2008 Holidays in the Colorado Mountains

Instead of enjoying the frenzy of post-Christmas shopping and 60 degree temperatures in Texas, we decided to head to the Rocky Mountains to sled, ski and enjoy toasty warm evenings for our 2008 holiday vacation.

Actually, it was exactly nine years ago - when businesses, neighbors and friends were terrrified of what would happen as the world flipped the switch to a new mellinium - when Steve and I decided to spend New Year's Eve removed from the anxiety and hussle-bussle of the city to enjoy the peace and serenity of the Colorado mountains.

I remember watching CNN as the world celebrated the Mellinium with a bit of anxiety, fireworks, champagne and the question-of-the-year: "Is our world going to continue rotating on its axis at 12:00 a.m.?" as Steve and I snuggled up next to the fireplace with hot chocolate, a flannel blanket and the most spectacular view of the snow-covered mountains. If the world ended at the stroke of midnight, we wouldn't have noticed or cared a bit. It was then that I noticed there is something magical about spending the holidays in the pine- and alpine-covered mountains far away from anything commercial, convenient or artificial.

Now, two rambunctious kids later, we - once again - celebrated the holidays covered in snow. Both of my parents have cabins in the southern Colorado area, so we spend time near Creede or South Fork, Colo., both of which are remotely situated in the mountians, without a hospital, gas station, or Wal-Mart within a reasonable distance. Less shopping and planned activity = more family time... something we can always use more of.

This trip, Landrie caught the flu and was in bed the first couple days here, but a quick shot of Phenergren at the closest clinic about 50 miles away, and she's back to her normal self.

Branden and Steve jumped right into winter activities on Day 1. A few summers back, Mom gave Branden and Steve the nicknames "Lewis and Clark" because they are always on an adventure. Sometimes their adventures take them just a mile up the road and other times they're gone the entire day. No matter how long their gone, my two men always come home with tales that would make Mark Twain envious. In fact, just this morning, they showed me pictures they took of Big Foot's tracks in the snow. I almost want to believe them, they really appear to be the REAL THING!

This Colorado vacation, like all other winter vacations we've spent here, are delightfully cold, white, crisp and short-of-breath when we're outside. Inside, we spent the week playing board games, creating our favorite cold-weather dishes (potato soup is my favorite!) and napping. I used to feel a little guilty when I napped during the day, but now I've decided it's one of my "mountain-life guilty pleasures," along with pancakes for breakfast every morning.

Our 2008 holiday vacation has come to an end today and I'd have to admit, I'm a little sad...

This morning, we went to a reindeer ranch. The white reindeer and gi-normous elk were absolutely beautiful. We've seen the reindeer (aka caraboo) and elk in the wild before, but didn't get the chance to see them this trip, so we drove the kids up to a ranch where they are raised. The little secret we didn't share with Branden and Landrie is that - just 10 feet away in the silver metal shed - is where they were "processed" into jerky and hamburgers that we are going to have for dinner tonight.

We're going home tomorrow morning. Hopefully, we won't get stuck in a snowstorm like we did last year, when we spent almost two days in one spot - LITERALLY - on I-40 waiting for state troopers to open the interstate.

The past week has been full of wonderful memories. The images I've posted here can never express the magnitude of the memories we've made over the last eight days.

Snowball fights, snow angels, eating newly-fallen snow, the way to snow sparkles when you see it first thing in the morning, hugging my entire family when the clock struck midnight, kissing Steve with snow falling around us, watching Branden flying down the mountain and "catching air" as he jumps a mogul, waiting patiently to find out if Landrie was laughing or crying at the bottom of mountain then hearing her say, "I want to do that again!" with her squeeky 5-year-old voice, seeing Steve's excitment when he spots a deer, fox, moose or bear that no one else in the world would have noticed, piling our wet socks next to the fireplace, cuddling up with Steve, Branden and Landrie to keep warm....

These are the captured moments that make life worth living. These are the memories that will live in my mind and in my heart - the memories that take my breath away - that I will cherish all of my life.