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:

Powder Day at Keystone

About to hit the sack for tonight, but I wanted to upload a few pictures from today... if only to make Katy homesick.  :)  Priya and Sanjay were dreaming of Ethan, Alex and Evelyn walking into the parking garage when we were getting all our gear on this morning.  What a great surprise that would have been, but alas they are still in Germany.  In any case, we had a good day at Keystone with some fresh snow making for great ski conditions.

The highlights:

While waiting for Daddy and Priya to finish skiing, we hung out in Ripperoo's Dog House

Having Coffee with Ripperoo Himself

I love that mutt!!

This afternoon I hung out with my boy on the mountain.  Before lunch he tried a double-black run with Daddy and Priya, and although he finished it without falling, it wasn't really his cup of tea.  He is desperate to keep up with them.  However, I convinced him to hang with me this afternoon and we had a fantastic time on the blue runs. 

Today in pictures:

Lionshead Village from the Vail Gondola