More Than Three Good Reasons

You get to know people in a much more intimate way when you travel together. There are always moments that go down in history, for better or for worse.  I think I have almost as much fun remembering them as I do in the moment.  This post is a tribute to the memories made in Tahoe with the eleven of us; Five couples and the mouse in Josh's pocket.  My sweet friend Tiffany likes it when we  can back up our preferences with at least 3 good reasons why.  Here are the reasons why I'll return next year!

  Fabulous breakfasts and questionable brownies can be prepared in this state of the art kitchen.   Rumor has it you may even find a mouse mixing pancake batter one morning.

 The beds, well at least my bed, was large and oh so comfy.   

As exciting as it can be to just sit around and "visit"in this living room, minus the fire that our eagle scouts didn't really manage to light, no thanks to Kirsten and her coupon hoarding, the games that you play are the real draw.  Unless of course you're loosing, in which case you are free to shamelessly declare, "You know, this isn't as much fun as I thought it would be!"

 There are beautiful places to ski with our annoying friends, while taking in the incredible views!  Word on the street is that they have pretty sweet demo boots here too.  They keep them inside all night long so that your toes will stay warm.  Not that it would be much of a change for Kirsten.  Her boots made it inside too, they just didn't make it to Northstar!

  If you time it just right, you can ski down the back side of the mountain and get a FREE hot chocolate

Somehow just during the course of lunch you can end up with an extra hand!

There's plenty of time on the lift to play with your fun photo aps

Old ladies resembling troll dolls in red jumpsuits are known to put in work, shred the gnar, and slay the deep stuff, on the run directly below this lift!

To watch these grown men act like silly boys!

When you wrap up a great day of skiing there are so many great ways to spend your evening.  You can eat dinner in cute restaurants that have pictures of Josh in his glory days hanging from the walls just begging to be signed.  While waiting to be seated you can check out the shops where I've heard they have some pretty cute blouses.  If blouse shopping isn't your thing, there is a dude working at the board shop who has clearly smoked too much kush, who can tell you all about slaying the deep stuff.  If he happens to be off work when you visit, Reed will give you a darn good impersonation.

 After a good nights rest you can wake up and within minutes be at another premier ski resort!

Lifts here can fit almost all of us on at once and they book it up the hill!

There are runs for every skill level 

Skooning is totally appropriate here!

The laughter never seems to stop!

Nowhere else can you jump on a chair lift and end up in Siberia!

Sometimes you can even jump on a chair lift and end up on Helga's lap.  I think Tiff still has at least 3 unanswered questions about that scenario.  Like exactly why did those four women follow the four men out onto that lift that could only carry four people?  And how was it, that everyone but Josh was able to bail from the lift.  Last of all, how does a little 98 lb woman keep a big ole football player from falling off of her lap?  I think I'll be laughing at the retelling of that story for at least 3 years!!

I'll be back again next year to see if our sour puss friend enjoys his next birthday any better than he did this year.  In spite of his increasing age though, he's still  got mad fry throwing skills.

I'd totally go back just for the warm tubbing experience.  Shelley can tell you how comfortable it is to squish too many people into a hot tub to the point of overflowing.   It's even better on night two when the water level is low and a murky shade of grey, and the heating mechanism barely raises the temp up to 80 degrees.  So what if it's kinda like hanging out in a big dirty bathtub with your friends, it's the company that counts right?  Besides warm tubbing can bring about great rewards, like this sweet t-shirt Tiff brought in!

Nope, not a chance I'd miss out on hanging out with this crew, at this place!

Reasons enough Tiff?  

A Second Dose...

When Haley and I wore our green boas skiing last year on St Patricks Day, it was way too fun!  We planned to make it a repeat this year, and brought a few more friends with us! 

 We were short a few boas, but next year I'm certain they'll be prepared!

 I've decided boas are kind of like a magic wand that makes everything a little more fun when you're wearing them. 

You act a little sillier, and throw caution to the wind a little more frequently.

Tiffany skied China Bowl for her first time today, and I tried a jump and landed it. Luck of the Irish, carrying a leprechaun in my pocket, or pure skill you wonder? None of the above.  It's all about the boa!!

And if those aren't enticements enough to sport those lovely green feathers, imagine all the great smiles and comments that we get from our fellow skiers. That's entertainment enough!

Whether riding on the lift or flying down the hill, having a trail of feathers flowing out behind you sure feels fancy!  

Never mind the hundreds of feathers that now dot most of the runs across the mountain at China Peak, really we were helping out many of our fellow skiers.  You see some had come unprepared for the festive atmosphere that St. Patrick's day affords, and were thrilled to find a few glorious feathers to zip into their coats.  Really it's true, a few even thanked us!

So, I'm pretty certain good ole St. Patrick was looking down on us at China Peak today in all of our green glory, leaving a trail of smiles, laughter and of course a few feathers in our wake, with a big fat smile.

If not, he's probably the only one!

Good Medicine

Mom-itis...it's a real condition you know.  Seriously ask any mom and they'll  tell you they've had it  at least once or twice.

You can usually tell you're coming down with it when you find yourself putting away clothes in your closet and then just staying in there for a while longer so that no one can find you.  Another tell tale sign is when you resort to reading on a closed toilet seat with the door shut, just because it's the only place in the house you know no one is going to be climbing all over you.  

Yeah, now you know what I'm talking about,  and I bet you can think of a few more ways to tell if you're coming down with a case of Mom-itis.  

Well I'm no doctor, but I'm telling you I've found a cure.  

Grab some friends, some skis and head for the hills!

You are guaranteed great conversation, beautiful scenery, and tons of laughs!

Kirsten and I may wear our special ed helmets, and some of us may walk with a little swagger in our boots, while others dance and sing out loud while on the lift and the slopes! Regardless, it's all good medicine. 

You just might be the last ones to ride chair 5 for the day or the last to visit the ski shop.  You might even be the last to grab your skis and head to the car.  But when you return home, your patience will be lengthened, your head will be clear and your heart will be full. You'll find yourself grateful to return home to your babies, answer their millions of questions, and hold them close for a little longer than they would like.  And if you aren't able to wipe the smile from your face for quite some time, you'll know you've just had some good medicine.

Diggin it...

So here's a little somthing I'm diggin' right now...  I love the bluesy tone of Adele's voice.  I love the imagery in the video and that beat!!  I couldn't resisit dancing to the song a little while I was skiing this last week!

I've Been Biebered

My movie buddies today minus both Laurens

I've mentioned before how I spurned New Kids on The Block in my youth simply because of the mass hysteria that all of the female population went into at the sight of any one of it's members.  I believe this same mentality is what drives all teenage boys to hate on Justin Bieber. It's the screaming, crying girls with their ridiculous worshiping of all things Bieber, that turns the boys away.  I have heard great things about Justin as a musician and being that I am no spring chicken, I have no close friends who suffer from Bieber Fever.  That would be a bit disturbing, but it does allow me to have an open mind and see for myself what I think of The Bieb.  His tunes are catchy and he's a cute kid, but I wanted to watch the movie and see what the hype is all about.

A few weeks ago my husband thinking he was just being funny told my 11yr old son that he looked like Justin Bieber.  Okay, so he said it multiple times even after being asked to stop, but still I was shocked at the response.  My son was not just mad, he was totally offended, and couldn't understand how his dad could be so intentionally mean.  It took me nearly 2 hours to mediate an understanding between my husband and son.  As you can see anti Bieber sentiment runs deep in my household  with 3 nearly teenage boys, there was no way any one of them would consider accompanying me to the Theater.

A good friend of mine took all but one of her daughters to see the movie last week.  She said I could borrow her youngest as an excuse to go.  Well she wanted to bring a friend who happened to be my niece,  and her older sister thought once was definitely not enough and wanted to come again.   I  figured maybe my younger niece might like to join us as well.  When the time came to head to the movie theater my car was full of a bunch of dang cute girls.  My boys reconsidered their movie attendance as well as my nephew and one of the boys friends.  I ended up with 5 boys, 4 girls, and 2 middle aged couples in the theater today!

I could not find anything to dislike about the kid other than the fact that he needs to pull his pants up a few more inches.  He is a talented natural musician with an incredible gift and love for music.  He seems generous and sincere.  I really enjoy his voice, he can dance, he puts on a great show, and he sings some really catchy tunes.  What's not to like?

My boys reluctantly admitted after the movie that yes, they probably would be friends with him if he went to their school.  Yes, he really is talented, and actually pretty funny.  I think they are no longer haters of The Bieb, just his crazy overly dramatic fans.  Still, I don't think they will go to school tomorrow and tell all their friends about the cool movie they saw today.

As for me and all of my praise, I still would not say that I have Bieber Fever.  I wouldn't wait all day to catch a glimpse of him, cry if I saw him, or claim that I want to marry him,  like those suffering from the fever often do.  However I'll admit that I now want to buy his CD and  I would probably really enjoy seeing him in concert.  I am definitely a fan.

Gimpy

Last week Garrett ended up spending some time in the ER after slipping off the ladder from the attic.  The flesh wound looked like it could possibly need stitches, and our tough guy with the incredible pain threshold was hurting pretty bad.  We were worried there might be some cracked ribs because of how he fell.  

Luckily, none of the above were needed and Garrett was just bruised up for a few days.  I spent some time the previous day at the doctors office, and didn't get news I was hoping for.  The girl who doesn't even play tennis has tennis elbow!  I crashed while skiing and landed on it when we were in Tahoe, and it still hadn't healed.  Well it likely won't for another three months.  I have damaged the tendon, and now wear a lovely black brace just below my elbow.  I am much more aware of very small daily tasks that I never thought twice about.  Things like opening a jar of jam or getting the milk out of the fridge are pretty rough.  I have a hard time lifting things out of my cart at the store, and need help grabbing my skis from the ground when I take them off.  I can't push the pump on my hairspray bottle but I can still do push ups, go figure!  

We are feeling a little gimpy around here!

Sleeping Beauty

As I gaze down at my tiny girl while she sleeps, I am overwhelmed with a love that cannot be contained within the walls of my heart.  She is determined and strong willed. Mischievous and brilliant, she never forgets anything.  She always knows exactly what she wants and has a path she is determined to take to get there.  She is all things girlie and pink, dancing and soft.  She is tough as nails and as loud as a bullhorn.  She has a style that is all her own and she owns it with flair and confidence.  Generous and full of love, her hugs and high esteem must be earned and are highly sought after.  My heart aches with hopes and dreams for her future, one that I cannot control.  Sometimes I am exhausted, and pushed to the edge of my patience. Often I shake my head in disbelief at the things she has said or her take on a concept.  Sometimes I am floored by her direct honesty, but always, always I am in love with my sleeping beauty.