To Love: Spring Break 2024

I think it quite ironic that we left spring and found winter during Spring Break. We spent the week in Durango, Colorado skiing and relaxing. (Admittedly, the act of skiing is not relaxing, but the fact that we were away from the daily grind was relaxing.)

Monday morning we packed for the week and spent the day driving. The three boys were in the back bench, acutally the middle bench, we no longer have need for a third row, sad. (However, the skiis and the luggage fit nicely in that space.).

Maddie mostly napped.

Molly read, drew created and was sweet. Austin and I listened to Outlive.

Tuesday we were up early and hit the slopes of Purgatory. This resort is my favorite of all time. The blues are very manageable and have several options, the greens really feel like greens and are long, gentle runs, and the blacks are very well marked and certainly avoidable. We all improved in courage and speed. The day was a delight.

As a family of seven, the six-chair lift was such that Nick always rode with another group. NBD.

We spent the morning mostly skiing the blues, under blue skiis and quite without the blues. We found a resting spot for lunch, and then we were back at it again.

Molly keeps up in everyway.

After lunch we moved to the far side of the mountain. Austin leads, then we all follow. He often stops at the bottom of a hill to make sure we've all arrived.

We three.

The other four.

Austin's watch mapped our day.

Austin tweaked his knee is pretty badly, so the evening was a bit of a downer. Luckily, it's championship week and the condo had cable, so the basketball games were on every second.

Wednesday we slept in, shopped for an hour or so downtown and then relaxed the rest of the day. Browsing quiet little shops is not exactly an all-day event like I would have wanted, but we did show our noise and clamor when Eddie recognized little boxes of Kleenex with famous artwork on them. Molly then identified the title and artist on each box. She also recognized Frida Kahlo's face on a purse in another store. YES!

Thursday we were back on the mountain again, sans Austin. Rats. Rats. Rats. Since I was in charge, the day ran the way I wanted it to: Each person took a turn as the leader and the follower. The rule was you couldn't ski past the leader, and the follower had to stick behind and be last. SO GOOD! It was in this little exercise that each of our personalities shone:

Moi: We gently rode the mountain via greens and family zones. We had time to feel the cool air, taste the falling snow flakes, smell the pines, and touch the powder.

Nick: Had a plan to stick to blues, but then abandoned it with the first sign of a jump or sharp turn. We crazily and quickily made out way down. He did stop and wait at the bottom of every hill.

Maddie: Consulted the map, found the blues, initiated the luge and calmly paralled the blues.

Eddie: Methodically lead us through trees and side paths. We were able to avoid the blacks and yet find every steep side hill on the blues.

Ryan: Combined every method and careened as haphazardly and dangerously as was possible for a group of six. We cut off all the experienced skiers and shocked the novices.

Molly: Shot straight down the steepest blues that run parallel to the blacks. She didn't wait or stop once.

Lunch.

After lunch, we rode lift #8 and "made quick work" of the steep blues. I loved it, because there was a head wind and lots of powder which slowed us to a comfortable pace. We found a few places without any tracks and visited them often.

I ski because Austin makes me, at least that was my attitude until this season. I can say that although I'm still the last one down, I'm learning to give a little more control to my muscles and a little less to my emotions. Spending hours outside proves a powerful remedy to feelings of obligation and unwanted duty. I ski to feel speed, awe and risk.

We spent evenings with each other and cards. We aren't quite Cezanne's "Card Players," but we are notable in our own way.

A few things to note: I cooked for hours and made lovely freezer meals. This meant that meals were simple and satisfying. "You should prep every week like this." Nope. Our nightly CFM was plain and perfect. Austin and I spent a hour each day walking the college campus. I crocheted and didn't read -- all my books were left home. Boo. I did crochet.

Friday we packed up and drove home. Molly cried about staying longer. Our break was really beautiful.

More Peter Attia on the way home.

Thursday also commemorated the passing of my daddy. 8 Years Ago (Google remembered as well, Austin took the kids skiing then as well.) I still haven't blogged that week, maybe it's time. I haven't forgotten him, but I have learned to wonder about what he thinks of the way I'm choosing to shape my life. My mind uses his approval as the standard of my behavior. His way of teaching was always a combination of behavior and the Savior, so his lessons were powerful and progressive. His spirit lives. I know it.

Google also reminded me that once I was a young mother with little babies -- I really like those memories. 2015 Spring Break in San Francisco.