Before and After

 Braces off today!!! The most painful part was having me take his picture as you can see.  I love him anyways...

Snowshoe at Night

 Snowshoe datenight? Nah, snowshoe with the boys night.  Avery had fun, girlie plans so we took advantage of the almost full moon.  It wasn't about distance, but jumping down hills, climbing trees, digging to the ground, "skiing" down hills and all sorts of Keaton shenanigans. 

Back to School

     I've waited 20 years for this day! I'm even suprised at myself at how excited I am to be back at school.  I'm starting off with just a few classes, math and english.  Getting through a few classes that have expired or simply need to be repeated before I apply to nursing school.  Bring on the homework!!

Cabin 2018

Packing was always my mother's version of Hell.  I'm coming to think I may have inherited this sad attitude as I make menus for twenty-five people and packing lists for my kids.  You see, at the cabin we must snowmobile in.  At first snowfall, the gates are locked along with our convenience.  Thus, it becomes even more important to pack well and not forget a thing.  Thankfully our kids are old enough now to think this is fun. I’m so thankful it’s them and not me hauling everything up. But alas, this weeklong trip to the family cabin is universally considered better than Christmas so it must be worth it. 

Walking into a warm cabin, smelling the pine plank walls does its job at welcoming us to our mountain haven.  We unload our things and settle in for a week of carefree enjoyment.  Slippers replace snow boots and I carefully unload our coolers and put our bags in bedrooms.  Gazing out the windows, the snow glitters on the trees around us making it feel so still.  The cold is biting outside, but it doesn't bother us as we have a warm cabin and hot cocoa when it becomes too much. 

The phone begins ringing signaling the need for a snowmobile to gather aunts, uncles and cousins arriving.  This is truly what makes the cabin so wonderful.  Teenage boys don't delay throwing on snow clothes to gather family members and their bins and bags.  A cheer erupts for each new bundled up face as they walk through the cabin doors. Everyone finds a companion or two and sets off having fun in their own way building forts, playing games and executing snow packed adventures.

The kitchen. The kitchen is always busy at the cabin.  Cooking, and cleaning up for, twenty-five people is a busy job, but no one does it alone.  I start making a triple batch of baked ziti and instantly have help from two sister's-in-law and a brother-in-law.  This is where our fun is.  We chop and sauté and talk and share our lives.  This time is special because we don't have the distraction of regular life to stop our conversations.  We talk about our lives, things that are hard, and things we're thankful for.  We have serious conversations about dying our graying hair and lighthearted ones about siblings’ quirks.  We build our relationships and whether we run out of baked ziti or not, we're all filled. 

Before bed my sister-in-law and I make plans to go for a run.  We awake to even more snow than we arrived to and decide a snow-shoe to be more appropriate.  My 9-year-old loves snowshoeing so I find him and have him get ready. The task of donning our winter apparel and digging out snowshoes is not without grunts and more time than expected, but like everything at the cabin, it's worth it. 

The new snow has dusted everything.  Each cabin we pass covered in a fresh blanket of white.  The trees still cling to their silvery coating making everything exude magic.  We start off into the forest between two cabins taking it all in.  We can't help but comment on the beauty of it all.  Our bodies warm as we head uphill and our breath more labored.  We encourage my 9-year-old and talk about everything.  The sun starts to rise creating the most beautiful pink sky.  I can't help but stop and take a picture. 

We continue through a grove of aspen trees devoid of their leaves.  The trees look almost black in the rising sun with the snow accenting every strange angle the tree branches have grown in, reminding me of a Dr. Seuss book. How blessed I am to be experiencing nature in this way with people I love. 

We carry on until my 9-year-olds legs can't possibly go any further then we head back to the warmth of the cabin.  We're greeted with the smells of breakfast warm and delicious waiting for our arrival.  Our families awake and buzzing.  Tonight is New Years Eve and it's no small event in our family.  Breakfast is big in hopes of satiating people through lunch to the big family feast. I start early knowing the kitchen will soon fill with other eager cooks.  See, we’ve built this tradition of cooking as many delicious appetizer-like dishes on New Years to put a five-star restaurant to shame.  We all have a few things we do every year. Stuffed mushrooms and date-nut bread are my staples joined by the baked brie, warm ham and cheese sliders, salty perogies and specialty drinks provided by my sister-in-laws. My brother-in-law Kedar is the only male to join and his contribution consists of the “mystery food” which has thrilled and disgusted us over the years with things like caviar, frog legs, oh-so-stinky squid and this year, roasted chicken gizzards.  Over the next four hours we’ve got every burner on the stove running and someone at the sink washing mixing bowls for repeated use. 

When we’re finished all the wonderful food is placed on the island in the kitchen.  We remove less-impressive items to get it all to fit and pose for the yearly New Years Eve food picture.  The picture is followed by “oooohs” and “ahhhs” from hungry family members.  We eat, we talk, we compliment each other’s new food additions and savor the traditional favorites.  It’s been a week of fun, laidback enjoyment in one another’s company. Tomorrow will be a packing day again, but instead of feeling frustrated and chaotic, it will be satisfying because we just experienced the best week of the year.  Indeed, it was all worth it.