January 13, 2011
4:50 am - Left our house with our ultimate destination being Brekenridge, CO.
6:30 - After arriving at airport, going through the check-in process (no body scans...yay), we arrived at our gate. Since the travel agent (Joel H. at ski.com) did such a terrible job, we had to request seats in closer proximity to one another since Joel apparently chose for our seats to be randomly assigned.
6:45 - Success...for the most part. Riley and Dale were able to sit by one another. And a kind gentleman switched seats with DS and me so we could sit with Scotty.
7:20 -DS goes down for a nap.
8:05 - Nap was short-lived as DS is awake.
9:50 - Arrived in Denver. Only casualty so far has been the loss of a paci. DS was pretty good but very busy or the last 45 minutes or so of the flight. On to baggage claim, restrooms, and Hertz to pick up the rental car.
10:53 - Leaving Hertz. Once again, our stellar travel agent (Joel H. at ski.com) fell short of the basic duties of a travel agent -- booking the right-size vehicle for your party AND requesting a carseat when you have an infant. We were expecting the taxes and insurance fees, however, when you book an Expedition (which can seat 8 people with NO luggage) instead of a Suburban, you have to upgrade to the larger sized vehicle. So, our $500-ish extra fees has turned into $900-ish --it was going to be $1300-ish before Scotty "negotiated" a discount. Honestly, I think they saw a glimpse of somebody who is not pleasant when he's peeved and wanted to do whatever it took to try and make us happy...or maybe they just wanted us to leave. Conveniently, our travel agent (Joel H. at ski.com) is out of the office for the next week. I spoke to his back-up who tried to tell me that we paid what it would have cost us to reserve a suburban in the first place. Not the point I was trying to make. Using every ounce of southern charm I had left at that point, I explained to her unless she or Joel (at ski.com) could rectify the situation somewhat due to his inability to make the correct arrangements, we would never use ski.com ever again. And considering we'd used them for our arrangements the last time we came skiing (2009) --so twice in 3 years-- they'd miss out on having loyal customers for a number of years. Abby, the back-up (for Joel H. at ski.com) is supposed to call me back. Meanwhile, we're loading up and heading to Wal-Mart and to grab some lunch.
1:00 Ate at Burger King for lunch. Went to WM. Now back in the most expensive vehicle ever and traveling through the mountains. They are beautiful.
1:52 - Arrived at condo and are unpacked. This place is sick!
Doing "Downward Dog," his favorite yoga pose in the snow...
My two favorite guys -- and not bad to look at either...
Cutest snowbaby ever...
4:00 - After sledding for about an hour (not worth the effort, btw), we made a quick trip back to condo for our ski equipment vouchers. If that doesn't take too long, some of us may try to go to a parade they're having downtown.
5:15 - The parade was interesting. It was in honor (?) of Ullr, the Norse God of Snow, I think. Dog sleds, people on snowboards being pulled by vans, guys wearing only underwear and gold body paint. Very little candy, NO beads. I don't know how they can legally call that a parade. It was cold. We headed back when it was maybe halfway through.
7:25 - Decided not to go eat and order take-out instead. We ordered burgers and such from a local place called Empire Burger. I thought mine was a little red. It wasn't until I took off the bun and inspected closer that we realized the majority of my burger was raw. RAW. Not cooked. At all. Puke. Alicia called and was told for us to come back tomorrow and they'd "make it better." We'll see. Incidentally, still no call from ski.com.
8:30 - After an exhausting day, we all turned in for the night.
Friday, January 14th
6:23 - After waking up three (!) times during the night courtesy of DS, we are awake for the day. Also, we have no hairdryer in our condo and Alicia's is messing up. I had to dry my hair by the fireplace.
8:30 - On our way to the ticket office to pick up our ski passes. Must also purhase a gator to go around my neck and lower face. Forgot that I'd borrowed one and then returned it last time which is why it wasn't in our ski stuff to begin with.
9:45 - Sitting in the Maggie area of the complex. Leslie's hands are iceblocks and my feet are too. Alicia bought her some new gloves and I bought another pair of socks. Turns out my boots were wet somehow. Half a cappuccino later and we were back on the slopes.
11:25 - Came back to condo for lunch. And while it really isn't a far walk from the slopes, in ski boots, it's tough.
12:30 - Alicia, Dale, Scotty, and I went back to ski for the afternoon. Leslie and Riley stayed back at the condo with Sue Sue and DS.
3:15 - Alicia and I headed back to condo. The four of us skied (which looks funny spelled out) blues and a few greens all afternoon. It was exhilarating and fun and seemed much warmer than this morning. Maybe it was the sun, maybe it was the extra sweatshirt I put on, I don't know. Whatever it was made the day so much better. Also, because I know he'll want it noted, Scotty fell a couple of times. The most comical of falls was apparently due to my looking out for number 1. As we got off one of the lifts, my skis crossed and I shoved Scotty. Allegedly. He lost his balance and fell. As he was trying to get up, the ski lift came around and knocked him back down, minus one ski. Just as he'd regained his composure, a ski expert/employee comes around and knocks him down out of both skis. I laughed so hard, Sue Sue and the kids had a fun afternoon; she and DS had a good morning as well.
4:20 - The condo management company apparently doesn't have hairdryers in the condos which is the exact opposite of what they told me when I called on Monday. Had I spoken to someone in the know, I would've packed my hairdryer. The fireplace wouldn't light so this time I was forced to use the floor vents to dry my hair. And incidentally, I still haven't heard from ski.com. Shocker.
5:45 - Seated at local Mexican restaurant, Mi Casa. Good chips and salsa which gets a gold star in my book.
9:37 - Playing Spades with Alicia (my partner), Scotty, and Dale. We are losing. I blame my game playing (or lack thereof) on exhaustion.
Saturday, January 15th
5:45 - DS is awake.
6:45 - DS is awake for good.
9:17 - Leaving the condo to go shopping. Scotty and Dale are skiing this morning. The rest of us are shopping an then riding the gondola to the bottom of Peak 8 to meet the guys for lunch.
11:23 - Gorgeous, sweeping views from the gondola. Earlier, I bought a sweatshirt and a hairdryer. The hairdryer wins the prize for best deal so far: $5!! Whooppeee!
Looking out the gondola...
12:35 - Returning to condo to rest, briefly, then hitting the slopes.
2:02 - Arrived at the lifts. Leslie, Riley, Dale, Scotty, and I are ready to dominate the trails...or at least, I am.
Sarah, Black Trail Master...(or would that be Mistress?)
4:15 - I am done skiing for the day. After a few warm-up runs, our little group split up and Dale took Leslie and Riley down a few greens while Scotty and I headed up the mountain for some blues and possibly a black. We ended up going down two blacks, and two blues before getting the call to meet up with Dale -- the kids were done and he wanted to keep skiing. We went back up and came back down on a couple of hard blues before it was time for the lifts to stop. With my calves on fire and my feet like blocks of ice (ski boots still wet from when I first got them, apparently), I headed back while the two guys squeezed in one last ride to the top just before they closed off the lift nearest us.
6:05 - We decided to stay in and eat this evening. Once again, we're all tired so sandwiches, cheese dip and chips and card-playing were on our agenda.
Riley, DS, and Leslie in their matching jammies...
11:00 - Going to bed. Alicia and I played respectably and had several really close games. I think I'm finally starting to get some of the strategy behind Spades. Only a few more ski trips and I might be half-way decent since that's the only time we really play this game.
Sunday, January 16th
6:35 - DS is officially awake after a tumultuous night's sleep.
10:05 - Heading back to buy a few souvenirs.
1:45 - Met for lunch back at condo. Now heading to ski lifts for an afternoon of skiing. Sue Sue, Riley (not feeling well), and DS are back at the condo.
The Rainwaters...can't you tell...
3:30 - The girls are heading back in. Ski conditions were not optimal or even decent. The wind was blowing, snow was flurrying, and my eyes were watering due to an apparent air leak in my goggles. My only fall this whole trip was when I was chasing after Leslie straight down a blue just a little bit ago. She finally stopped so I was in the process of stopping...but not quickly enough. She was already down and I briefly stumbled right by her. Pretty pleased with my ski skills on this trip.
4:15 - Scotty and Dale returned from their last run. Said conditions were now miserable. The lifts were swaying back and forth and it was even worse than earlier with the wind and snow. We are also under a winter storm warning for our area for tomorrow when we fly out. We couldn't check in early b/c we require special handling due to having an infant traveling with us.
4:50 - We had a brief scare when we couldn't find our flight on the list. In light of the bad weather coming in, we thought about going to Denver for the night since it's elevation is much lower. Fortunately, we called and they confirmed our flight was still scheduled. We decided to leave between 7:30 and 8 in the morning.
6:00 - Walking to a pizza place/arcade for dinner. There's an hour to an hour and a half long wait. Scotty and I decided to go eat at a steakhouse instead. DS was with Sue Sue and Riley (who still wasn't feeling well) back at the room.
7:45 - Back at condo and packing for tomorrow. Steaks were good. And cheap. I had an 8 oz sirloin, veggies, and a salad for $10!
Monday, January 17th
7:35 - Pulling out of condo driveway. Snow is everywhere. Hopefully our flight won't be delayed. Ready to be at home sleeping in my own bed.
8:10 - Driving to airport for our 1:15 flight out. Weather us terrible. Really windy, road is snowy and icy. People are putting chains on their tires. Great. Said a quick prayer for safe travels.
12:25 - Sitting in airport waiting to board; just ate McD's for lunch. Returned rental vehicle and our final charges ended up being only $700 rather than $900. Much better. No thanks to our travel agent (Joel H. at ski.com), who STILL hasn't called me back. I guess he knows where this conversation is headed...
4:55 - Baby sleep for entire flight home? Check. Landed in NO? Check. Baggage claim? Check. Truck loaded? Check. Heading to our house? Check.
7:40 - We had a great time on our trip but are exhausted. Still, we're glad to be home which is the case after every vacation/trip I think we've ever been on. I look forward to the time when we go back to Breckenridge (or wherever) and David Scott can ski with us. That will be awesome.
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