17 degrees

     Another cold and snowy morning.  It's 17 degrees out.  I have to say.  I am extremely excited just thinking about waking up and putting on my bathing suit, wrapping up in a sarong and walking to the beach.  For now, I'm going to put on another layer.  And some wool socks.

2 hour school delay...Snow

     Modern Family is my new favorite show.  I just love it.  The humor is great.  The families are great.  Jordan laughs so hard and I find myself laughing at her laughing at the show.  I so wish I could write.  I would be a sitcom writer and I would write a sitcom about my job.  It's my dream to have my work life on prime time.  I'm telling you, it would be a hit. 
     We had a 2 hour school delay this morning because of snow.  Spring storms can be intense and they come in fast and furious.  The good thing is, is that the roads don't usually get snow packed but they do get severely slushy.  It melts pretty fast.  It's 20 degrees outside right now.  Burrrrr.  The stove is cranked up and the heaters are on in the kids bedrooms.  It's taking awhile for it to warm up here.  C'mon mother nature, work with me.  We need this place to look INVITING.  Mud season is not inviting.  It's muddy.   I just need to look up.  That's where the beauty is.  I forget to look up at the mountains.  Tomorrow I'll look up at the mountains.  I do love them. 
     The fox was in our yard tonight.  We have Buster, our inside/outside cat who prefers to go to the bathroom outside.  We don't ever clean his litter box because he doesn't use it.  Not even in the winter.  I can't tell you the last time he even used his box.  He's outside all the time.  Well, tonight he saw the fox as he was sitting on the bench in the kitchen looking out the window.  The fox saw him and they had a stare down.  The fox came right up to the window which is a good 10 feet up.  The fox sat down and  looked up at Buster.  They stared at each other and Buster's tail got super puffy and he was snickering and making those cat noises that tells me he wants to attack.  The fox was just licking his chops thinking "Mmmmm, dinner."   Buster is grounded for awhile.  I put him in his litter box for a 'get the hint' message and he acted like I put him in water. He's a very gifted cat.
     The picture tells it all.  My little mountain daughter sledding down the driveway in a skirt and tights, no gloves.  Buster, totally relaxed. 
    

Kids and school

     Yesterday we had Hannah's IEP meeting for middle school.  Her special ed teacher for 6th grade, counselor for 6th grade, 5th grade teacher, 5th grade special ed teacher and Hannah and, of course, us, were all in attendance.  The nice thing about a kid being in special ed is that they get to choose their classes and are pretty much guaranteed getting in that class.  So, we got to choose her classes and her community, there are 2 in middle school, and we are good to go.  I have to say, it puts me at ease knowing that we are placed with the community I wanted her in (her too) and she is in the classes she and us asked for.  Now, we have the huge decision with Jordan.  She has expressed serious interest in going back to school.  We are definitely having her repeat 8th grade.  She's fine with that.  She's excited to not be going to high school actually.  Now, she wants to attend 8th grade at the same school (only school) she was in here in Summit County.  We really need to figure out what is best for her and how do we know?  I'm so tired of not knowing what decision we should make.  Sometimes I feel like parenting is just one big crap shoot.  I don't gamble but if I did I'm sure I would play the craps tables.  My mom once won $2000.  She wasn't a gambler either.  Odds are better.  So now we make the decision weather to send her back to school or not.  I would love the break but she has excelled beyond belief with her mental stability.  Her bi-polar is under control.  It's been years since we've seen her so grounded.  Ever since she was diagnosed, she has never been grounded.  Now she is and I know her going back to school will bring back so many of those emotions she couldn't handle.  What is to come when she is on her own and in the real world with mommy and daddy not there to protect her?  I wish there were answers.  I just don't know.

More from the Ski Trip Lodge

     As I was on facebook tonight I wrote that I felt verklempt about something.  A friend asked what verklempt meant and I said, "we say that all the time at work."  It's just one more thing that cracks us up.  We have said that forEVER.  That restaurant is just one big crack up.  One joke after another.  And let me tell you, we aren't mature.  Never have been and never will be.  It's terrible. 
     Here's an example.  Johnny BP (everyone has a nickname), is a funny guy.  Years ago when he started he was the so called rookie.  Well. years later, he still is.  He came later than most of us so we all treated him like the guy who couldn't wait tables.  Even though we appreciated him being there, we were not very trusting that he could handle the weight.  He couldn't most of the time but he is sure fun to work with.  He played along with all of our antics and made a lot of them up.    He'd purposely drop a pen on the floor, usually when I or someone else was extremely pregnant, and of course he'd pretend like he wouldn't see that it "fell" to the floor.  I (or whomever was pregnant) would bend down to pick it up, because a pen on the floor could kill someone of we stepped on it, and as we would bend down Johnnhy BP would make a huge fart sound to make it seem like the victim, who bent down to pick up the object that fell to the floor ,let out a ripper.  He'd laugh and walk away.  That is how long ago that old joke is considering the last time one of us was pregnant was at least 10 years ago.  We still do that EVERY time someone bends over to pick something up.  Ok, not everyone does that but those of us that aren't very mature do.  It's just good clean fun.  Another Johnny BPism is...  Well, stay tuned.  You'll eventually get the stories on most of our good clean fun jokes. 

The skiing is good, so I'm told

Things are being moved out on the deck.  It looks like snow Wed, Thurs, and Friday.  We'll have to throw a tarp over the furniture.  I'm thinking we made the right decision to have the carpet moved back for installation on Monday instead of this Thursday.  Monday it's suppose to get up to 50 and partly sunny.  No snow in the forecast. 
     I'm done skiing.  I tweaked my knee a couple of weeks ago at the Basin and I felt something just not right as I was skiing lower Standard.  I knew it right away and it didn't hurt but it was uncomfortable.  Now, I'm feeling it and it's not feeling right.  I've got a Dr. appt next week and will have it looked at.  But for now, I'm staying off of it.  And the skiing is amazing.  Jack keeps coming back from the backcountry skiing powder and this is the time of year to go get it.  I can't let myself take the chance of doing serious damage to my knee so I'm babying it big time.  I keep thinking I'll get a few good bike rides in before we leave but with the weather so icky and my time is limited with homeschooling it's hard to fit it all in.  Maybe this weekend.  I am feeling old and sluggish.  I haven't been so non-active in years.  And it shows.  I need to get in shape and get on a program.  I keep thinking once I get to Costa Rica I'll be swimming in the ocean, surfing, running/walking on the beach.  Hopefully the knee thing goes away.  I'm getting anxious.  I don't like being anxious.  I'm not the stressed out type and right now I am.  Wah, wah, wah, wah.  Whine, whine, whine. 
     Speaking of wine, time to replenish.

Whew! Home improvements.

     Costa Rica, Costa Rica, Costa Rica.  That is all I want right now.  We are getting snow and more snow and it is spring.  Every spring I get cranky.  Very cranky.  I don't want anymore snow and I just can't stand the storms that come through this time of year.  I know I don't have a right to complain and we are leaving soon but we always have so much going on this time of year and especially now we do not want this weather.  Blah. 
     Jack and I and the kids are working on getting our house fixed up for the summer.  We are so psyched to get the carpet installed, hand-me-down wood laminate floor put in, in front of the pellet stove, and we hung a new light above the kitchen table today.  The old light was icky and didn't even hang over the table.  It hung in the middle of nowhere.  It's great to see a small improvement but huge to us.  We are ripping our carpet out and it's gross.  Wish we could do wood floors but we just can't.  Someday maybe.  Now let's hope the people that are coming to look at the house rent it.  If not, we'll come home to an updated home and updates that I'm sure we will have forgotten about. 
     I must say, it is nice not to have to think about work.  We are closed and part-time or not, it feels good knowing I don't have to go in.  To bad I'm spending money now that I don't have any coming in. 
     Well, let's just hope next week we get some sun.  The furniture is going outside and carpet is coming.  Maybe a bike ride around Lake Dillon will be in my near future.  Fingers crossed. 

Feeling the stress

     I got my computer back today.  My laptop has been on the fritz.  I usually can figure out those things by myself but I had to call an expert this time.  He originally thought my hard drive was failing and that is not the case.  Lucky me I don't need to get a new computer.  I was sweating it out for a couple of days there especially since we leave for Costa Rica in 6 weeks and I really need my computer while we are there. 
     We have decided to put in new carpet in our house.  The carpet is trashed and the couple who are coming to look at our house from Ithaca, NY, in 2 weeks, did not need to see that disgusting carpet.,  Our house is great.  The views are to die for, the river is in the huge back yard and there is an awesome fire pit.  Everything about the location is perfect if you want to get away.  The house is a little worn and carpet will do wonders.  Now, the weather is here in full force and it has snowed at least a foot since this afternoon and we are suppose to have nothing but snow for the next week.  We are suppose to get carpet on Thursday and Jack and I are to rip it out ourselves.  We also have nowhere else, but the deck, to put the furniture.   We are feeling the stress.  Hopefully, the couple will love what they see and even if we don't have everything the way I want it they will see the peacefulness of this place and look beyond the stuff I still haven't gotten to yet.  So much to do, so little time.  I need an army.  I can't believe people house swap.  I've always thought I'd like to do that.  Especially knowing you really don't need to pack up the entire house as we are doing.  To bad we can't redo all of our floors.  Jack refuses and I can't fight that battle.  After all, it's him that does all the work.  Not me.  So I'll just zip it for now. 
     Possibly a ski day tomorrow.  We're suppose to drive to Denver for Hannah's eye appointment but I can't see that happening with all the snow we're suppose to get tonight.  The front range is even nasty.  So, if that's the case, we'll ski.  Maybe now I'll get my powder day.

Sun and Sulfur

     There is nothing like the smell of sulfur.  That rotten egg, smelly fart (sometimes), dirty, rotten sock smell.  We love the sulfur hot springs and today was that day to soak.  The smell isn't really that bad but you can smell it when you drive by.  And if you're not used to sulfur or have never experienced it before you wouldn't know that someone in the car didn't just drop a bomb.  The day was beautiful.  A little chilly but still we were in bathing suits and laying in the sun if we weren't soaking in the 104 degree spring fed pool.  The girls swam their hearts out and we all took in the sun and let me tell you, vitamin D never felt so good.  The sun does wonders for the soul and today we got all of it.  Thank you Sun.  I love you!  Thank you sulfur springs.  I love you, too.

Spring Break

     We purchased our tickets to Costa Rica  and got a great price.  Surprise to me since I wasn't expecting to get such a good price for non-stop.  I was getting a bit nervous not having tickets and when I logged on and started checking stuff out it all came together.  That's a great feeling.  Now I can rest easy knowing we have our plane tickets.  I've been following blogs written from ex-pats who've moved there and are doing what we want to do.  One of the blogs I follow is hilarious.  It's called "A Broad in Costa Rica" and I just read today that she is in intensive care in San Jose for a serious bout of pneumonia.  My prayers go out to her and her family.  It's kind of interesting when you follow a blog.  You feel a part of you knows them somehow when actually you have know idea of what they are like.  I just crack up at her writing though and she has had some great posts.  I hope she gets well soon.  I know her family must be awfully stressed with her being so sick.  My heart goes out to them. 
     I was suppose to work tonight and we were busy enough for 2 people but not 4.  4 of us were scheduled and I was one that wanted to leave.  I can't believe I phased because the $$ was probably pretty good but I am in vacation mode.  We want to camp this week since it's spring break but now, after watching the weather it does not look so good.  Bummer because we are needing some warm air and bike riding.  Wednesday is looking very nice so I think we're just going to drive over to Glenwood Springs and sit in the hot springs for the day.  Always a beautiful way to spend a warm day.  The sulfur springs there are so amazing and so uplifting.  I love going there and so do the girls.  So, that's plan B for now.  Maybe Denver later in the week.  We still need a few things for Costa Rica.  Denver is the place to go for them.  Camera, Camcorder, one more carry-on bag, head lamps.  Stuff like that.  I've shopped up here but EVERYTHING is out of stock.  So frustrating. 
     Snow again tomorrow.  It's super windy right now and the temps are dropping and a storm is brewing.  They are calling for snow tomorrow.   We'll see how much we get.  If it is icky here chances are Denver will be nice.  Who knows.  Maybe it'll be a powder day.  I'm still regretting not skiing the fresh powder last week.  Everyone is still talking about it.  Damn!
  
    

Powder

     We've had snow and lots of it.  Not here in Summit County but, Vail, Beaver Creek and surrounding areas.  Jack got all of it yesterday.  He said it was the best day he's EVER had at Beaver Creek.  That is saying something.  Considering, 2 years ago I went over there with him and Eddie and we were skiing overhead powder.  No kidding.  I couldn't breath skiing down the run.  Apparently, yesterday was better.
     Today, Joe and DB, friends who are here visiting from MN, drove over to Vail to ski and said the same.  Damn.  I missed it again.  This is just not my year for skiing powder.  Tomorrow and Friday I am taking the day off from homeschooling.  I am skiing.  Bad teacher, bad mom.  I don't really believe that or I wouldn't be doing it.  My mental health is just as important.  Jordan has worked very hard this week and we have made some serious head ways with school.  She is talking about going back to public school next year.  Not sure yet if we will go that way or not and she is not sure either.  We sure have a lot to ponder in Costa Rica this summer. 
     We have a couple coming out the first week of May to look at our house to possibly rent it for 2 months this summer.  I hope it works for all of us.  We are kind of stressing about it.  We purchase our tickets this week.  Yikes.  Can't wait.