We’re back! We’ve been gone by the way. Sorry for the blog absence. My kids had last week off of school so we spent the week skiing in Brian Head, Utah. Home away from home! I grew up camping and skiing on Brian Head Mountain and it felt so great to be back! Forgive the overload of pictures. I haven’t had time to scrapbook in what feels like a decade so this blog is the only family journaling I’ve got at the moment. And I don’t want to forget this trip. The past three years we haven’t traveled much (other than to visit family). We’ve been busy with babies and building a house and well.. there was that time I almost died. It’s been eventful to say the least! But not a lot of travel. Which we love. So one of our New Year’s Goals was to have more fun trips in our lives and less babies and building and almost dying. ;)
Kenny and I have always loved skiing but this was the girls’ first trip. (I left my little buddy at grandma’s for a week of non-stop fun). We signed the girls up for ski school in the mornings and then skied with them in the afternoons.
My little ski bunnies! They were in hot pink pants and the helmets we rented them happened to be bright neon green. You could see the California girls coming a mile away. :)
Of course Kenny’s Charger coat was easy to spot too. Nope. Not going to lose any of my family on the mountain. That Charger coat was quite a conversation piece. Everywhere we went people either loved us or hated us. Or just wanted to chat with us about football and San Diego. We didn’t mean to make a statement. We just don’t own much in the way of cold weather clothes. :)
The girls were a little unsure at first.
They spent the first day going on “the magic carpet” – a little escalator type machine that takes them to a tiny slope to practice.
They also spent a lot of the first day on the ground.
But before long they got the hang of it and were cruising!
With their ski school friends making their way down the hill.
Kenny and I tried to not be helicopter parents (which was so hard for us because we both totally are helicopter parents) so for the most part we stayed away from their class. But every once in a while we couldn’t resist checking in on them. We got there the second morning just in time to see them on the lift for the first time. By themselves!! My heart almost dropped right out of my chest. I panicked. Will they know what to do!!? To sit back in their seat!!? To point up their ski tips to get off!!? To NOT FALL OUT!!? Kenny kept saying “they’ll be fine.” And they were. They were amazing. Turns out their teacher taught them to sit back in their seat and point their ski tips up and to not fall out.
Whew. :)
Once I knew the kids were well taken care of I felt free to enjoy the trip. Kenny and I headed to the more advanced mountains every morning after we dropped the girls off at the bunny hill. I haven’t skied in years and wondered if I’d remember how! But it’s like riding a bike. You pick up right where you left off. Such an exhilarating feeling flying down the mountain! Fulfills my need for speed. :) When the sun would peek out of the clouds everything was absolutely breathtaking. I love this sport! I kept stopping Kenny to say “isn’t this gorgeous!? Isn’t this fun!? We are so lucky to be here!” He finally asked if we could stop having “gratitude moments” and just ski down the hill. Ha. So I just had gratitude moments in my head while I was flying down the mountain. :)
At the highest point on the mountain. Brrr! So cold!
It was hard to smile for this picture because my lips were numb.
San Diego has made us wimps when it comes to the cold.
A few more random pics…
The lodge we stayed at was in walking distance so every day we would ski until the lifts closed at 4:30 and then head straight to the hot tub at the lodge. They had a heated indoor pool too that the girls loved. Then we’d toss on some clothes and go to dinner. One night we had our food delivered to the room. Kenny caught up on work/e-mails while the girls and I ate and watched Mary Poppins.
I also watched the Olympics each night to pick up some tips for my ski jumps. ;)
Kole had such a great time with grandma and grandpa that he didn’t want to leave what he called his “Utah Vacation.”
The girls were sad when the trip ended too. They loved skiing and can’t wait to do it again next year. I feel the same way!
Now we are home and back in the swing of things with laundry piled high and a million things to catch up on. Bummer! Always hard to get back in the swing of things after a fun vacation. So yesterday to ease back into things I decided not to unpack and to style my kitchen shelves instead. :) Lots of fun progress in the house to post about! Wonder how long I dare put off that laundry…
:)
xoxo, Erin
Your Vacation looked amazing!! We are headed to Big Bear on Thursday, just in time for the big storm. I hope to get some skiing in. It has been a long time for me too. We thought, by looking at the 10 day, that the weather would be mild. I told Danielle that we would probably get a storm., and, we will. Gotta love Cali weather!! We were all going to leave on Friday and decided that Thursday will be better. I am so excited to get up there to relax and ski.
The girls look so cute. The best time to teach them is now. I love their hot pink ski pants. I want a pair.
:)
A ski trip sounds like so much fun. –Hanna Lei
I can’t ski though I live in the Country with long snowy winters. Maybe it because of we have no natural mountains 😏. But your trip made me want to try😊. Happy you have wonderful time!
Aljonushka from faraway Belarus
Your vacation looks amazing!! I agree with Cathy that the best time to teach your girls to ski is when they are young. I’m so glad you got to take a week off for some fun and relaxation – you deserve it!! Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful pictures – it looks like the skies are so clear, you can see for miles and miles!
Erin I’ve been reading your Apr 2011 and 2010 posts (in tears), and I had NO idea you almost died (I thought I’d read back through a lot of your hold posts when I started following you but clearly I didn’t go back far enough!). I’m so glad everything turned out fine and that you had such a great support system around you. Thanks for the reminder to appreciate every day with the people you love. I have to say I smiled (big) when you said you dumped out all the girls toys and organized them to help you feel better. That’s something I’d do and people would think I’m crazy… glad I’m not the only nut out there who finds organizing therapeutic. And I LOVE that Kenny knows you so well that he suggested it… he’s a keeper :)
It’s crazy how the parking lots and trees are bare. It’s been such a disappointing winter in the snow department. We’ve gotten enough snow up here in Wyoming, but it keeps melting because of the warm temperatures. Good thing those ski folks know how to make fake snow and groom those mountains! What a fun and well-deserved trip for you (made even better by Kole staying with the Grands!)
Loved reading about your family ski trip. Sounds like everyone had a great time! But I am dying for more house pics…which is why I zoomed in on that sneak peak of the mudroom (!!????)). Can’t wait to see more…after you have the chance to do laundry of course! Jana
Thanks everyone! So fun to be back and hear from all of you again. :)
Hilda – you are a sweetheart. Thank you!
Jana – yes! mudroom bench. I need to take pics of that room as soon as I organize it a bit more. :) Thank you!
Looks like fun! We’re hoping to do this with our girls next year, maybe in Mammoth. We have never been skiing before so it will be a first for our whole family! :)
Your vacation looked awesome. So glad you guys had a chance for family time. Your mudroom bench looks fabulous. It’s such a tease. Can’t wait to see more especially your master bathroom & little kole’s bathroom. Waiting patiently. Thanks for sharing.
I thought that might have been where you were, yay! I remembered you saying you were going this month. It looks like the girls did a great job and had a blast!
Gorgeous photos Erin! Looks like an amazing time.
I hate to be “that” girl, but having just watched a 60 Minutes interview this weekend with Liam Neeson (whose wife, Natasha Richardson, passed away after head trauma caused by a small fall on a ski hill while not wearing a helmet) and being a skier myself, I can’t help but make a friendly suggestion that you and Kenny to rent helmets for yourselves next time. Especially after your reminder of your scare in 2010. Your brains deserve the protection :) Just a friendly suggestion with love from Canada :)
You’re so lucky you were at Brian Head. If you had been at Park City and I didn’t know it….there would have been hell to pay. :)
Looks so fun! Except you and Kenny were missing helmets…:)
Anonymous – thanks for your concern! You are so right and we talked about that this year. Helmets and ski goggles are on our checklist for next year’s trip. :)
Shari – like we would ever go to Park City and not stop to visit you!
I have been a reader for years but somehow missed the post about almost dying. I had to read that first, had tears streaming down my cheek and then came back to this post and was all smiles again!
I love the “gratitude moments” lol it truly is beautiful when you take in the beauty of nature that God made for us to live in and take care of.