Transportation Solved!

I've been fretting over what to do in regards to transporting Little One around the mountain on our visits to Wintergreen.

She's outgrown the Bjorn (and my bladder really couldn't take the pressure on it the last couple of times we tried it - thanks sweet pea for that little gift), and the strollers we have just aren't up to the terrain (the umbrella is too flimsy, the older-model Peg Perego too heavy), nor is my body up to pushing them or carrying her in my arms, nor is she up to doing so much walking yet.

What to do? What to do?

Some sort of carrier or all-terrain stroller was obviously in order, but which one, what kind?

After lots of discussions, DH and I ruled out an additional stroller as even an all-terrain model wouldn't be good on snow or mud, two regularly found conditions during the ski season.

That left a carrier of some sort. The decision on soft or frame came down to whether I could load Little One easily by myself. Frame won out. Then, what was available?

A little searching online, and it narrowed to a couple of brands. From there the question was which ones could I find in a store to actually try as all the reviews in the world can't tell you whether something will actually work for you or not. Luckily there's an REI on our way from home to the mountain and they carry both Kelty and Deuter carriers, and had both in stock.

To shorten a long enough narrative, the Kelty models were all on clearance, and REI members got a 30% discount on clearance items. The Deuter models did not get tried on (they were also more technical than we needed), and since Little One was getting a bit cranky it was a pretty quick trip in and out.

Based on one weekend's worth of use though, I can tell you that the Kelty 1.0 worked pretty darn well for both Little One and myself once I got it properly adjusted. She liked the ride, I liked not feeling like my arms were going to fall off, and my legs which are not used to hiking hills only complained a percentage more than they would have without an extra 25 pounds on my back. And the dog liked that she could go out with us.

Frame carrier for the WIN!

Holiday Recap

Ahhh. It's so nice to be home with my snuggle kitty keeping my chest warm and purring in my ear while the laptop warms my lap.

Christmas with the in-laws is always different...this year included friends for dinner on Christmas night in addition to the annual family gathering with DH's cousin's and their adorable and well-raised kids. While we had planned for the family gathering, the unexpected gathering didn't allow us introverts enough time to regroup for the one we were really looking forward to.

Both mother's cried when we shared the news of our pregnancy. Happy tears, but very immediate. (I just hope we still are...the days to the 7th seem to be ticking past slower than usual.)

Big presents here (apart from the pregnancy) - a Wii (DH) & Wii Fit (in-laws) for me, GPS (me) & XM Radio (in-laws) for DH. And I finally got the Starbucks card I've been asking for for multiple gifting occasions. It'll take me a LONG time to use it all, and thank God for decaf! Thanks, brother-in-law!

The funny thing, Christmas Eve as we were wandering around the house gathering all that we were planning to take, I said to DH "I think I'm going to put a Wii on the list for Santa tonight." Of course he gave the argument of it being too late to put it on the list, and my response was something like "Santa can do anything..." And he did, thanks to DH's pre-planning!

The biggest negative of the holiday: MICE. In the wall of our bedroom which adjoins the garage. While we didn't see any evidence they had made it past the wall, the smell in the room was awful. Of course, the in-laws don't go in that room very often, so they had no idea. AND, tried to question whether it could be something else. [insert eye-roll here]

The nice thing about having people with young children over is that they leave fairly early. I was able to get to bed around 10-10:30pm every night, and thanks to the pregnancy actually managed to fall asleep before DH came in a couple hours later after spending some brother/brother time together.

My work closes the week between Christmas and New Years so I'm not going to be going in to work, but I'll still be working at home to get through a pile of things that need to be done around the house and only 3 days to do them as we plan to head up to Wintergreen Thursday for the weekend. I almost wish we weren't going so I would have the extra time to get items checked off the to-do list AND nap.

I hope your Christmases were equally as merry and happy and didn't include mice.

Wintergreen - The Recap

Friday night: leave home at 5:30pm.

Saturday morning: arrive at our condo at 2:30am.

Yes, that's 9 hours in the car. 9 hours in which our dog was a perfect angel, refraining from whimpering, barking or any other expressions of her frustration at being in a sometimes moving vehicle without a single potty break.

(In comparison, Sunday's return trip took something like 3 hours, which was about half an hour longer than normal.)

But it was worth it for 30+" of snow. Fluffy, beautiful, drifting, shifting, accumulating SNOW!

It made the 2-3" we got at home seem paltry in comparison. And 2-3" is a respectable amount for this area.

Time for a reboot? (updated)

I'm not really a do things by the seat of my pants kind of girl. Structure and expectations, they are my friends.

So, when DH declared last night that he wanted to head up to Wintergreen tonight so he could be up there for the predicted snow storm and the foot and a half to two feet of snow that's supposed to fall up there versus the 1-6 inches that we're supposed to get at home, I froze up like a bogged down computer.

Making a list of everything we needed to do and take helped, so 10PM last night found me pulling together supplies for meals and snacks, and 7:30AM this morning found me at the grocery store picking up the few items we didn't have on hand.

8AM found me at the hospital having my blood drawn (again, why does it take 300x as long to get checked in and wait than to have the actual blood taken?) by a phlebotomist who took pleasure in digging around my vein for the last few drops of blood.

Now I'm at work and my brain is still spinning around the items that need to be completed before we leave. I guess it's time for another list so I can get to the work projects waiting for my attention.

Will update with today's betas...check back later.

UPDATE:
277 - not quite doubled but still respectable. No word on the progesterone level, but I'm not so worried about that. Go back Monday for another test. (Assuming we don't get stuck up at Wintergreen; then something will work out.)

Ding Dong, Ding Dong

Can I shout it from the rooftops?

SKI SEASON IS OFFICIALLY OVER!!! !!! !!! !!!

And while I love skiing, and I love the patrol and all the activities associated with it, I'm looking forward to having my weekends back* to do things around the house instead of having to fit them into week nights when I've already worked a full day and also have to cook dinner. (Is it any wonder I don't exercise like I should?)

I already have a list of things I want to get done next weekend and the following...mostly yard work and cleaning/straightening type things that have been overlooked for the past few months.

If the weather is nice next weekend, I really want to pull the weeds that survived the winter and came back strong with the warmer weather we've had recently. I'm also hoping to cut back some of the plants that should have been dealt with in February. Given the size of our beds just these two things could take all weekend.

If the weather isn't so nice I'll be doing things like straightening our 2nd guest bedroom (mostly used for things like sewing projects, wrapping presents, and storing suitcases and hasn't been touched since before Christmas), giving the inside of my car a good cleaning, and going through our linen closet to toss any expired products or meds (I have open top tubs that organize different things like cold meds, sunblock and aloe, bandages, etc. and those are in good shape, but are starting to overflow with duplicates and such.)

Since it is now spring, I guess you could call it an urge to do some spring cleaning. Please make me feel better and tell me what things you are ready to tackle now that winter is (mostly) over.


*At least until we start going down to the in-law's beach house for a weekend every month or so.

Results and Contemplations

So we're back from Snowshoe and it looks like we'll be back there again next year. And the next year, and the next year, and the next year, ad infiniteum.

That's because DH passed the remaining modules of the certification program. Doing so means a high honor as only 1.5% or so of all the ski patrollers in the country have reached this level; I don't know the percentage of those who completed it in the second year. But it also comes with the responsibility to remain in the program, and return as an evaluator for the upcoming candidates. I'm very proud of my husband for reaching this level, and since this is one of the few things he does outside work that requires socializing with others, I'm all for it. Plus, I get away from home and get to ski a different resort at least once a year. (We'll probably be taking a trip out West sometime next year, possibly to Steamboat, but details are very hazy at this point.)

The worst thing about going away is coming home and returning to the same old, same old. No matter how much fun and relaxation you fit into the time away it never seems to transfer back to "real life" things like laundry, cooking, and cleaning. With the economy tanking, I'm hearing more about stay-cations, and other low(er) cost means to vacation without wiping out the bank balance or college fund.

With this return I tried to figure out my favorite things about being away from home, and what I could possibly do to recreate them so home is more relaxing overall. The biggies are: eating out and not being responsible for dinner, not being responsible for cleaning, and different scenery.

So let me think, what of those can I change? Hmm, I don't think DH would appreciate eating out every night for either the cost or dietary issues. Cleaning? I suppose if I could find someone trustworthy that could be a possibility, but doubt that their services would come free. Do you know how I could change the scenery other than paste large pictures over all of the windows? Perhaps some changes to the decor in our house would make it seem different? But again, that's not always a low cost option.

Looks like I'm back to facing the same old, same old without options. Maybe I should start looking through those back-issues of Southern Living and other magazines that have been building up for the past 8 months for some ideas to implement this spring.

Or I could just turn to my loyal readers for any thoughts you might have on low-cost changes to make home more vacationy.

Don't Look For Me In Vancouver in 2010

As you may remember, we've been up to the condo a few weekends during ski season already. This is the first weekend I've (gotten off my lazy ass and) hit the slopes. Combine that with not having done any sort of physical activity greater than the weekly marathons I run through Target and the local Super Wal-Mart equals more soreness than I would like.

Being taken out by a slightly out-of-control fellow skier* didn't help matters by adding to the number of locations on my body that are tender and aching. (slight break of promise here...) Thanks to the 2-week wait I'm avoiding ibuprofen, and acetaminophen only makes things worse, so I'm just having to wait out the healing process naturally.

The most humiliating part: my in-laws (who invited themselves up to the condo with us this weekend) not only ski better than I do despite several years since their last outing, but have more endurance because, unlike me, they work out on a regular basis.

At least they made up for it by taking us out to dinner at the nice steak restaurant on the mountain. Everyone else ordered the filet mignon, and I was the odd one out with lamb chops. I pick up tenderloin steaks at the grocery store on a semi-regular basis, so wanted to try something different and I was glad I did. Despite DH's baa-ing like a little lamb when they arrived, and my discovery that the mint jelly served with them was spearmint (blech!) I completely enjoyed them and was very sorry that my stomach ran out of room before I ran out of meat. Since DH and I don't eat out very often, it was definitely one of the best meals I've had in a long while.

Next weekend we're back up there with my BIL who will be snowboarding for the 2nd time. I'm hoping that by then I'll be recovered enough to keep up with him.



*Seriously, that it was a skier surprised me. I figured it was going to be a snowboarder who took me out. It's almost like I am a magnet for out-of-control people on the slopes. And I really, really, really hate snowboarders who sit in groups in the middle of the slope, or block a cross-trail, or fall right in front of me. I swear they need a license or something - no snowboarding unless you can follow these rules of (what I think should be) common courtesy.

Snickers and Bleach

Do you remember how I was concerned about what I might find in the condo refrigerator after not being there since April? (Click here to refresh your memories.)

Cheese monsters? Beer vs. Soda wars?

The fridge, it was unscathed. (We're not going to talk about the bag of cooked spaghetti noodles and what may or may not have transpired within the bag as Haz-Mat suits were not required for disposal.)

The extra-large bag of fun-size Snickers bars left in the cabinet drawer- that was not unscathed. Based on the evidence left behind, we had a small, furry visitor who OD'd on 8-10* pieces of candy before leaving for parts unknown. The same visitor also nibbled on the bag containing the rubber gloves under the sink but left the gloves untouched.

All I can say is that I'm very glad I had those rubber gloves and bleach on hand for the clean up.

Anti-bacterial kitchen spray is now on the list for our next trip up.



*What? You wanted me to count the empty wrappers as I was pulling them out of the drawer? Yuck!

I can take a hint...

It's ok, I get it. My deep thoughts posts aren't really that deep. And they are boring to everyone except me. I'm not looking for everyone to jump in here and deny it, I'm just acknowledging the trend that I don't get any comments when I write a long post about something that I've been thinking about. I don't find deep thinking that interesting myself, but writing it out helps me to figure out what I really think about a topic vs. a knee jerk reaction.

-----

Back to the light stuff:
We are going up to Wintergreen this weekend for DH to do some training related to Ski Patrol. I expect the condo is full of dust and spiderwebs (which we will only find by walking through them) and perhaps a few dead bugs, courtesy of the spiders. But I'm not going to focus on that too much (maybe 45 minutes of cleaning should take care of any issues). I'm going to focus on enjoying the cooler weather up there by taking a walk with our dog. This is a big deal because we never take her for walks. The last time we took her for a walk (when we were on vacation), she had to lay down and rest for five minutes about 2/3 of the way through. I'm going to blame it on the heat and not being out of shape. ha!

I've got to come up with an all-inclusive packing list for us and the dog...clothes, supplies, food, etc. It's no fun to be out of x, y, or z and have to do without. I'm thinking about trying out "prep dinner in advance and then freeze for later" places (we have 3 or 4 in the area) for dinners this winter, but this weekend is a different story.

Wish me luck (with the list and the bugs!).

New Item on the Side

I just wanted to bring your attention to the information I've posted about our condo at Wintergreen Resort.

I may be biased, but I think it's a great place to spend the weekend. In fact, it's where we spend (almost) every weekend during the Ski Patrol season (which can span from late-November to late-March depending on the weather).

We took the plunge after not being able to find a place to rent which would accept our dog. Condo rental for 4 months + boarding fees for every weekend + trauma to our dog at being boarded every weekend = mortgage payment. Simple equation.

So, if you feel like spending a weekend (April-November) or a couple weekdays (December - March) up at Wintergreen - exploring the slopes, or the hiking trails, or the spa, or the local wineries, or holding a bachelor(ette) party, or just getting away without going too far, we should talk about accommodations. It will feel like home, because it is. Except with different furniture.

One of these days I might even post pictures, if I ever figure out how. Not that it's high on my priority list. So don't hold your breath.