Well, it’s been quite a whirlwind since we left Austin at the end of November. We enjoyed a fast and special Thanksgiving week in Dallas, leaving our remaining memorabilia and my piano with my parents. I got to celebrate both birthdays for Annette, my sister, and Dannette, my niece, which was a special treat! The boys had some fun in the gym with their long-time buddies Tyler and Wesley. My mom and dad were awesome hosts, as always! And then we were ready to hit the road to Colorado.

We stopped in New Mexico, learning about more about Native American history. Santa Fe was a fun spot to enjoy the city, good food, and National Parks like Petroglyphs and Pecos.

Then we decided to spend almost a week in Durango, CO. It really felt like home, since we’d spent Jan-Feb 2014 there. We love their downtown Main Street and tried to hit all our favorite spots, even buying Jadyn a new board at a local shop, Inferno.

We reunited with all of our winter, snowboard gear that our sweet friends stored for us in Mancos, and tried to squeeze it in between our camping gear and musical instruments. Didn’t fit. So, we sent 2 LARGE boxes up to Keystone so we could make it in one trip and one car.

We enjoyed a scenic day-trip, stopping in Pagosa Springs and eating at Kips for lunch. We listened to Gathering Blue on Audible.com and had some great conversations around talents, freedom and control.

Arriving at our Condo was a greatly anticipated event! We had booked the condo months earlier, and couldn’t wait to see what it would be like for our family. It was perfect. An open floor-plan with an awesome rustic dining room table and benches, great for homeschooling, work, and long dinner conversations.

A fireplace and leather couches made the living room comfortable, and there were enough bathrooms to make mornings before snowboarding even faster!

And one of the best things about it was the convenience to Keystone Mountain. We could walk a few feet and catch a shuttle to be on a skilift in five minutes! The kids could go and come on their own because it was so easy. We couldn’t have been more happy.

Don’s brother Mike even thought so, too, and decided to stay for a month and a half with us! He loves snowboarding just as much as we do, and he can work virtually, so it was perfect for him. We love having him in our fam. He taught the kids how to play 13 (a card game), joined us for Pictionary, movie nights, and bball at the rec center. And he even cooked a killer Christmas feast for us! The kids always love gunning it down the mountain with him.

 

I have no idea how we are all comfortable in the mountain freezing temperatures. It took us all a week or so for our lungs to be able to run a few miles in this high altitude! I grew up in South Texas, never having seen a snowflake until I was 18, but somehow our kids are snowbunnies and really enjoy jumping in snowbanks, having snowball fights, and weaving through trees on black runs at a resort. We all have good warm gear that helps, but man, it was crazy enduring many days of -5 degrees on the mountain over the holidays! Somehow it’s all worth it! So grateful to be here!