Great Skiing

And the snow keeps coming down.  This is the best winter we have had in many, many years.  The skiing is great.  Every local here is happy.  Business is up, skiing is great and this is how I remember it when I first moved here.  I have been skiing this week and I can't believe how good it is.  We're skiing lines on the mountain that we've never been able to ski.  Everyone is talking about the same thing.  How good the skiing is. 
Today was freezing but it kept the snow cold and the conditions were perfect.  The sun came out and it was a bluebird day.  It was just cold.  I was driving home from work tonight and it was dumping out.  So, tomorrow should be another good day for powder and I will be on the mountain.  
If you are reading this blog and you do not live in Colorado but want to come out skiing, this is the year to do it.  The conditions are excellent. 
Happy skiing. 

It's January, It's OK

I'm now feeling guilty.  Guilty for not getting out more and getting a taste of this fresh Colorado mountain air.  I have been a huge home body, sleep in queen and a lazy arse.  The weather here is not motivating me one bit to get out and get active.  I guess I feel that when I work I am getting exercise, which I am, and that I need to save my energy FOR work.  So now, I am in this weird thought process that I should rest for work and rest after work.  It's working.  I'm not doing anything but working and resting.  
So now I say, well, it's January and January is a time for hibernating.  I guess if I have to stay indoors and be non-active it should be in the month of January.  February is a half a month away and I promise, February 1st I'll get motivated.  Rest assured. 

Disconnected

I'm feeling very disconnected lately.  Especially from my husband.  We can't seem to have a conversation without an argument and we are not at all on the same page.  Not a good feeling since things were going so well for us over the summer.  We even talked about it on our many walks on the beach.  We promised when we returned to our lives in the mountains we would not be disconnected.  Well, we both broke our promise and it feels terrible.  The stress of our everyday lives have just took over and now we need to figure out how to live in peace and harmony.  It'll happen.  We always seem to tough out the hiccups in our marriage.  I guess that's why we have been together for 25 years. 
I'm also feeling disconnected from the situation at home in MN.  It's not easy being almost 1000 miles from them.  I can't help and I can't stand not helping.  My Dad is home and my brothers are rotating staying with him, which I am so thankful for.  I have great brothers who care.  Thanks guys. 
I'm not connected with my bff's either.  I haven't skied with them for a long time and I really need to get out and have some good laughs with my friends, skiing. 
So, with that all said it's time to juice something and get over feeling disconnected and make some phone calls to my bff's and tell my husband I love him. 

Juicer

I followed through with a new year resolution today and finally bought myself a juicer.  I opted for a good one and it was a bit pricey but I think it'll be worth it.  I'm one of those shoppers who never buys something that doesn't get used.  I research what I'm buying and I really look at all of my options.  The juicer has been a big deal for me to buy and I finally broke down today and purchased the one I kept looking at on the shelf.  I went for the auger style.  I brought my new juicer home, with my new, fresh, organic veggies and fruit and made my self some healthy juice.  It was darn good.  Here's what I juiced. 
1 beet
4 carrots
1 apple
1/2 bunch Cilantro
1 tomato
It produced around a cup and a half of juice and I drank it down.  I felt good and healthy.  I can't wait to make my juice tomorrow. 
I am one happy juicer. 

Day Off

After 8 days of  going in to work, today is a day off.  I have decided not to answer my phone if it rings at 4:00 for fear that it will be work calling me in for a shift.  I would go in because the money is too hard to pass up as are the hours.  I need the hours.  I still am biting my nails about my insurance because I missed a week of work and didn't have any PTO hours to make up for it.  If I don't maintain a 32 hour work week they boot you out of the insurance system and you lose.  I've been working with my manager on this and she is reassuring me that "hopefully" the paperwork went through.  Reassure and hopefully in the same sentence don't bide well with me.   If I do get booted out of the insurance system and they drop my plan I have to wait 6 or 8 weeks, or something like, that before I can get it back.  So now I wait and see.  Argh! 

So here I sit in my cozy house looking out at yet another cold and cloudy day, snow on and off, fire going in the stove and I'm too tired to put it together to go skiing.  I really, really need the exercise and I know it would give me the kick start I so desperately want.  January is a tough month.  It's generally the coldest.  This January is no exception.  Our cat, who only uses the great outdoors to relieve himself, is really hating this cold.  He refuses to use the litter box inside so he quickly gets his business done, usually right on the deck out our front door, and comes back inside.  It's quite funny to watch him fuss with his paws when he steps out.  He is not happy about it.

Thursday is usually my yoga morning.  Tuesday and Thursday.  I am cutting back on spending so my yoga class was one of the first indulgences to go.  I gave this some serious thought since I know I am the one who I should be taking care of first but it is costing money and I can and should do it at home now that I know what I am doing, somewhat.  I do love my yoga instructor and will be missing her.  So, wii yoga here I come.  I am interested in a wii workout.  If anyone has a good suggestion for that let me know.  I'm new to wii and I am wanting to get a good workout video. 

I will be attending parent/teacher conferences tonight.  School is halfway through the year.  It's going fast. 

Another cup of coffee is calling my name.  I love my Costa Rica coffee maker.  It makes the perfect cup of Joe.  Maybe I'll rally and go skiing.  Nah.  I'm not going to let my laziness get me down.  Curling up in my blanket is awfully nice too. 
 

The Human Body

The human body is amazing. My Dad suffered a blood clot causing his heart to stop, liver and kidney failure, no oxygen to his brain for minutes, was shocked back to life, was frozen for 48 hours then defrosted, and is now home in his house.


It's just mind boggling. Happy New Year Dad. Glad you are still with us.

 

Meanwhile, my body is taking a beating.  At 46 years old, I'm feeling every year and then some.  Waiting tables and carrying those trays is taking it's toll and last night I had such awful pain in my back I couldn't even function.  Try smiling and acting like everything is going just great when my sciatic nerve is making me look like I slipped on a banana peel, and my back is spasming as I'm setting down your cocktail (it's tempting to take a chug off of that Makers/coke on my way to your table).  But, I'm a professional and I won't sip off of your drink, or show you my pain or complain to you while you are having the time of your lives.  I love my job and I am glad to be working.  I just need to pop another Aleve and get over it.  And stretch.  And do yoga.  And remember that others aren't so fortunate to be working. 

But man, will my insurance come in handy for my chiropractor.
Time for some Aleve, a shower, and another night of wincing.

Happy New Year

I rang in the new year at work.  I was happy to be making money and it was a good night for making money.  By the time I got home it was 2 am.  I was pretty tired but at the same time wired so I started watching TV for a bit and then went to bed and read my book.  Finally, I turned the lights out at 3 and slept in.  We had the coldest morning we've had so far this winter but we still rallied to go skiing.  It hadn't warmed up much by noon when we got out there.  It was one of those, ski 2 or 3 runs and go in because you are freezing.  The kids were nearly crying from their feet thawing out which I remember so vividly from my childhood and ice skating.  Painful. 
We came home and cranked up the stoves and I had just poured myself a glass of wine and the phone rang.  It was my manager from work and she asked me if I could work because they had picked up so much.  Sure, I was happy to go in and make some money.  So, I hurried up and got ready for work and 15 minutes later I was out the door.  Our T-bones, which I had thawed out, would have to wait.  And my wine. 
It was yet another busy night and now it's 12:15am and I am home wired from the night.  It's 15 below zero out and tomorrow, hopefully, will warm up some.  Most of the tourists will leave so I can get to the grocery store and stock my fridge.  It's been so crazy that I just haven't been able to get to the store, bank, etc. 
Let's hope we get some warmer weather.  I love that this holiday season is ending.  It's time to get those kids back to school and get some things done around here.  This 2 week school break feels like it's been a month.  Being in MN for a week adds to that.  Monday will be a good day for me. 
Happy New Year.  Let's see what new adventures our family will have in 2011.   

And the Beat Goes On

It's like nothing ever happened.  I never missed a beat.  But my Dad sure missed a few.  His heart missed several and I still can't believe he survived that ordeal.   Everyone is still asking about how he is doing and he is doing fine.  At least it sounds like it over the phone.  I talked with him today.  I called him hoping he would answer and he did.  He was moved yesterday to a transitional home and he has his own room and it sounds like the nursing home is pretty good.    We talked for a bit and then we were interrupted by the physical therapist.  It was time for his exercises.  He sounds motivated and ready to move on.  We'll see. 
It's 1am and I just got home from an extremely busy night at work.  Luckily, I had fun and nice tables tonight so it made my night less stressful.  Tomorrow is New Years Eve and we are BUSY!  That means money in my paycheck and I am sooooooo happy to be back at work and sooooooo happy to be working tomorrow.  It's the biggest night of the year.  
G'night all. 

Christmas Day-Continued

After sitting with Grandpa and talking and watching him in amazement, Andy and Jack showed up.  All was well and we were in good spirits.  We decided to go back to the house and get ready for Christmas dinner at my brother Mikes house.  We got back to my Dads house, which was in Christmas shambles.  It was cozy and happy and the kids were having the time of their lives, once again.  We all are going about our business just picking at food, drinking coffee, listening to music and the mood was calm and serene.  It was wonderful. 
We all drove over to my brothers house and Kerry, my sister-in-law had the place decorated so beautifully.  She has a gift for interior decorating and is an extremely good hostess.  Her parents were there, who our family has gotten to know fairly well.  We had a wonderful Christmas dinner and talked about the recovery of our Dad.  Evening was falling upon us and we all wanted to get back to the hospital.  We now have learned that they moved him out of ICU and into a regular room.  More good news. 
We all drove to the hospital and went to see him.  The nurses, I'm sure, were shaking their heads because here walk in 5 kids and 5 adults all excited to wish Grandpa a Merry Christmas.  He wanted to be upright in a chair to visit with us all so the nurses had to scramble to get him out of bed and into the chair.  One of the nurses was about 8 months pregnant and imagining her doing her job with someone the size of my dad it's no wonder she called for back-up.  They got my dad situated and we all walked in and gave him hugs and kisses one by one.  He then wanted to introduce each and every one of us to his nursing crew and he passed that with flying colors.  Not only could he say our names but he said who all of the kids belonged to which took awhile but he did great.  The nurses were impressed as were we.  It was a huge feat. 
We stayed for awhile and by now he was tired, we were tired and the kids were restless.  We left him to get some sleep.  We all then drove back to my Aunts house for coffee and dessert and again, over 30 family members were there.  We gathered around a large table and told stories of my Mom and Marie growing up in Mananah and my Dad meeting my Mom and Marie meeting Fred.  It was so much fun listening to the stories of our family. We stayed late and laughed and ate and laughed some more.  It was a good day and we were all so thankful we were together.    We got back to Dads house.  I was exhausted. 
I haven't felt that way in over 2 years.  I hit the pillow and didn't move until the morning. 
The morning after Christmas Sharon and their 3 kids took off for Madison and it was a sad goodbye.  Jordan was crying, Zane was crying, everyone was sad to see them go.  They drove out of the driveway and it was quiet and my kids were extremely sad.  Andy and I headed up to the hospital while Jack and the girls stayed home and my friend Joe came over to say hello.  He stayed and they played wii and watched tv.  My great friend Julie, I've known her all of my life and she is very close with my family, came up to the hospital and we visited.  We now are talking with my dad about the future and what he needs to do.  At this point he still hasn't gotten up and walked on his own.  The time is coming though where he needs to do this.  Julie and I left and went back to the house and enjoyed some wine.  I heated up lasagna for dinner and Andy came home and we sat down and had a nice family dinner with Julie.  It was very pleasant to have her there.  She even took Jordan out shopping for an hour.  Jordan had a very bad day and her emotions finally broke down and she just couldn't handle it anymore.  Julie to the rescue.  Jordan LOVES Julie. 
As Jordan and Julie were out I had a little breakdown myself and started ranting and raving about leaving and how are we going to leave with everything so up in the air?  Jack was super worried about the weather and the drive and just getting back to our lives.  I knew we needed to make a plan but I was not wanting to get out of dodge so soon.  He was.  The three of us, Jack, Hannah and me started cleaning and organizing and within an hour we had that house spic and span.  We decided to leave the next morning. 
The next morning we woke and packed and had everything in the car by 10am.  We said our goodbye to Andy and took off for the hospital for one more visit with Dad.  He looked great and we were sad to leave but had to.  We stayed for about 45 minutes and said our goodbyes and left.  The leaving part was the worst because of course the guilt now kicks in and I can't help but feel it's too soon for us to be taking off.  Jack reminds me that I can fly back for visits when it comes time for that.  I remind him we don't have the money for me to just fly back for visits.   It's all so stressful. 
We decided to break up our drive in 2 days and I'm so glad we did.  We drove to York, NE in 8 hours and got a room at the Super 8.  A dump but cheap and we needed the sleep.  How I slept I don't know because the minute I hit the car after the hospital I fell asleep and slept pretty much the entire day in the car.  The next day Jack started driving and I slept another 4 hours pretty well in the car and then I drove the rest of the way home.  We pulled up to our driveway at 4:30 and home was a beautiful sight.  I forget the MN winter weather and how it does a number on you.  It's grey and gloomy and freezing cold.  You can go days or weeks without seeing the sun.  CO weather is the opposite.  It's usually bearable temperature wise and the sun shines all the time.  It was so refreshing to see the sun again. 
We're home now and I've been on the phone w/ my brothers.  Today, Dad gets released from the hospital and Andy has found him a transitional home to go to for his physical therapy.  We'll take this a day at a time and see how well he does with getting back on his feet.  Hopefully he'll be motivated to get moving and get those muscles in shape. 
We had many prayers answered and so many positive thoughts from family and friends and I want to thank everyone for your well wishes. 
This was a very big eye opener for me and it sure is getting me thinking about getting my affairs in order.  If you haven't done it yet, do it and don't wait another minute.  Planning is the key to getting through this kind of thing with minimum stress.  Living far away is what it is and there is nothing I can do about that.
Tonight it's back to work and I'm looking forward to getting my mind in another area.  Work will be just that. 
Time for a quick nap and hopefully I'll be raring to go. 

A Story to Tell

We got the call on Tuesday, December 21st.  It was 8am and I heard the phone ring and figured it was my friend, Deb.  Jordan, Hannah and I and Deb and her daughter, Tori, were to go out to the Swan Center to feed the horses.  It was our only time over the break that we could get out there.  It was snowy and cold and I was not wanting it to be brutal weather for our day at the ranch but I was looking forward to seeing those horses.  I heard Hannah answer the phone and as she was climbing the stairs to the loft, my bedroom.  She said, "Mom, it's Grandpas next door neighbor on the phone!"  I knew immediately something was wrong.  She said hello and that my dad collapsed in the driveway and that she didn't have my brothers' phone number, only mine, so she called me.   She gave me some grim details.  He was snow blowing, he collapsed and they are all over there and they haven't even left for the hospital yet and they are working on him.  I asked her what does that mean, working on him, and she said she didn't know.   I asked again, what does that mean? Are they doing CPR?  She didn't know.  I hung up and got out of bed and ran downstairs to the kitchen where my Rolodex is.  I called my brother Mike, who lives 20 min away and no answer.  I called my brother, Andy, who lives 5 hours away and his wife answered.  I was now crying and told her the short version of the story and she handed the phone over.  Andy took charge and said he'd call me back.  By now, Mike called me back and was already in the car on the way to Dad's house.  For the next 10 minutes it was phone calls.   We finally found out he was being brought to North Memorial Hospital and now we wait.  Mike was in his car already driving so he drove straight to the hospital.  Andy said he was getting in the car asap.  I now called Deb and asked her if she could take the girls with her to the ranch because I didn't want to leave the phone.  No problem. 
A couple of hours went by and we now had some information.  Dad's heart was beating and he was in critical condition and since they didn't know how long he had been laying at the end of the driveway in the snow until the paramedics got there they didn't know if he had any brain damage.  They really couldn't tell what the outcome would be so they decided to do hypothermia therapy.  http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/29445694.html
Here is a link to read about it.  Very interesting.
That is when I decided we needed to beat feet and get to MN.  I called Deb, cancelled the ranch, called work and told them I'd be leaving and since I had a full schedule I wouldn't be able to work.  Fortunately, my job is extremely accommodating.  We packed and that night I had some errands to run.  Library books, cookies delivered, etc.  I got home at 8 or so and we opened all of our presents.  It was a very odd thing not really being Christmas.  We left, with our dog, at 5 in the morning.  We drove straight through.  It was a long, long drive but we arrived at my Dads at 11pm.  My brother , his wife and their 3 kids were waiting for us and they, as we, were so excited to see them.  We stayed up talking until well after midnight. 
We woke up the next morning and Jack, Andy and me went to see my Dad.  Since he was in ICU I didn't want the girls to see him until I knew what was up.  Sharon, my sister-in-law stayed at home with all 5 kids.  She's a saint.  I love her.
We walked into the room where my dad was and he was hooked up to the many machines but not as many as the day before, according to my brothers.  He looked good considering he had just been frozen and defrosted.  Literally.   I said hi to him and he opened his eyes and looked at me.  Jack said hi and so did Andy.  My dad shed some tears.  He couldn't talk to us but we talked to him.  We kept telling him to squeeze our hand and we were telling him that we were all staying at the house.  He seemed to be listening. 
After a while, we left and went back to the house. I went and picked up some groceries and friends of Andy's brought over food.  Dinner, snacks, wine, pop.  It was incredible.  The neighbor brought over food as well.  We were set.  It was extremely thoughtful and so appreciated.  So now, we are all in the house.  Jack, Jordan, Hannah, Mike, Andy, Sharon, Rachael, Jack, Zane, Tom, Tammy, Annika, Jesse and me.  It was fun, hectic, and family.  All 7 kids, cousins, were having the time of their lives.  It was good to be home in the comfort of my family and not waiting by the phone in CO, wondering. 
We got to bed late. 
The next morning was the day of Christmas Eve.  We got up and my cousin, Steve, called and said to bring all of our kids over to his house so we didn't have to worry about them.  Jack offered to bring them to Steve's while Andy, Sharon, and I could go be with Dad.  Since it was Christmas Eve and Steve lives 30 min away I packed up Jack and the girls for the day and told them I'd bring their clothes to my Aunts house later since that is where we will all be meeting for dinner.  They left and we were back at the hospital.  We got to the ICU room where Dad was and he was now opening his eyes and trying to talk.  He clearly had things to say and we were all ears.  It was so hard to understand him but we did and he wanted to talk so we let him.  It was a good sign.  We stayed with him for the day and went back to the house to regroup.  I was so tired and I crawled in bed, under the covers and closed my eyes.  The phone rang and it was for me so I got up and talked.  I love my friends.  They care.
Now it was time to get in the shower, wake up and drink some coffee.  We were on our way to my Aunts house for dinner.  We walked in and it was so welcoming and inviting and BEAUTIFUL!!  Her house is lovely and the Christmas decorations were festive and wonderful.  We met my entire family, on my Moms side there and had a wonderful time.  Dad was better, there was snow on the ground,  I was with my entire family.  We, all 32 of us, held hands in a circle and said a prayer.  It was amazing.  The night was perfect, except my dad wasn't there and we told stories of my mom and dad and of all of us growing up together and the memories were fun to talk about.  It was late and we left and Mike, Kerry and myself went back to the hospital.  There are no visiting hours when someone is in ICU so we showed up late and didn't leave until after 11:30.  Mike and Kerry dropped me off and I crashed.  It was good to see Dad on Christmas Eve.  Having him still with us and getting slowly better was incredible.  But I still had my doubts. 
We woke up on Christmas morning at 8:30 and all of the kids, except Rachael, were still sound asleep.  She was quietly reading a book on the couch.  The day before, since my dad didn't do any decorating, I found a tiny fake tree, maybe 3 feet tall in the closet and we stood it out in the living room and placed gifts around it.  Most of the gifts were the ones Andy and Sharon brought with them from Madison but I did to to Target and picked up a couple of gifts for the girls and then, of course, Santa found his way to MN so their big gift was under the tree.  The kids finally woke up and we watched them open presents.  After presents we made bacon, eggs and toast and Andy and Sharon and their family went to church.  Jordan wanted to go to church so I asked Hannah if she wanted to go visit Grandpa with me.  Yes, she did.  The two of us drove to the hospital and I was getting her prepared for seeing him.  I didn't want her to be sad or scared so the talk was necessary.  We walked in the room and there was my dad, sitting in a chair.  No breathing tube, no oxygen mask, only a feeding tube.  He was alert and aware.  He was ecstatic to see us.  He was talking, not well, but talking.  Hannah wasn't even phased.  We stayed and talked to a few nurses and a Dr. and everyone was amazed at his recovery.  He was on the mend.
To be continued...

Merry Christmas

Lots to tell.
It's Christmas and I'm in MN.  Our Dad has been in ICU for days now. 
He was snow blowing his driveway and was putting out the garbage cans for garbage pick up and the neighbor across the street happen to look out of his window and saw my dad going about his business.  He watched him for a bit, just because that is what neighbors do, and watched my Dad collapse.  Down he went in the snow and good neighbor called 911.  They were here within minutes and had to revive him at the end of our driveway.  The brought him to the hospital where they assessed the situation.  They found that a Stent that was put in years ago tore and caused a blood clot which took him down.  They had now idea how long it was that he was not getting oxygen to his brain so they decided to do hypothermia therapy.  That's where they bring the body core temp down to around 32 degrees for 48 hours and then warm him back up slowly.  Basically, defrost him.  So they did that.  Apparently, it's a last resorts effort.   He is now back to regular temp and is still in ICU but yesterday we had a pretty positive day.  He was answering questions and he knew who we were.  He was moving, squeezing our hands and even cracking some jokes.  Andy said, "Dad, I can relate" and Dad's answer was, "The Hell you can!!"  We can barely decipher what he is saying but that is definitely what he said.  We all laughed. 
From here, we don't know what to do.  We need to talk to a social worker to decide, if he does get out of there, what kind of care and treatment he needs, who will be with him etc.  It still is all to early to tell but these are some tough decisions we will be making in the next week or so. 
That's the update for those of you who read and have been asking.  Thanks so much for your thoughts and prayers.  I really appreciate it and the friendships I have are amazing. 
Merry Christmas. 

A Good Tired

I'm tired.  In a good way.  We had Hannah's eye appointment this morning and it took a lot longer than expected.  All she wanted was to walk out of there with contacts.  At least a pair to try.  Not so.  We didn't realize that it would be a session of appointments and that this was not the one she would be getting a trial pair.  That won't happen until next week and then we have to go back 3 more times to make sure that they are the ones that will work for her.  I understand all of it but it's frustrating for her when all she wants is to wear ski goggles without her glasses underneath, swim in a pool and be able to see the other side, go to school without her glasses for one day and read the board from her seat which happens to be in the back of the class.  One more thing. 
We went skiing after that appointment and it was just dumping out.  It has been snowing for days up here and we are not getting tired of it one bit.  We are going out to the ranch to work with the horses tomorrow and it's going to be brutal with the weather.  I wish we could make it out more but with work and school we aren't able to help out much in the winter.  I miss seeing those horses, sheep, llamas and the alpaca.  It's hard work but fun.  I'm glad we are squeezing in a day over our break, but tomorrow, I'm not wanting to travel out there in this weather.  That road is torturous. 
We got home from skiing today and I took a very short nap on the couch, got up and made dinner, made some cookies and the girls put together a gingerbread house.  Jack was even in the action and was preparing a salad for dinner so we were all in the kitchen.  Hannah loves, loves, loves when we are all together and she was just tickled pink about it.  We all were.  It was a great night.  Now, we are all whooped and Jack is in bed, Jordan is getting ready for bed, Hannah is falling asleep on the couch, watching a Hallmark Christmas movie, and I'm done.  it's been a pretty good break so far for everyone in our house.  Hopefully we can all keep our wits about us.  Christmas is here and before we know it we will be waking up to a new year. 
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.......falling asleep.   

It's a Wonderful Life

Yes, life is good.  I'm out of my funk.  I'm skiing.  I'm working.   We are finally getting busy at the restaurant and it feels good.  The people are here in full force for the holidays so it's a good sign we will be working a bunch.  The skiing was amazing again today and watching my girls ski powder and actually making beautiful turns through that deep snow was so cool to watch.  I'll never forget the day I figured out how to ski deep powder.  I was 20 and it was at The Basin and I remember the feeling of finally getting that rush.  I think Hannah definitely got  that feeling today.  Jordan was getting a little frustrated but that's because she was tired of having us tell her what to do.  She finally just skied away and went off on her own. 
The only downfall about this is that I am not 20 anymore.  It seems hard to believe that for years we would get up and ski most of the day, come home and eat, regroup, shower and go to work, work until midnight or so, sometimes go out after work and party, and get up the next day and do it all over again.  Now, things are a little different.  I'm looking for that nap if I ski and work in the same day.  I go home immediately after work and try to get to sleep so I can be fresh for the next day.  Times have changed and it's a wonder we all survived those times. 
Bedtime.  Another ski day tomorrow. 

Snow

This year is our snow year so far.  We are getting it, finally.  I have skied hard the past 2 days and tomorrow is lining up to be a pretty big powder day.  I got phased from work tonight to it'll be in bed early and up and adam for another ski day.  It's just incredible conditions.  Everyone in the county is stoked and people can only talk about how great the skiing is.  It's amazing how snow can change the feeling of our county.  After all, most of us are here because of the skiing. 
I made the girls go up with me at 8:00 this morning.  They weren't happy about it and they were whining but I didn't let it get to me.  I told them it's what we do and it's why we live here so get used to it.  Tomorrow will be another ski day and they WILL be going.  Spoiled little .....s.   Hannah loves it but Jordan could do without it.  She does have a good time though.  It's better than having them stay at home in front of the TV and computer.  Not how I'm letting them spend their break. 
Time for a family movie and then bed.  Powder day tomorrow. 

Break

Christmas break is officially here.  The kids are off from school for two weeks.  Jack and I had a ski day today at The Basin.  It was great skiing and a beautiful day.  I needed it. 
We got the kids from the bus stop at 3:30 and came home to a roast cooking in the crock pot.  Now, with  full bellies, we are watching "My Cousin Vinny." 
It's a good night.  I feel like I'm on vacation. 

Christmas Lists

Here are my kids' Christmas lists which I totally get a kick out of.
Jordan's List:
-my own pet; frog, rodent, hermit crab
-box of chocolate
-itunes gift card
-ipod touch (I don't think so)
-a better cell phone (she can't even keep the one she has because of consequences)
-manicure and pedicure
-sushi dinner

Hannah's List:
-despicable me movie
-ping pong table
-a violin
-adams family movie
-p.j's
-ipod touch (again, I don't think so)
-music stand
-ski helmet
-kung fu panda movie
-slippers
-long underwear
-lime green hat
-skinny jeans
-long light brown uggs (spelled oggs)

Not bad.  I can manage some things on their lists.  I just thought they were so funny.

The Blues

It's been waaayyyyyy too long since I've posted anything.  I have to admit, I've been feeling a bit blue this holiday season and have not been myself.  But I did get a good laugh this morning on facebook from my friend, Mary, who posted a funny video of myself, cleaning my camper.  I'll have to share it with you if I can figure it out. 
Also, my laptop was out of commission for about 2 weeks and that really had me flustered.  Going down into the office we have is not very comfortable and I hate sitting at the desk to do any computer stuff so I wasn't motivated at all to blog.  My computer is once again on my lap and I am happy to have it back.  All of my pictures were backed up safely and most of the information that is important to me was saved.  What a hassle that was though.  All I have to say is BACK UP YOUR STUFF!!
After getting my house all beautified for Christmas, with the exception of the tree, I did feel a little happier.  Then, Jack took it upon himself to get a tree.  He cut one down behind our house and I have to say, the tree is perfect.  It really is perfect.  He said he had his eye on it since the the fall and it was growing too close to the shed so it was good to get it out of there.  I'm impressed.  It is really nice and cozy in our house, and clean.  I had to disinfect everything.  Last Tuesday we had our holiday party for work.  Since it was a school night we were home by 9:30 and in bed by 10.  I woke up at around 1 extremely sick.  I thought maybe it was food related but it wasn't.  I was on the couch the entire next day feeling awful.  That night in the middle of the night Jordan woke up feeling yucky and the next day she was on the couch all day.  Friday came and she went to school and Jack woke up sicker than a dog.  He never gets sick.  He was in  bed all day Saturday.  Hannah was the only one who hadn't gotten it yet but lo and behold, I got home from work on Sunday night, went to kiss her goodnight at 10:30 and she said she wasn't feeling well.  She was up the entire night throwing up.  She had it so bad that she had to stay home for two days.  After her horrendous night of vomiting all night, she couldn't even hold her head up the next day.  I pulled out the bed for her to lay on in the living room and she couldn't even talk to me, let alone watch TV.  It was awful seeing her that way.  I was just trying to make sure she was taking small sips of water because I was so scared of her becoming dehydrated.  She started coming around at about dinner time and still couldn't eat.  I kept her home yesterday too and glad I did.  She had to have a full day to recover from that one.  She definitely had it the worst.  Poor thing.  It's hard to watch your kids that way.  So, the entire week I've been walking around with a spray bottle trying to get these germs out of here.  Hopefully we are done with the stomach flu for the season.  Gross.
We have the best early season skiing in years.  Lake Dillon is still not frozen yet and Jack and I were trying to remember when it usually freezes.  Yesterday they had 70 degree weather in Denver and it was in the high 40's up here.  Today it's snowing again.  I did manage to get a quick peek at a meteor shower at 4 in the morning a couple of mornings ago when I was checking on Hannah.  I looked out the window from my living room and the stars were brilliant.  I stood there looking at the stars for awhile and that is when I got to see some meteors shoot across the sky.  It was beautiful.  I was glad I took a moment to look out my window. 
Today, I just might go skiing and get some fresh air.  Bottom line, there is no reason to feel blue right now. 
I'm coming back. 

TGIF

We are living at super speed once again and I am not ok with it.  There is no way around it though because it is what it is and really, it's all good.  The girls are having fun with their activities but we are driving all over this county and at separate places trying to coordinate meeting times, pick-up times, drop off times, dinner, etc.  I will get through this month. 
All I have to say is, TGIF.  But, we do have a busy weekend ahead of us. 
I have friends in town from MN (hi Joe and Paul) and we are looking forward to skiing with them in Breckenridge.  I haven't skid Breck in ages so I am super anxious to go over there and ski the mountain..  Jack (I call him Jetstream Jack) says there is a huge storm brewing and if the jetstream changes a little it could drop feet on us.  Steamboat is projected to get a ton and if that happens the storm will probably be a little too North for our mountains.  Lets cross our fingers that everything lines up and we get hit.  It would be nice to get some more snow.  I stepped outside this morning and it felt balmy out there and the sky was very dark.  I'm waiting.  My bones are aching at night when I sleep and usually that's a good sign of something.  Ironic huh?  Achy bones, good for something?  We'll see.  I'll keep you posted. 

I absolutely cherish my mornings when my family leaves.  It's quiet, I can drink my coffee and sit down and type.  Teller is snoring away and the cat is up to no good.  Pure Bliss. 
Enjoy your Friday everyone. 

December 1st

It's December 1st already.  What happened to November?  In the blink of an eye, it was gone.  Scary.  I would like life to freeze and I don't mean stay at 32 degrees.  My kids are growing up too fast, my days are going by to quickly and I just want it to slow down.   My bucket list is getting longer and I have no idea how I'm going to get it all done.  I did, however, manage to haul all of our Christmas decorations up from the shed in the snow.   I counted that as one of my workouts for the week.  Teller thought we were taking a vacation.  Every bin that I drug through the snow and up the driveway he would get all excited and prance next to me like he was going on some huge vacation with his family.  I'd get the bin up to the house and inside and he'd sit down at the door and stare all confused.  Back to the shed and that gave him hope that, yes, we were going on vacation.  Until I got the bin in the house again.  You see, usually when we go camping or on a road trip we have to get our bags, coolers, etc out of the shed and Teller knows that.  He was obviously thinking that hauling all of my Christmas stuff from there was for his benefit of going on a great road trip.  That dog is really into road trips.  Why, I don't know because he is huge and usually is cramped up in the back seat with the girls, where he insists on riding. 
We now have the dilemma of the Christmas tree.  I am thinking of just a small, table top tree.  That didn't go over so well with the girls.  I refuse to buy one from a lot or the boyscouts because they are so expensive.  Cutting one down is a lot of work but fun.  We'll do that.  We have plenty to choose from right outside in our yard. 
The kids' Christmas keep growing and growing.  Do they realize who their parents are?  Each one wants an ipod, with a screen, in their words.  The ipod shuffle
 @ $45 wasn't good enough.  I say it's plenty.  Do they realize that one ipod is a minimum of $145??   Who has that kind of cash?  They want Internet on their phones.  They are lucky to have phones, period.  One of them, I won't name names, wrote on her list 'a boyfriend'    REALLY? 
Happy December 1st. 

Black Friday

It has been way to long since my last blog post.  Some of you who actually read my ramblings have said you missed my blog.  Tear.  Seriously, that really made me sit down and take note that maybe my ramblings are good for you, too.  Well, I've got a lot to ramble about. 
It's the day after Thanksgiving and I have no leftovers.  I didn't cook because I had to be at work at noon so the whole cooking thing was out for the day.  Jack and the girls were going over to one of my bff's for dinner w/ around 15 or so of our friends.  My friend  made the turkey and then everyone else was assigned a dish.  Jack's dish was a salad because my friends know what an excellent salad person I am.  I whipped up some pea salad I had never made before and of course I made some red jello and put little marshmallows on top because that is what we Minnesotans do.  After all, a Minnesota salad bar consists of iceberg lettuce and 5 different kinds of jello.  The jello was a hit but the pea salad, mmm, not so much.  I should have made my standard 7 layer pea salad but I went out on a limb and tried something new.  Change.  People do not like change. 

Work was great.  It was something like 20 below yesterday so I wore my bikini shirt to work for a laugh.  I walked into the kitchen, punched in and Chef and his staff of 7 were all working hard chopping, sauteing, grilling, whatever they do, and I walked through the kitchen frenzy and they all stopped and just stared.  Chef started laughing and rolled his eyes and since he calls me "hefnar" he said, "Hefnar, livin' the dream aren't you?"  I figured it was a good way to start our busy day and get everyone to smile.  I did just that. 
The kitchen staff whipped up a staff dinner for us and since this was the first Thanksgiving I have worked in almost 7 years I was so excited to sit down with everyone and eat my turkey dinner w/ mashed potatoes and stuffing.  Especially the stuffing.  Stuffing is my all time favorite.  I grabbed my plate and went to the chow line and looked at the plates of food in the window.  Brussel sprouts on the first plate, turkey sausage in gravy next, diced potatoes w/ onions, meatloaf and a spinach salad.  Now, that dinner was wonderful, don't get me wrong.  We get fed dinner every night and it's always good.  But, by God this was THANKSGIVING!!  I wanted some stuffing for crying out loud.  With gravy.  I didn't even need turkey.  Just stuffing.  I loaded my plate up and took a seat at the table with my co-workers and asked everyone else if they were bummed about the no stuffing thing.  Everyone was content and I said my peace.  My dinner was fabulous, as usual, and I had a huge serving of chocolate moose for dessert and I was stuffed.  It was time to get changed and start waiting on tables. 
We always sit down with our chef and go over the nights menu, since it changes pretty much every night.  Well, we were serving the normal 4 course dinner.  Choice of 2 soups, choice of salad or app, choice of 5 entrees, choice of dessert.  The entree selection was Veal, Lamb, Beef, Fish, Turkey w/ all the fixings.  Except there was no stuffing in all the fixings.  My jaw dropped and I let out a cry of "WHAT???"  I was literally in shock at this choice our chef had made and thought that every person who would be ordering the turkey plate would blame me when they were digging around their plate looking for their stuffing.  Since Dupster was the one to relay this message to us in the meeting I blamed him.  I said if anyone of my tables complains about having no stuffing on Thanksgiving I would be happy to send Dupster over and they could discuss it with him.  Dupster is a lowly waiter just like me so he has no control over that situation.  He was the messenger and I was about to kill him.  I did have a panic attack and was thinking maybe I should take a Valium but since I have never popped a Valium before, and I was at work, I decided against it.    I must have sold 10 plus turkey plates and not one person said a word.  Seemed no one cared two hoots about the no stuffing issue.  But man, did we ever have some good laughs over it.  That is how my job is.  Constant jokes, good laughs and great friends.  We have all worked together for years and years and we know each other so well.  It helps to be amongst good people if you have to work a holiday.  

They call this day Black Friday.  Black Friday is supposedly the hugest  shopping day in the country with the best sales EVER!   The commercials on TV are all about advertising Black Friday.   It's almost as bad as election time.  Keystone has black-out days meaning when it's a blackout day employees can't ski.  Jack tried to take Hannah out skiing a couple of weeks ago and it was a blackout day so they were denied.  Our plan was to go skiing today as a family.  Hannah has been so excited to ski.  She said to me, "Mom, to bad we can't ski on Friday because it's Black Friday."  I asked here how she already knew that they weren't letting employees on the mountain since this was back on Monday that she was saying this.  Her reply was, "because they are advertising it all over on TV."  A total Hannah ism.  It's not a blackout day at Keystone today and they are going skiing later.  She still wants to know what all they hype is about Black Friday so I am taking her shopping.  Happy Black Friday everyone.  I hope you all have some leftover stuffing.