Aspen, Colorado

Drew and I took our first trip to Aspen in January.  Neither one of us went out there with big expectations of being great skiers (I had only snow skied one day in NC before this trip). Much to our surprise we were great (for begginers!). We were both in awe over the size of these mountains, it felt like the ski lifts were never going to make it to the top! We skied at Buttermilk Mountain (which was my favorite) and Snowmass. We didn't ski Aspen Mountain because it was definitely not for begginers! We spent our first day skiing the green trails (begginers) and the rest if the time we were on the blue trails (novice). We had one mishap though, we got off the trail we were following and ended up on a double black diamond course. We took our skis off and slid down on our butts! There was no way we were going to get down that trail on our skis! Also, these mountains were so big they had bars and lodges to stop at on your way down! There was a bar on the very top of Snowmass Mountain, so you would go in and have a drink (or 2) and then have to ski back down the mountain (not smart!).

We stayed in downtown Aspen at the Hyatt and it was so cozy and nice, the outdoor pool was heated and all the rooms had large fire places. We spent a lot of our time in the evenings walking around and exploring the shops and art galleries. Aspen is a very swanky town though, I didn't see any attractions for children either. The food was hit-or-miss in my oppionion.. There is a lot of European influence in Aspen so the food was really ritzy (ummm can I get some chicken fingers please!).

We will definitely go back to Aspen to ski!

Top of Snowmass Mountain

On the lift at Buttermilk

Sleigh ride!

Downtown Aspen

8 Month Catch-Up

I am a blog-slacker. Everytime I get caught up I swear I'm not going to slack off again, and I do, so I won't make that promise again! Here are some highlights from the past EIGHT months!
  
1. We were blessed with the birth of another niece! My sister-in-law, Kristin had a baby girl in March. She made her appearance rather quickly into the world much to everyone’s surprise, especially her parents! She is beautiful, healthy and (in my opinion) looks exactly like her big brother when he as a baby! 

2. My Gma Bev has made great improvements in her battle with breast cancer since receiving treatment in Atlanta Cancer Treatment Center of America.  Her overall health has improved and more importantly, she feels so much better! Praise  the LORD!

From Key West... ;)

3. Drew and I traveled to Aspen and Key West since my last post. I will have to post about these trips in greater detail later! We had a great time on both trips though and are planning our next trip to Colorado already (well, in our minds at least). ..

4. I had neck surgery in March to repair a ruptured disc in my neck that was causing severe pain down my right arm. Fortunately the doctor who performed the surgery did an amazing job and I feel so much better; I’m not 100% pain free yet, but we’re working on that!

first day home, notice the nurse (unnecessarily) shaved my hair - it's now growing into a rat-tail circa 1990. 

First day back at work with my fancy foam necklace! 

5. Drew bought a new toy.. a Jeep.. Although I was very reluctant in the beginning as to why we needed another vehicle, I must say it’s pretty darn fun to drive. Side note: It has a manual transmission; when we test drove it the first time Drew stalled out, I didn't.. I just felt that that was an important piece of information to share. ;) 

The in-laws driving us around :)

6. Both if my sweet nephews are another year older! It's so sad how quickly the time is flying by.. Their moms both did a great job on their birthday parties!

7. Three of my girlfriends are pregnant! Lori is due in February, Kathryn in March and Caroline in April! It's going to be a busy spring next year!