It turns out Mom and Dad were right about 1 more thing....

...Mittens ARE warmer!!! Especially in -15 degree windchill.

I haven't worn mittens since I was about 6 years old. I've always thought they just look silly. Mom always told me mittens were warmer, but I would have none of it. I wanted to look cool (besides that, the significant loss of dexterity was extremely annoying).

We had some incredibly cold and miserable (really, REALLY cold!) days last season, and at our pre-season resort vendor open house, I thought I'd buy a pair. Mittens.

Let me just say, I'm happy I did. Today I made it through high wind, blizzard conditions with toasty, warm fingers. For the first time in decades. My new mittens even have special little wrist straps to keep me from loosing them (not unlike the string my mom threaded through my coat sleeves in kindergarten). Quite handy, actually.

I wonder what else Mom and Dad were right about...

I just hope my children don't take 40 years to figure I know a thing or two.

My season opener at the "fun job"....

Monday finally brought just a bit of snow. Ian and I both had our first day of the season at our second jobs. Christmas, in a way, as I skied on the new boards, and we had a bit of snow for me to try them on. Only 6 runs open... pretty sparse for a mountain of 99 runs.

Yes, Ian is there, too, as a lift operator. He has worked there for the final 6 weeks of the last 2 seasons, after all the international employees go home and they are desperate for workers.
This year he decided a little too late (they had finished hiring the lift operators) that he wanted to work there again, and got a jobimmediately, without question. He's a hard worker, and builds a lift ramp better than just about anyone! Anyone want to ski at DV? Ian has extra passes, too.

Ian took this picture with his phone and sent it to me...sorry it's sideways... I'm technologically impaired.

It's Never Too Late to Give Thanks...

Thanksgiving weekend has come and gone. We are well into December and I have yet to put up the Christmas tree. Life is busy, as always, but I need to follow Em's example and "give thanks."

Em had a "Thanksgiving Tag" on her blog, writing what she was thankful for using the letters of her first name. What a great example. I, too, have so many things I am thankful for. For in spite of life's pain and trials, I feel I am truly blessed.

I thought about Em's Thanksgiving tag (to which no one else did--get on it, people!!), writing things I'm thankful for with letters from my name.... I don't have enough letters!!!
... no N, for nieces and nephews...no B for bicycles, M for mountains...
no F, for family, friends, freedom, or food...
no S for sons, sisters, snow, skiing, safety... etc., etc.

I am so thankful for my incredible family, for my amazing boys, my nieces and nephews, my brothers and sisters. You all bring incredible joy to my life!

Thanksgiving weekend was a memorable one... out to Dan and Julie's... Fun, fun, FUN!

For a full description of the Thanksgiving weekend... see Dan's blog.
I've thrown in a few more pictures.
After a pre-Thanksgiving movie with the kids, we waited for Julie to pick us up... To get out of the rain at an open air mall, we went into the Blackhawk car museum. The car collection was amazing! Liza's favorite (I loved it, too!) was "the pink one!"

Thanks, John, for taking so many pictures! He used the camera and the phone. He was unstoppable, and had quite the eye for the art of a picture, and a car. I think I have 40 car pictures!


Heidi and Clay and the kids came for Thanksgiving day, and the post Thanksgiving activities...
A highlight was riding across the Golden Gate Bridge. We LOVED it!!
Sierra even did it on her training wheels, and was quite the speed demon on the way back over!