Colorado Spring Break: A Classic Vacation Blog Post

We are on our way home from Colorado!

Currently driving along the northern edge of Texas after staying the night in Trinidad, Colorado, which was overrun with people because the highway out was shutdown for ice and way too many flipped cars and trucks. Our ETA is 6 p.m. and as much as I've enjoyed being away, I can't wait to get back to the house to dump our clothes in the washer, check all the mail and packages we've missed, pet our fluffiest cat who is going to have A LOT to tell us about being gone, pick up Maggie from my friend's house where she has been enjoying doggie camp (this time without the goats, though I'm sure she misses them), and see the results of our renovations! Our contractor sent a sneak peak of the accent wall in our bedroom yesterday and I'm so in love!

Things won't be entirely done when we arrive, but they'll be close and we can definitely sleep in our own room once again. I'll also try to fit in a yoga class because I fly out to Orlando for a conference on Sunday afternoon, come back Tuesday evening, and fly back out Wednesday to Miami for the firm partner retreat with James, and my body misses exercise. So life is full as usual, making our week away all the more lovely.

We first drove to my sister's house in Boulder on Saturday, arriving just in time for dinner and a bit of cousin playtime. My kids (14,11,8) are a good bit older than my sister's (5,3,1), but they ADORE their cousins and play so happily and completely with them. It's just the best.

On Sunday we celebrated my niece Rio's 3rd birthday party. She was helping me get ready and thought her hair needed some vagina curler treatment. Whose doesn't?

The party was great- crafts (which my kids enthusiastically participated in) and a visit from Queen Elsa (which mine did not, though the birthday girl was delighted), delicious food, visits to the resident goats and chickens, and gorgeous weather.

On Monday I woke up early for a video call with a potential client and another call with a colleague, hung out with my sister and her girls, and then off we headed for the mountains!

We drove along Highway 6, even though roadwork meant it would take longer, but it's such a beautiful drive and we have a traditional rock we try to find and stop at for a picture. After missing it the last trip or two (well, last time we drove in a blizzard and the whole highway was shut down), we found it this time and scrambled up top. I never think my kids are changing that much until I look at a montage like that- chunky toddlers to lanky big kids, how time truly flies.

We also made our traditional lunch stop in Idaho Springs, James's fave Colorado mountain town, and got to my parent's beautiful home in Winter Park in the mid-afternoon. We picked up our rental skis and snowboard, Cora made friends with the shop dog, and then we headed out for some tubing.

We hadn't been in a couple years, so it was fun to fly down the tubing hill again.

The kids and I joined together for one and our combined weight took us nearly to the end of the offramp.

James did the jump, of course, and Landon followed, while the girls and I found flying down a smooth path to be just fine for us.

We got home to lasagna soup with my parents, watched part of The Alpinist (which I highly recommend), and went to bed early in preparation for a big ski day in the morning.

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Except that's not exactly what happened. Claire started complaining of a stomach ache when we left the tubing hill. She has a more sensitive stomach than the other two, so we assumed it was the car snacks or just being out of her routine. She picked at her dinner but seemed mostly okay. Then she came in our room crying about 9 pm and instead of getting better, things got considerably worse until 11 pm when she violently threw up everything we didn't even know was in her stomach and her stomach cramps were so bad she said it hurt to breathe. We googled the nearest open medical center and found an emergency room 10 miles away. So off we went- ski coats over pajamas, me wondering what the name of my new medical insurance was since I'd switched only the day before we left.

The medical team was great, taking her back right away, and getting her settled with a vomit bag (immediately used) and ice chips. After a blood draw and a few other tests, altitude sickness was confirmed and she got a big back of fluids and some anti-nausea meds. Two hours later she could keep down her test cracker and we were sent home about 3 a.m. with instructions to keep her hydrated and come back if any symptoms returned. After twenty-plus trips to Colorado, this was our first real brush with it, and man is it rough.

We stumbled to bed and hoped she'd be able to sleep until morning. And she did! The doctor had cleared her for skiing if she felt up to it, but she didn't quite yet, so she stayed home with my parents who planned to join us a little later in the day, while James and I packed up and headed to Winter Park with Landon and Cora.

At the top of the gondola Cora decided she had forgotten everything about skiing- had perhaps not ever skiied- and should just go home and play Gigi's piano.

The boys split off to go do the bowls while I gently coaxed Cora down a long green run. By the end she was flying through a tunnel, her excited "woooooo!" echoing behind her.

Our whole group met up for lunch, including a slightly pale Claire who still refused food but did drink a lot of water. She was beautifully controlled on her skis and loved following my mom and dad down the runs.

Cora was also doing great until we went up to Parsenn's Bowl and took her down a lovely blue she decided she hated.

She eventually agreed to do a couple greens with my parents while we took Landon and Claire on a few more blues.

Landon, who refused my offers of sunscreen, popped in and out of trees and had a fabulous time until he decided he was tired and laid down at the base of a lift.

Claire was enjoying herself and making her usual carefully controlled turns while James wished we all liked blacks more than blues.

We met up again at the base, my parents heading home, and our crew wandering the shops. I treated myself to a frozen margarita- the perfect apres spring skiing beverage and everyone else got ice cream. We finished The Alpinist that night and then everyone crashed until morning, including Claire, thank goodness.

Day 2 started out well - all 5 of us piled in the car to head back to the slopes! Claire was feeling good! The weather was gorgeous and a snow dump was expected at lunch! And at 25 degrees- it wasn't even very cold out! Except Cora decided it was actually very cold- so cold she couldn't put on her ski boots and flatly refused to exit the car in the parking garage.

Now Cora is usually the MOST agreeable and fun #thirdbaby, but if she decides she's not doing something, she IS. NOT. DOING. IT. and the combined forces of heaven and hell cannot convince her.

Luckily, the foot and hand warmers I bought for $4 in the village did and she eventually emerged from the car to her totally annoyed big brother who just wanted to go skiing. And skiing, we did!

We met my parents at lunch again and then skiied with them for a while. The snow started coming down harder which made James happy and the kids less so.

We stayed a couple more hours, until everyone was tired and only maybe wanted to do one more run, which we have learned is the best time to stop. We returned our skis, got back to Papa and Gigi's for another tasty dinner, and then all watched The Adam Project, which everyone enjoyed. On Thursday we originally planned to sled, but everyone seemed so happy indoors we just hung out and packed. James went to the local rec center to work out and I watched my parents do the yoga workout I recorded for them while thinking I should really do daily yoga too. I've been making my mom new videos each month and she has faithfully done hers every day which has done amazing things for her back. Recently my dad joined in too and I'm so proud of them both!

All packed and yoga'd up, we headed out for brunch, and then started our drive home. We had a wonderful time with Papa and Gigi and it was so great to have another set of adults on the mountain to help split up our group as needed. Hopefully next time we can all ski together all day!

And now, after a few legs of the ride without cell service, we are 2.5 hours from home and I have a work call in 4 minutes. Hooray for travel blogging- we spent our dinner last night planning our trips for the rest of the year and can't wait to do more!