A Weekend of Memories, Made & Remembered

This past weekend, we had a great mini-vacation in Summit County. This time, we stayed with some friend with whom we haven't connected as much as we'd like over the past four years. It was the first time our whole family stayed with them, and while they don't have children themselves, they are two laid-back people who put us at ease in their beautiful home, and were very gracious when the boys used their furniture for a trampoline and their hallways for a track. They also have two of the greatest dogs I've ever known - Monty and Loki. The boys had a ball with Graham's collection of Scooby Doo movies and DVD's (from the first two seasons!), and loved snuggling with a couple of dogs that are a bit more laid back than others they know.

In an attempt to save money and avoid the MLK crowds on the slopes, we decided not to ski. Instead we tubed at Copper (got a screaming deal thanks to Michell's employee discount), took the boys swimming at the rec center, and went ice skating on Keystone Lake. Our attempt to save money resulted in us doing our part to stimulate Summit County's economy! Our ice skating trip evoked a lot of nostalgia for Stephen, Michell and me. We all met working at Keystone, and have wonderful memories of our former lives. We couldn't help but laugh at the fact that we were now the "gapers" (or, "filthy Front-Rangers", as Graham so kindly put it) who were now bringing our family to ice skate and paying full price! When we worked at Keystone, paying full price for something (if paying at all) was so rare, and "hook-ups" were so common, that the resort actually rolled out a promotion called "It's not a hook-up...it's theft!" (by the way, that is my Dad's favorite thing to remember about me working there). Long gone are the days of free on-mountain dining, snowmobiling, skiing (with our employee passes, of course) and just about anything else you can imagine; not to mention the free beer that would be slid across the bar and labeled as a "mis-pour".

Good friends, good memories, and new memories being made with our kids were what made this past weekend a great little mini vacation.

Connor and Monty get all snuggly in the "cozy pit" at Graham & Michell's.

My old office on Keystone Lake (between the two white lights).
I know it doesn't look like much when you're standing on the lake,
but you should see the view from inside!

This used to be the restaurant/bar/nightclub that Stephen managed.
Now it doubles as activities reservation center and ice rink center.
(We had our first kiss here - tacky, I know)

This is the look of pure 5 year-old joy.

Hanging out on a patio at the base of a mountain
always was one of my favorite things to do...here,
we're relaxing with Graham and Michell
(oh, the boys are there too...they take the pictures
while we drink the beer!)

We were quite surprised that by the end of our
tubing session, Connor wanted to go it alone (he loved it!)

I just can't get enough of these pictures
with their arms around each other!