Little ERs new hair do!

I am so homesick!!

Super Bowl blog

Yesterday's mail brought a package from one of my favorite cousins, Shelley. (I come from a small family, and so I only have two first cousins, the children of my dad's sister, my Aunt Billie.) In the package was a book that my Aunt Billie was reading when she died last year--a book that I had given her on my trip to Oregon last summer.

Also in the package was a t-shirt for me to wear during the Super Bowl on Sunday. Shelley's son, Troy Polamalu, plays for the Steelers, and so I am a big fan. She also included a picture of Troy, the picture from his second Sports Illustrated cover.

So, I plan to watch the Super Bowl, decked out in my Samoan Headhunter t-shirt. Shelley and Salu will be in Tampa at the game, and she has promised to wave her terrible towel at me!

Marvelous Macy Moo enjoys her snow day!

The Snow Princess and Lola having a ball in very cold Tulsa weather!

Also, she has on Lyndsey's snowsuit from 20 years ago! I am really missing my babies! I will get to see them on Valentine's Day, which is too many days away. Even Macy agrees, she says she wants to spend 10 days with me by herself!!

He is a happy boy--and he has found his voice!

Skiing at Copper

OK, I haven't skiied since the millenium of 2000. But, living in Denver, it seemed like a good idea at the time to buy a 4 pass. That would allow me to ski 4 times this season at Copper mountain. This was the bright idea of my friend and co-worker, Dr. Carol Lay. This woman is a dynamo. As I was standing in line to buy the pass, though, I started to rethink my decision--I mean, I didn't even have ski pants at the time. I realized at that moment that it could get expensive, even if the lift pass was cheap. However, I had promised, and besides, she had dropped me off at Christy sports, so unless I bought a ticket I had no ride home.

So, I bought the ticket, and for the next couple of months invested in some clothes--ski pants, new gloves, goggles, and, finally on Sunday, a ski jacket.

Being vaguely presentable now, we loaded up early Sunday morning and headed down I-70 to Copper for a day of skiing. When we arrived in Copper, it was snowing like crazy. I trudged down to the rental place, collected my skiis and other equipment, and headed for the lift line. By the time I got all my stuff on, I was ready for a rest! Skiing is a lot of work, even before you ski anywhere.

The good news is, I can still ski. For at least 30 seconds before I need a rest. It was pitiful--I am so out-0f-shape. The good news is, Carol let me quit by 1 PM, by which time I was totally out of gas.

It was a really good thing we quit, too, because it took us 4 hours to get home--the traffic was quite the snarl. All in all, though, it was a beautiful, exhausting day, and I am now firmly committed to finding a pilates class. I am also going to spend 5 minutes each and ever day doing squats, so that I can ski again without falling over!

Eldora Lake in the late afternoon

On Saturday, Bazilla, Eleanor, and I went Boulder for food and shopping. Then we took a little drive up the mountain to Eldora ski area. This is a view from the top of Eldora lake, the little town of Nederland, home of the Frozen Dead Guy Festival. Look at that moon rising!!

Winter Park pictures

The martini Queenies and their tubes!

Eleanor and Bazilla on their way up the tubing hill!

The new Winter Park Village, isn't it spectacular? It snowed the entire day and it was so picturesque!

Union Station at 6 AM, all lit up and ready for the day's passengers!

So Eleanor sent me some pictures from the ski train trip to Winter Park. We had such a great time, I hope you enjoy the pictures!

Today's picture

When I was snowshoeing, we passed a couple and they had a 2 month old baby in a pouch inside the Dad's jacket. It made me so homesick for my little man. He is rolling over on his own now!!

Snowshoeing in the Back Country

This was our lunch spot in the mountains--we were lucky to find some pine needles to sit on!The view on the way down the mountain!

This is Mimi in her glory! I was wishing at this point that I didn't have that fleece underneath my ski pants--but all in all, it was spectacular! Can you see the snow that no one has touched?!? There were a few of us on the trail that day, including some 4 legged creatures!

Yesterday was just a glorious day in the Rocky Mountains. The sun was bright, the sky was blue. My friend and co-worker, also named Terri, and I headed out on I-70 for a day in the backcountry with our snowshoes. This is more difficult than it seems. You see, in Denver, we have been having warm temperatures and no snow. However, just across the Continental Divide, it is a different world out there. Several feet of snow blanket the mountains, which is good for skiiers and snowshoeing, but here in Denver, it is hard to imagine. So, I loaded up my backpack with a variety of winter weather gear, you know, thermal underwear, fleece pants, stocking hat, gloves, mittens, scarfs, etc. I have learned from hiking that layering is the key to staying warm and/or cool. So, it took me a couple of hours to pack, but once packed, I was excited about the day.
We drove down I-70, which is a fascinating interstate on its own. Parts of it flow around the mountains, and parts of it just go right on through the mountain. It is a beautiful, scenic drive, and one I enjoy. It is also prone to heavy traffic, as it is the major thoroughfare to ski country.
We were headed to Herman's Gulch in the Arapahoe National Forest. We hit the trail head about 9 AM, and it was just spectacular.
Terri is an experienced hiker, I, while experienced, am more of a trudger, it seems. I also have some difficulty still with the altitude. Anyway, Herman's Gulch is straight uphill for about a half a mile--which took me the better part of an hour to make this ascent. Once I had that behind me, though, I thoroughly enjoyed the day. There were kids carrying their skiis on their backs, while snowshoeing up a mountain--all that work for a 30 second downhill ski run!! I wondered if it was worth it, but they seemed to enjoy it immensely. I know that I enjoyed the backcountry, all that beautiful, powdery snow, the blue, blue sky, the crisp mountain air. Truly amazing!!

Really, he won't take a pacifier!

He has discovered thumbsucking is preferable to a "paco". Even at 3 months, he is a man who knows what he likes!

The Ski Train

On Sunday, Bazilla and her niece, Eleanor, and I got up at 5:30 AM, drove to downtown Denver, and boarded the Ski Train to Winter Park at Union Station. We had some fancy railroad car, nice big leather seats (which we didn't learn how to properly operate until the trip home) and some new ski pants and gloves. Since the weather has been fairly balmy in Denver, you know sunny, warm, no snow--and Winter Park is 57 miles away, we were prepared for slightly colder temperatures, but I was NOT prepared for the feeling that I was in a totally different world--but there were 157 inches of snow base, and it snowed the entire day we were there!!

Our plan was to snowshoe for 2 hours, and then catch the bus into town for some tubing. However, the train was a bit late, due to some very busy train schedules, and we missed the snowshoe tour--which was probably just as well, it was cold, windy and snowy on the mountain. So, instead, we caught the bus to Fraser, and spent a wonderful hour on the tubing hill. Bazilla was the bravest of us all, getting running starts and squealing all the way down. It was a blast!!

We barely had time to get back to Winter Park, get some lunch, do some shopping, before catching the return train to Denver. It was worth the ride though; the scenery through the mountains was spectacular, and we went through 29 tunnels, the longest of which was 6 miles and took us 15 minutes. I will be posting pictures as soon as Eleanor gets back to California and can send them to me!! I recommend a ride on the ski train when you visit Denver...you can go summer or winter and there is plenty to see and do!

Here is today's picture of Little ER. Mr. Lynn said he thinks he is just a beautiful baby--and he is not prejudiced at all!!

So, the little man is really growing up, isn't he. I am missing the babies today, so this picture really cheered me up!

Today is the BIG GAME!!

My nephews in Florida are dressed for the BIG GAME!

Later this afternoon, as soon as I can sneak away from work :-), I am headed down to Jackson's bar in LoDo (that's Denver speak for Lower Downtown) to watch the game with the rest of the OU Alumni. Funny, we got an email from the prez of the club, letting us know that the Florida Gators were also going to be watching the game at Jacksons, and reminding us that this is a friendly rivalry, so to be nice. I hope the Florida Alumni got that same email. We are also supposed to watch out for the DUI patrol in LoDo in the event of a BIG WIN or a BIG LOSS. So, keeping all of those things in mind, I am still taking the train down there to gain solidarity with my comrades, and hopefully watch my beloved SOONERS trounce the Gators. I would settle for a one-point victory, all though I don't know if my heart could take it!!

BOOMER SOONER!!

Pictures from New Years

Aren't they two peas

in a pod??A beautiful smile!


Ben and ER make lunch!

My beautiful daughter-in-love, she will make a great Mama, don't you think?

New Year's Resolutions

So, I have been thinking about my new year's resolutions, in conjunction with my happiness project. Here are my resolutions:

1. To make new mistakes. No point in making the same old mistakes all over again. I am going to learn from my mistakes, and just make new ones.
2. To try new adventures. This month it is going to be riding the ski train to Winter Park--I have a ticket for Sunday. I am also going to go snowshoeing next weekend. If I like it, I might even buy some snowshoes at the end of the season (I hear you can get a really good pair cheap if you buy used rentals at the end of the season!)
3. To learn Spanish. I want to be able to converse with the lady who empties the trash in my office. She has such a sweet smile and such a great attitude, and she is working with me and she speaks not one word of English (that I can tell). But we have really formal conversations which consist of "Hello, how are you? I am fine, thanks. It is cold outside. Yes, it is." She has also taught me how to say "Encender la luz" which I think means turn on the light--or maybe it means turn the light off.
4. To cook more and eat out less. It is hard to make yourself cook for one, but I love to cook and I find great joy in chopping and slicing and dicing, and I love the aroma of food cooking--all of it. Plus it takes up time in the evening, so that is nice. And, then i can have left overs for lunch. I am going to find new and delicious recipes that I can share with others!
5. To remember each and every day how lucky I am. I have many blessings: family, friends, a great job, a beautiful view out the window on my floor, and my health. Most of all, I have the marvelous Macy and the handsome ER and, I am sure, babies to come!

So Happy New Year to all of you!