A good snapshot keeps a moment from running away.” Eudora Welty
…or in my case, sliding down a ski slope.
I’m such a copy cat because you all know I didn’t read something intellectually charging and find that on my own…Unless you call the Pottery Barn 2011 Gift Guide intellectually charging.
If you know me very well, you know that my MOST favorite thing to do in this ENTIRE world is to ski.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE it. Like, REALLY love it. As I mentioned, with the 3-0 looming ever so closely, Jason planned a little trip with some of our best friends.
Now, I talk to her almost every day, so how she didn’t tell me- even went as far as to LIE to my face-is a miracle! PROPS TO HER! You can lie to me if you want if it involves us going skiing.
They all schemed and told me over dinner one night… I cried. I was a giddy child counting down the days.
Well, it’s now over. It was THE most fun trip I’ve ever been on. We had an ABSOLUTE ball and laughed the entire way home. I was so happy to scoop my girl into my arms and pat Gus’s head, but oh my… .the memories are wonderful.
We talked about how we often try SO hard to live in the moment, take it all in and burn memories into our minds…it’s hard. Then, I saw the quote above. Thank goodness for pictures. Thank goodness for lugging my serious camera up the mountain. Funny note, Yours Truly didn’t feel the need to check the battery. Got up the mountain, posed and it DIED. RIGHT THERE ON TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN!
WHAT IF…. WHAT IF…. Oh my. It didn’t happen, so let’s not go there.
These friends of ours…. They are precious precious precious.
(I'll teach you about doing silly poses around me!)
They took time off their important jobs, busy schedules and smack dab in the middle of the Christmas rush to spend time (and money) to go skiing with me for my birthday. See! Precious friends. Very humbling, might I add. AND… good skiers, might I also add.
See, I’m the one that went flying on concrete and about broke my almost 30 year old body. Jason rethought the trip at that moment, I think. I had a small mental lapse. As in, I guess I forgot you can’t ski on concrete- I have no idea, but I gave them a GREAT show. All of that within the first hour! I’ll SPARE you everyone else’s senior moments because they didn’t sign up to be on this blog. So, for your info, they were
FAST,
graceful,
never missed a beat, Picabo Street-kinda skiers. Ahem! One of them even wanted to go to the terrain part and do tricks off the hills without a helmet- FIERCE. Um…DID I MENTION WITHOUT EVER DOING A TERRAIN PARK BEFORE!! See, even senior moments for the youngest on the trip.
So, my husband is the best, most kind and thoughtful person.
We all survived. Had the TIME of our lives. One of us is closer to 30. As I stated, nothing the hot tub couldn’t cure. My parents kept EB while we vacationed in Utah. EB had the time of her little life as well and asked if she could hear Millie’s voice again once we got her home. They, too, helped me have the best trip ever.
PS- I met a little girl that was 3.5 and had started skiing when she was 18 months old. Watch out folks, EB will be cutting it up this time next year!!
Thank you, JB, Carras and parents for the best trip and birthday surprise!
Recycled Halloween costume...That was as good as it got this morning.
I used to babysit my life away. That is LITERALLY all I did, but OH HOW I LOVED IT. I love all of those kids who were so dear to me then even to this very day today. They are all growing (some in college..GASP) and have turned into such awesome young adults. I’m QUITE sure it had EVERYTHING to do with my time with them. HA! Anyway, I felt through my YEARS UPON YEARS of babysitting that parenting would be old hat. UM….. Then, along came Evie Black. Lord have mercy on my patience…and mouth…and reactions.
I have mentioned before that her personality is hilarious. “Spunk” and “sass” seem to be watered down terms to describe her. Funny…oh my, she is funny. 
BUT… OH the attitude that comes from those big ol’ eyes and those perfect little lips. WOWZERS. I used to LOVE when my baby sitting kids would turn three. If you don’t know, the threes are HILARIOUS. They don’t have a filter, but their words are there enough to form the most hilarious phrases, observations, honesty, etc. UNTIL… it turns against you and you want to climb the walls.
Yet, amongst all of that, I love her from her chipped toenail “powish” all the way up to the hairs on her head that are now about two inches shorter than the rest of her little cute bob thanks to her wanting to go hairstylist on me.
Our days are fun. Thank goodness for a patient, mild-mannered daddy. No wonder they are BFF.
Two music programs at EB’s school…
Special guests who spent Christmas Eve with us, EB's first candle light and a visit from the Jolly one himself… 
Christmas morning excitement= “Jump House” from Santa…
And a new [Tinkerbell] bike from Millie and Papa Ron…
