Taryn's Journal: Winter Wonderland 2017

Having good friends is one of our sweetest blessings.

For the love of cocoa

We recently enjoyed a week in the Vail area with some of our best couple friends. Our parents were gracious to help schlep the kids back and forth to school and a bazillion activities in our absence, and we were released to play and eat ourselves silly.

We sampled cocoa from various venues and alternated between cooking group meals and going out to eat. An anniversary treat the night we arrived, was riding the "sleigh" up the mountain to Beano's Cabin for a five course meal. (We had to have a discussion here that a ride with 20 strangers pulled by a piece of machinery called a snowcat puffing diesel fuel does not have the same ambience as a horse-drawn sleigh through snowy woods.) We made up for this discrepancy later in the week by going dog-sledding and snow-mobiling.)

After a morning of watching a great sermon on Ezra, and trips to Walmart to get everyone's favorite snacks, we watched the Super Bowl together Sunday around crock-pots of sausage cheese dip.

On Monday, while the group skied Beaver Creek, I had a personal retreat day alone with God: Dreamy alone time to pray over our children, journal, reflect on the future and catch up on my reading/studying through the Bible in a year. I walked around the area in the snow and enjoyed life through the lens of my camera. I stretched with some DVDS I brought with me from the library, and before I knew it, the group returned. We threw some chili in crock-pots and enjoyed hanging out together in the evenings around tv and a puzzle of the valley. The tiny details of the puzzle and the tiny print on the menus were a source of laughter for our aging eyes. The crowd of 40-somethings popped ibuprofen and iced knees like nobody's business.

Our friends, Brian and Laura were celebrating their 25 anniversary, and friends Chris and Betsy were celebrating their 20th anniversary. Brandon and Amy, 18th, and we are on year 17, so we have all been married long enough to enjoy being together and splitting off into girls' day and guys' day. The boys returned to the slopes on Tuesday, while we lunched in Vail at Sweet Basil, recommended by the Pioneer Woman on her blog. I had soup made of sun chokes (root of a sunflower plant) and pumpkin agnolotti (sort of a ravioli or dumpling). My girlfriends all went for the burger, but were gracious to offer me a bite. Then we hit Ritzy Recalls for some consignment searching and I wondered if I had gone over my luggage weight limit for the return flight. (Somehow, no!)

Bargains!

That night, we caught back up with the boys and headed to a saloon, complete with an antique bar and a skin of 20 foot python draped across the wall. Antlers, pressed tin ceiling, hundred-year-old floor and wooden cigar Indian- the works. We tried quail, duck, and ribs to tap into our pioneer-huntsman side.

Wednesday we split off from the pack and headed up the mountain to adventure. Dog-sledding! It interested me to the see the various personalities of the dogs: some shy, some aggressive, some playful, some flirty, some focused. Reminded me of the challenge of parenting multiple children. Each one so different. I ordered a parenting book off Amazon to read when I returned home.

Speaking my love languages: quality time, great conversation, and cuddles

Thinking great thoughts and taking pastor search committee calls

Grown-up Disney World

Playing in the snow feels like this

Thursday we rented snowmobiles and delighted in God's majestic creation. Similar to jet skis, the ski-doos were a blast in the fresh mountain air. I loved zipping in and out of evergreens and aspen riding behind my man. We finished the evening with fireworks over Beaver Creek and dining on Italian. Magical.

Thanks, God, for times of fun and adventure. Thanks family, for holding down the fort so that we could vacation. We are already dreaming of the next adventure.