On Friday evening I finished up with work and headed straight for the mountains. The rest of the family had gone up earlier in the day, and I was planning on meeting them at the Wallace house. It had been a long, busy week at work. The end of the year is always like that, with insurance deadlines and everything. Added on top of this normal rush, there were a few specific cases that have had particular challenges. Suffice it to say I was ready for a weekend. An escape.
And then I walked into this, and was immediately transported to a different state of mind:
The lights were turned down low, and soft Christmas music was playing on the record player. The family was sitting in front of the fake fireplace playing a card game, friendly banter and talk of tomorrow's ski day filling the air. Smells of dinner wafted in from the kitchen, and in spite of the wintery weather outside, the house felt cozy and warm.
Walking through that door may as well have been a step into a different world. The cares of day-to-day life just melted away, and for a brief moment it was only us in this moment and it was just really, really wonderful.
The following day we had a nice breakfast and then made the short drive to the resort. The weather, gloomy down low, seemed an apt analogy of my experience the night before. Cold and somber, we prepared ourselves for a rough day. But really, "there is no such thing as bad conditions," so we dutifully put on our boots and headed for the gondola.
And then, once again, I was transported to Valhalla- a place, quite literally above the clouds, where the sun was shining, the snow was fast, and the atmosphere was that of a giant festival. We raced the hill, carving on freshly groomed runs and bouncing down the bumps. What a day- what a weekend!
It was exactly the getaway that was needed, and I returned to work on Monday feeling totally refreshed and ready for another week of crazy. Good crazy- the kind of crazy that is fun to come back to- especially with the notes of the weekend still lingering in the air to put things into perspective. I love it.
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| This is the life |
*****
Besides our little mountain vacation, we have been running around and doing holiday themed things. Last Sunday, Evelyn played drums in church. She also had a mid-week concert at school where she was one of the percussionists. My favorite part was when she got the drum set all to herself for a song they did by Mannheim Steamroller. She rocked that song!
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| She was very focused during the concert. I tried really hard to catch her mid smile, but this is the best I could do. |
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| Hanging out with friends after the show |
*****
Addy was also in a few different concerts with her saxophone. The first was at her school, where she was one of the soloists. She did a great job, including her improv solo for a jazz bit they did. My favorite part, however, was where she turned around for the grand finale and conducted the band with jazz hands. Nobody planned that, and it is so "Addy" of her.
She also played in a small instrumental ensemble at church, where they did several carols to the reenactment of the Christmas story. Lindsey had a small role as well, as one of the wise men, even though she was really hoping to be the star. Personally, I think the wise man was a better character.
*****
Our week of concerts wrapped up with Maren singing in her school choir. Although this is her first year at it, she is already talking about auditioning for more select groups. I think she did a great job!
*****
Finally, to cap off our weekend, we all went back to Coeur d'Alene on Sunday evening and went on the lake cruise to "The North Pole." Our church had rented out the entire boat, so we knew everyone who was there. The kids took full advantage of the refreshments, and once they were completely amped on sugar, commenced a game of tag. Adults enjoyed the warm cabin of the boat to chat and catch up with each other. At "The North Pole," Santa met us and put on a light/fireworks show. It was a fun way to finish off the week.
Have a good week!
(In other news, I just realized as I posted these pictures that Lindsey did not ever change her clothes between Friday morning and Sunday night. We are good parents, I promise. What are weekends for, anyway?)
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