The Hazard Chronicles

Last night, Rachel and I sat on the deck and watched the sunset. We had our fire table on, and quiet music played in the background. All the kids were downstairs watching a movie except for Lindsey who, for a small tip, was playing the part of our server. She did a great job bringing us appetizers, refilling our drinks, and making dessert as requested. We allowed the conversation to casually drift from one subject to the next, and we didn't go back inside until well after dark. 

Yes, deck nights are a thing for us. And they are back. Spring is here.

*****

The kids are all in the middle of their spring break right now. For the next couple of days they will do things close to home. This last week was much more exciting though. We had been looking forward to this for a long time, and it definitely did not disappoint. 

Last Thursday I got off of work a little bit early, and the fun times officially started with a drive to a beautiful cabin in Island Park, Idaho. Some friends met us there that same night, and the next four days were full of fun times, laughter, good meals, games, hot tubbing, sledding, a little bit of bickering, and lots and lots of skiing. It was perfect. 

There isn't a whole lot more to say than that. We skied at Big Sky Resort for three days, with a day in-between at the Rendezvous cross-country area. Spring conditions prevailed throughout the trip, leaving us all with big smiles and a little more color to our winter-bleached skin. 

Here, in no particular order, are some photos:

It's good having these two around to keep things light

This guy was hanging out around our cabin door one morning

All groups met halfway through each day to eat lunch together. The skiing, the atmosphere, and the attitudes were all pretty laid-back for the entire trip. Just having a good time in sloppy snow!

We didn't actually get a ton of pictures of the skiing itself. I can tell you that Addy (blue pants) is sort of freaking out in this one. She usually just cruises the moderate runs with other less-adventurous partners, so she felt out of her element a little bit when I convinced her to come with us in search of steeper terrain. This is one of the few doubles that she skied on this trip, but she did do a great job.

Another lunch stop

Our teenagers soaking up the sun on cross-country skis.

I'm pretty sure this is the only photo we got of the entire group during the whole trip.

Yes, Lindsey skied the entire day in her pajamas. Yes, she got hot. And yes, when I told her to deal with it she simply fell sideways and faceplanted into the snow. 

Just a picture at the warming hut

Another one of Rachel and Jamie. They keep us on our toes.

It's definitely harder to stay up on cross-country skis when going down hills. Which is why we look for all the hills!

This was the coolest group of cross-country skiers. I'm pretty sure we had the most fun.

Have a good week!