(  Hmm... am I being too picky?  Call it picky, call it over-analytic, call it procrastination.  Probably a little of each.

Anyway, moving on... Realtor?  Again, lots of nights and weekends, and in this area a lot of competition.  But perhaps good money and certainly a benefit to have if and when we sell this house and move on to something else.  If not a realtor, then perhaps a Property Manager?  I already manage our condo in the mountains and have picked up a couple of friend's places, too.  I enjoy doing it and I love the fact that it's 100% work from home.  However, in order for it to be worthwhile as a career I need to expand and that means formalizing the arrangement, marketing and generally becoming all business-like.    Not sure that's what I want.

Massage Therapist?  I considered this one long and hard.  Who doesn't love a good massage?  And it would be therapeutic for a certain family member, whose name I won't mention but he has a back that's aging faster than the rest of him.  However, massage therapy means going back to school and it is also very taxing on your hands from what I understand.  I have a friend who's in the field and whom I should probably talk with more before ruling this one completely out.

Lifeguard/Swim Instructor?  For me this is a somewhat dream job.  I love swimming and I think it would be inspiring to do this in a fitness center or some place where I'm surrounded by people who are working out.  My first career was built around pools.  Whether guarding, managing, coaching a summer team, teaching private lessons or just monitoring the levels of chlorine, I have very fond memories of spending summers outdoors on the pool deck.  Granted, lifeguarding as a profession would not bring in loads of money, but that's not what I'm seeking this time around.

Substitute Teacher?  It seems that our district has an overwhelming amount of substitute teachers.  So many, in fact, that they have restricted the hiring.  As of right now, they are only accepting those who have a teaching certificate or degree.  Which I do not.  So, I will wait and see if that changes for next year.  Although not my ideal image of a job, it would be perfectly suited to being a Mom.  I'd have the same schedule as the kids and I'd be able to turn down a job if the kids were sick or if I had other plans for the day.  I suppose that's why the field is so overcrowded.  For now, this one is on the back burner.

Although it never made the list, just today I feel like I may have a calling.  Not in the spiritual sense, but when something happens to you over and over again, you start to wonder if it's some sort of sign.  Ask my neighbors; it's true... I seem to be some sort of stray dog magnet.  :)  Here are the two I found yesterday afternoon.

Oliver, Sadie and Caboose waiting patiently to come inside

They ended up staying with us overnight and I was secretly hoping it would take at least a week to find the rightful owners.  This little boy and girl were so sweet that I could have easily been talked into keeping them.  As is usually the case, Priya and Sanjay went ahead and named them (Patch and Buddy) and claimed one of them as their own.  Alas, Sadie and Oliver's mom came today to pick them up and take them home.  Sadie was ready to go and jumped right in the car, but Oliver ran back to my front door.  I carried him to the car and grudgingly put him inside.  If he sneaks out again, I hope he finds his way back here.

So, do you think I should add "Dog Whisperer" to the list?  I have support from one friend to pursue the web design path... what are your thoughts?  What is missing from my list based on the incredible talents you know me to possess?  :)

... more to come ...

Keystone with Friends

Some more neighbors from home are up this weekend as well, so today we hung with them.  With all three families, we totaled 13 people so finding a lunch table to accommodate our crew was a bit of a challenge.  With varying levels of ability, we broke into smaller groups for skiing.  It was fun for the kids to ski with their friends... they rarely get this opportunity.

One of them has a 7th grade daughter that Sanjay clung to all day.  It was so cute.  She is just learning to snowboard so it takes her a while to get down the mountain and Sanjay insisted on staying with her the whole day.  He even rode the lift with her every chance he had.

There they are!

We are headed back home in the morning.  As always, we had a blast on the family ski vacation this year and I feel the weather worked out nicely.  Those cold temps that we had 2 weeks prior to our get-away, stayed away this week.  We are so grateful for that.  I imagine skiing those days would have been quite miserable.

Breckenridge With Friends

Today we spent in Breckenridge with some neighbors from home.  The morning was beautiful and warm so we headed over to the sledding hill with the kids.  Lucky for Caboose, the sledding hill is right next to the dog park so he came along for the fun.  The mommies had kid duty in the morning, but we handed them off to the daddies after lunch.  I had a great time on the slopes with Laura in the afternoon.  And lucky for us the weather started to turn while we were out there.  First the clouds, then some fresh snow and because it was the afternoon the lift lines were shorter, so it really worked out for us.  :)

Caboose enjoying the dog park

The sledding hill was a popular place this morning

Headed back up the hill for another run

Day Before the Crowds Come

It's Friday before one of the biggest ski weekends of the year and the crowds have grown considerably since the beginning of the week.  Today we skied over at Beaver Creek which is slowly becoming one of my favorite resorts.  Every day at 3pm, they serve fresh, hot chocolate chip cookies and they always have live musicians after skiing.  They have lots of terrain, as much snow as Vail, and the free parking is plentiful.

The only thing I don't like... the sticker prices.  For 24 capsules of Advil, take a guess?  $7.70, yikes!  And, check this one out:

That's just the sandwich... we're not talking a "meal deal" here.

My favorite pictures from today: