Why We Live Here...

Last week was horrible. It was full of those things that make a mother's heart ache and a wife/money-manager cringe. I arose Saturday morning dreading the start of ski/snowboarding lessons. We had ski-fitting issues, too-small clothing issues, dad-sick issues and we-didn't-get-enough-sleep issues. Needless to say, I was at the end of my rope.


One hour later, things were vastly different. Twenty-five minutes to the slopes, easy fix of the equipment issues, shuffle the girls off to their lessons, grab my vanilla steamer and head (with my friend/therapist) to the deck overlooking the base of two lifts. With the sun shining on the glistening snow and its warmth surrounding me, I felt the week melt away -- therapy on the mountain. Sound like a commercial -- well it is, kind of -- come visit us in Montana!

I post a few photos to show that I wasn't the only one feeling the joy of the day. The skiers demonstrated their exuberance at the end of a run...Just before this photo was taken, she told me about a jump she took and more importantly "landed".

My snowboarder sandwiched between her "twin-friends" on their first run of the day...consequently, they were almost as enthusiastic on their last.

We all went home at the end of the day remembering just exactly why we live here.

The Hulk

Not the boy...the car. Yes, our latest addition (big, green and loud, hence the nickname). Many learning experiences have occurred as part of this recent step we have taken into parenthood:

1. Car shopping stinks! Yes, I know everyone else in the world knows this fact, however I have actually enjoyed it most every other time (I even testified of this once for a dealer's commercial). This time was different because we had specific requirements for age, condition and price (old, dented and cheap). And there was not a lot of room for bartering -- which makes for no fun at all! I hated only getting $200 off the asking price.

2. Adding our son to our insurance on our current vehicles was actually MORE expensive than purchasing and assigning him to his own OLDER vehicle with liability insurance only. It makes sense to us -- we don't want him driving our vehicles either, but we were surprised that the insurance company saw it that way. It certainly took away all of my ammunition for NOT getting another car!

3. Finally, should you have a teen that you would like motivated, GET THEM A CAR! I have gotten more work out of my son in the last few days, than in the last month. I don't even have to ask! I pray it continues....

Actually, pray for us -- our son is driving....YIKES!

Ferries are Real

As children get older, the "cute" things they say unfortunately get fewer and farther between (unless you count teenage sarcasm). However, this week the youngest daughter (age 7) came up with one of the best ever:

The other day my husband was relating to me the story of the Air Bus plane crash on the Hudson. Not yet having seen the story, he explained the pilot's miracle landing and the passengers' subsequent rescue by the fortuitous ferries.

At this point, the enthralled daughter (who we weren't even aware was listening) says, "They're real?"

And I, not seeing her misunderstanding of the homonym, say, "Yes, they are real."

Wide-eyed and joyful girl says, "Oh, I knew they were real, I just knew it!" And runs off to play with friends. Leaving her dad and I momentarily puzzled by her excitement.

As I watched the news stories that followed this amazing event, I thought how not only did these people believe in "ferries", but probably angels, too.