January’s been all about those mountain views. This month we took our annual ski trip, I joined the neighbor ladies for a girls trip to Arizona, the kids kicked off their ski season with lessons at Cannosburg and we had our first trip north to Caberfea together as a family. Needless to say, the views this month have been stellar!
This year we travelled to Whistler in British Columbia, Canada for our 5th annual (adults only) ski trip. We were joined again by our friends and neighbors Josh and Emily Van Vels who love to ski as hard as we do. There is lots to write home about Whistler including the fun party atmosphere of the downtown area, the fantastic restaurants and the most incredible skiing. But my absolute favorite part was how majestic the views were. We had two full days of sunshine which provided miles of picturesque vantage points and another day where the clouds rolled in and dumped fresh powder upon us. It was glorious. We skied our butts off, enjoyed fantastic meals, dabbled in martinis, hot tubbed, happy hour’d and most importantly, we made it home all in one piece.
The mountain views were slightly different earlier in the month while in Arizona for a girls trip with some friends from the neighborhood. It made me giggle as all eight of us rolled into the Grand Rapids Airport leaving our spouses back at home to fend for themselves and our cumulative 25 children. It was a quick trip (Thursday to Sunday) but still plenty of time for us to lounge by the pool, go hiking, sip Pina Coladas, enjoy fantastic food and dance our faces off at the local rodeo. I brought my book but made zero progress (not even on the plane) because we were always chatting. I was ready with podcasts for morning power walks but never even put in my earbuds because we were always chatting. And I worried about being the first up chilling all alone (early as usual not even accounting for the time change) but was always joined by a few other early risers for coffee by the fire… chatting chatting chatting. I don’t even think we repeated conversation topics. It was fascinating and I can’t wait to travel with mom friends again sometime soon.
To me, the views back in Michigan are just as impressive having nothing to do with the scenery and everything to do with the people who fill the frame: Natalie and Thomas kicked off their ski season at Cannonsburg with lessons through their ski program and since, we’ve enjoyed our first family ski day up at Caberfea. It’s the kids third year on the slopes and now that they have their foundation built, this year they’re working to refine their skills including proper turns down the hill and what it means to hold a ski pole. Both are gah-gah over the sport which gives Jeff and me high hopes for bigger future family ski trips. The kids love skiing with their buddies which is great because we’ve got a handful of friends who also enjoy skiing with their families and are always willing to jump on the Caberfea bandwagon. We bring crockpots and coolers and make a whole day of it.
Pro Tip: we recently discovered Cedar Lounge at Cannonsburg. It’s a full service restaurant and bar located on the second level of the lodge with views of the ski hill. Last week Jeff and I grabbed a bite and a beverage for a mini date night while the kids took their lesson. Coach Phil kept the kids on the main lift which meant we could see them the whole time. It was awesome. I highly recommend the nachos. VERY saucy. The chili was also good.
Last weekend we met up with some friends at GR Skate & Event Center for some Friday night pizza and roller skating. Both the fun and the tumbles were plentiful. They run a Friday night special for $12 per person that includes entry, skate rental, a slice of pizza, a cookie and a soda. Hot deal! As it turns out, roller skating is challenging!
Outside of skiing and skating, the kids are having a wonderful winter so far. Natalie continues with both gymnastics and piano lessons, and has more recently taken to reading on her own at night before bed. Earlier this month I joined her and the rest of her class on their field trip to the Grand Rapids Public Museum where we took a tour of ‘old Grand Rapids.’ Thomas is sport free this season (which explains the increase of balls being thrown inside the house) and he began piano lessons for the first time two weeks ago. He also lost his first two teeth and was very pleased when the tooth fairy came to visit two days in one week.
The winter fun continues into February including a Steelcase work trip to New York City for me and a Michigan family ski trip to Boyne Mountain with friends in a few weeks. In the meantime, we’re enjoying this beautiful winter weather. Stay cozy friends.
POSTSCRIPT - Things worth mentioning:
Family Movie: Night at the Museum - Last weekend we had a movie night with the kids and chose Night at the Museum available on Disney+. They loved it! There’s also a second movie called Night at the Museum, the Secret of the Tomb - which we watched the next day on our lazy Sunday after church. Both were great.
Book: When Life Gives You Lululemons by Lauren Weisberger - Not a bookclub book (bookclub is reading It Starts With Us by Colleen Hoover - like everyone else on the planet right now), but this one I finished up two weeks ago and found it very entertaining. It’s a sequel to The Devil Wears Prada and uses some of the same characters. I recommend for a good poolside/plane ride Spring break book if you need one.
Food: The Jawbreaker Salad from Electric Cheetah - Recently dined for lunch at Electric Cheetah and was reintroduced to their incredible menu - so fresh and so tasty! I loved my Jawbreaker Salad that included shaved brussels and sweet potato.
