A weekend getaway without the kids

It was wonderful, need I say more? Probably not, but here are some pics and a summary of the weekend Mike and I had in Vail.

We arrived in Vail in the late afternoon. The roads were a bit messy and it was snowing so we were glad to arrive safely. Once we arrived we learned that the next day there was forecasted 12-1 inches of snow in Vail. Yikes, we had only driven up Mike's car, what were we thinking. We left a perfectly good 4 wheel drive suburban sitting in our garage. Oh well. Thank goodness for FREE public transportation in Vail. We left the car in the parking lot the whole weekend.

Friday night we grabbed some Oriental food for dinner. It was quite good and then we hung out in our room for the night. I think I fell asleep about 8:45, it was so nice to just relax and not have to worry about the kids.

On Saturday morning we woke (about 9:30 am) to about 6 inches of fresh snow. Yeah! We had some breakfast and then headed out for our snowmobile tour. It was still snowing and so beautiful. It was almost 40 degrees so it was really a nice day for riding. We geared up for our ride and then headed out with our guide and 4 other people. Here are a couple of pictures from our ride. The ride was beautiful. We rode through the aspens and through the pine trees and saw some beautiful scenes. It was soooooo much fun!!!

After snowmobiling we went back to our hotel and then hopped on a bus to go explore the villages. We took a ride up the Gondola in Lionshead Village to the top of Vail Mountain. It was beautiful, though visibility was not so good(because it was snowing) and we couldn't see much from the top.

After the ride back down, we headed over to Vail Village and explored the cute shops and hit a Mexican restaurant for dinner. We had yummy fajitas. The downside was that all 3 tables around us were full of kids. One group had a baby that cried almost the whole time we were there. So why is when we leave our kids home we are surrounded by everyone else's?

Next it was back to the hotel for a soak in the hot tub and a sit in the sauna. It was so relaxing except for maybe the kids that were splashing around in the hot tub. Once again, we left ours at home so we could relax without kids. Oh well. We headed back to our room for a quiet movie all by ourselves.

After sleeping in again this morning, we decided we needed to pack up and head out since it was snowing again. We wanted to get out of town before the roads got too bad. We headed out about 10 am and it took us 2 hours to go what would normally take about 45 minutes. The roads were snowy, slick and it was snowing really hard. Visibility was low and chain laws were in effect. We took it slow and arrived home safely about 2.

It is truly amazing that the time went so fast. We had a great time and enjoyed some time off from the kids and the house. Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Sims who made it possible for us to go.

Random Photo Blog

Here are some random photos taken over the last few weeks. And here are a couple of pictures from Jakes Birthday party last week. It was so warm outside I took all the kids out to the park to run some relay races.

Sky Blue Orange

I was sitting here in my office tonight and happened to look out the window and this is what I saw. I hurried to grab the camera and catch it to share with you.It reminded me of my childhood. Whenever we asked my dad what his favorite color was, his answer would always be "Sky Blue Orange." We would laugh and say that there is no such color. But here tonight, I am reminded of the beauty of the setting sun where there is proof that sky blue orange definitely is a color. And isn't it a beauty!!!!!

Thanks Dad!

#14

Parallel Parking Yikes!!

#13

Ever tried putting on deoderant or shaving armpits with one arm. Impossible!! Thank goodness Mike was home for the weekend to help with the second. I have to have kids help me with deoderant during the week. Nothing like reversing roles.

#12

Opening a jar...with the position of my arm it is impossible for me to hold a jar and remove the lid.

# 11

I told you there would be more. I just thought of another thing to add to my list. I have an itch and I can't scratch it because my arm won't bend to reach it. :( Maybe I will go rub up against a tree like a bear. I'll let you know if it works.

Top 10 list for today

Yesterday was a fun day for me. I went to the orthopedic surgeon to talk about my options for treatment for my ulnar neuropathy. I have had numb fingers on my left hand for about 10 weeks now. I have seen 4 different doctors now about it with no relief or improvement. I have a compressed nerve in my elbow and can't really figure out what has caused it. We have tried several different treatments and therapies to no avail. One option is surgery to see if the compression can be relieved or to actually move the nerve from behind my elbow to inside the elbow. I don't know how excited I can be about surgery. Anyway, yesterday, he opted to put my arm in a cast from just below my shoulder to my knuckles. What fun!!! Well, it makes typing kind of awkward, so I am going to try to keep this short. Here is my list for today!!!

The top ten things you take for granted when you have full use of both arms. (what I have learned in just one day)

10- Driving (turning, and pulling into a parking spot are not easy to do with one elbow that doesn't bend)

9- Washing your hair (I managed ok with one hand, but I have a lot of hair, and it was not an easy task)

8- Pulling up your pants (again, I managed, but it takes much more effort one handed)

7- Making a PBJ sandwich (I can't hold the bread while I spread the peanut butter)

6- Putting on a shirt (straight arm through the sleeve, up over the head, then the other arm, almost like juggling)

5- Carrying the laundry basket (managed to balance on my hip and hold with the other hand, still not easy when fully loaded)

4- Folding the clothes (setting it on the bed and folding one handed takes so much longer)

3- Carrying a hot casserole dish to the table for dinner (next to impossible, thank goodness for older children who can help)

2- Styling your hair (I can't even put it in a pony tail yikes, what will I do now?)

1- Taking off (or putting on) your bra (I had to call Kaylee to help me last night as I was getting ready for bed, I never learned to do this one handed)

So there you have it. What I have learned in 24 hours not to take for granted when I get the full use of both arms back again. I am sure I will find more during the next 3 weeks, so I will add them to future posts. This is me.

Rug Burned Foreheads

Here is a picture of my two boys after their brother helped them rug burn their foreheads. Ryan has a scar on his forehead from when he did this to himself a couple of years ago. Who knows why boys do the things they do.

Back to the grind...

of everyday normal life. Mike headed off to Vegas this morning. I got up at 6:30 AM. Kaylee is off to school, the others are getting ready to leave soon. I can't believe that Christmas break is already over. I have to go grocery shopping today, get crickets for the anoles (our little lizards), do some laundry and some tidy up work around the house, and do all the drop-offs and pick-ups from school. Does it get any better than this? On th upside, I do have 2.5 hours to myself this morning while Kyle is at school too. I guess that is pretty good.

Oh I almost forgot, last night my wonderful oldest son decided to help his two little brothers to get rug burns on their forheads. I don't understand the thinking behind it. BUt I will post pictures later. They really did a number on themselves!!

Well, I am off. Happy Monday everyone. And if you haven't already done so sign up for my blog giveaway on my design blog. You could win a FREE t-shirt or gift of your choice from my store.

My FIRST ever Blog Giveaway

Okay friends, I am hosting my first ever blog giveaway. It is on my new design blog and you can read the details HERE. So hop on over, follow the directions and maybe you can win a prize. The prize is your choice of an item from my cafe press shop. (Maximum price $20.)

My Poor Little Man

Kyle is, to quote him, "Itchy Itchy Itchy" and I wonder why. Check out his rash.It is all over his torso, arms, neck, and some on his face.

The doc yesterday said he thinks it is something called pityriasis. It could last for a couple of months. Yuck. It is aparently caused by a virus. (but is not contagious) So how did he get it then? i wonder.Anyway we are treating the rash topically with steroid cream and he is taking a double dose of Claritin in the morning and a dose of Benadryl at night. Hopefully that will at least ease the itchiness.

Happy Happy New Year!!!

We had a great New Year's Eve. We let the girls each invite a couple of friends over for the night and they had lots of fun. We ate pizza, had chips and veggies with dip and cheescake fondue for desert. Yummy!!! Then we watched the ball drop on Time Square. Tiff and her group stayed up until about 1:30 am and Kaylee's group stayed up all night. (despite the fact that they were sent to bed at 2:00) Now for some pictures.

Here is one of Jake, He fell asleep about 10 then kind of woke up at 11:40. He really wanted to welcome the new year, but here he is on the floor asleep again at about 11:50. I did wake him in time to ring in the New Year and have some Martinelli's with us.
Here is the toast to a new year with Martinelli's. Don't you love our fancy cups?
Here is Kaylee and her friends

(Hannah, Sammie, Laney, and Jordan)Tiffany and her friends

(Sydney and Braxton)Here is Mike and Ryan just before midnight. And finally Mike and I bring in 2009 with a little smooch!We hope all our friends and famiy have a great new year. We wish you all the best life has to give and more!!!

Happy New Year!