Winter Park has always been a special place for me. I remember going there as a kid with my Youth Group from church. We had so much fun! This year I couldn’t wait to get there with my family and enjoy some fun in the snow.  We left Tulsa on a Thursday night out 8:30 or 9:00 PM. The drive to Hays, Kansas wasn’t bad. We got there about 3:30 in the morning and Checked into the Holiday Inn Express. Our room felt nice, spacious and clean. I would highly recommend it if you are looking for a quick place to stay at about the halfway point(for us) to Winter Park.

Friday

Our first,  day we got to town just in time to pick up our ski rentals, grab dinner and get settled into our condo. We stayed at Beaver Village which we booked through Winter Park Lodging Company. A blizzard had moved through the area just three days before, so the roads leading up to our place were still covered in snow. I love snow, so I was pretty happy, and so were the kids. We unpacked our bags and put our food from the coolers in the refrigerator. We found instructions for wifi and TVs in each room which made it a lot easier. They also left information about the bus route. Every day an old, but comfortable, school bus runs routes in the AM hours and the afternoon. The drivers were right on time, and the ride was only about 10 minutes long. Easy Peazy. The kid’s room was a bunk bed with a twin bed on top and queen bed on bottom. Pretty fun stuff.  It didn’t take long for us to crash. Everyone hit the hay pretty early excited about the next day.

Saturday AM

About the only time you’ll find me up at 6:45 am is pretty much for skiing, fishing, the beach, hiking or working out. I am not a morning person, but it was not hard at all to wake up on this day. We woke the kids and made some breakfast then grabbed out ski stuff out the car and caught the bus. Note to self do NOT leave your ski boots in the car… they get cold and then very hard to get into for the day. LOL. ?

Landon says his goggles make it hard to smile. LOL

We found a locker to use for our things and then met up with our ski instructor. Hubby splurged and got us a private lesson which was super cool. Also just in case you were wondering no half day lessons at Winter Park. Kind of sucks but that’s okay. Anyway,

Kelly takes a break giving Adam a laugh as he strikes a pose.

Adam took us up and began working with the kids on the greens. Poor guy had frostbite on his nose. I think he said from giving a lesson in the blizzard a few days earlier. He made it so much fun you almost forgot you were taking a lesson. He really helped the kids.

This was only Landon’s second time to ski and Karys’ third. Adam handled both their different personalities very well and coached them in a way that, they could hear. He gave me some drill to practice and worked with Kelly making ‘big man’ more comfortable. I will say one of the funniest moment happened on the bunny slope.

Karys on day one

A little girl fell, and Kelly clearly tried to make sure she was ok while also not running into her. He ended up falling as a result, and at the same time, we hear the voice of a little girl, probably all of four-years-old.  She lets out a huge cackle and says,  “That was so funny.” She kept skiing right past him while pointing at him with one hand and grabbing her little belly with the other hand.  It was the sweetest little zinger. Kelly let out a big ole laugh, and we all lost it.  I mean as Adam put it, “If you’re not falling you’re not learning anything new.”  We had Adams help for about three hours, and we all learned something. We skied back down the mountain and asked him if he wanted to join us for lunch. He had another client so he couldn’t, but he did give us his card so we can contact him next time around.  We said thank you and then took his recommendation for the best place to eat at the base of the mountain. If you’re ever in Winter Park and want a private lesson with your kids, you might want to look up Adam.

If you want to hear about the rest of this day you’ll need to click the post below:

Spring Break: One Urgent Care, Two Hospitals, Three Towns And A Big Fat Thank You

Yep. You read that right.

Monday – Tuesday

I took Karys and Landon to the mountain. We all knew daddy wanted us to go and that he needed to rest and recover after his trip to Granby for another round of IV antibiotics… Plus we were hopeful for hot water in the condo when we got back. I took both kids on a small run then got Landon situated for ski school.

Karys and I were off and skiing in no time. It was neat to watch her look at the trail map and figure out where to ski then what lifts to take to reach the Lunch Box restaurant. I told her I wanted her to see it because it’s pretty much the top of the mountain for us and you can ski a green all the way down.

My lunch date and ski buddy

Tacos at Lunch Rock Resturant

We got to the top and had lunch together. These are memories I will always cherish. I loved seeing her confidence grow while taking in the beauty of the mountain. By the way, the food was to die! I mean so good! She got a Pizza, and I got some tacos. Then we of course snapped some epic pictures like everyone else outside the restaurant. The view here is of the beautiful mountains. You can sit inside or outside. We sat inside and had a chance to talk and laugh, and it’s a day I’m truly grateful for because it seemed like a dream in many ways. Oh, one thing to note refills on drinks here are NOT free.  Just an FYI.

I took a moment to text and check in with Kelly to make sure everything went well for him in Granby at the hospital. He let me know all seemed to go just fine.

I also checked in with folks at Winter Park Lodging to see how we were doing as far as hot water. Thank goodness sweet Colleen gave me her cell phone so that I could text her.  She told me a plumber would be in our unit sometime between 1:30 pm and 2:00 pm. Fantastic news to a woman who wants to shower with hot water. LOL. ?

This is what Kelly was looking at on Monday at Granby while getting his IV antibiotic. I still feel kind of guilty that while he got the treatment, I got to ski with Karys

After we finished lunch, I took Karys down a small blue which Adam(ski instructor) felt she would be able to accomplish. Sure enough, she nailed ‘Crammer.’  We enjoyed the rest of the day together and then went back down to the base to meet ‘little man.’  I got his ski report card, and later we looked up what he did. They put a GPS device on him so you can see what trails he skied while in the class. He did great. When we got back to the room, we had HOT WATER!

Beaver Village Pool. The other side is all glass windows, but I was sitting with my back to the windows when I snapped this pic.

The kids had wanted to swim so we ventured down to the pool, and they got after it. It didn’t take long for them to tire out, but it was nice to see them playing together and having fun.

The pool is indoor at Beaver Village, but the windows showcase the snow-covered landscape. I loved hearing them giggle when they are just playing and having fun. Not a care in the world, just two kids enjoying being kids.

We went back to the room, and everyone took showers while I started dinner. I love it when we are on vacation, and we all get to eat dinner together. I work nights so I don’t get to do that as much as I would like. I took a shower then we played a pretty fierce game of Uno that we would finish the next night.

The next day was similar to the first, accept Karys, and I got Landon out of Ski School at lunch. We all wanted to ski together, and it was our last day. Yes, you still pay full price for the day of ski school, but I’m still glad we did it. We connected at Snowasis. This restaurant was good but for food expect something more like hot sandwiches, chicken strips, and hot dogs. More kid-friendly in a way which makes sense,  since level four groups and up seem to eat here for lunch.  Nice but more laid back.

The Ski Trio

They have a great outdoor space just below a terrain park. It’s fun to sit and watch people come down the slopes. Some folks even bring their lunches  We wanted Landon to get to see the fantastic views from the top, and since he was skiing even better today we took him on the same run Karys, and I completed the previous day. He was so cute. He loved the lifts with footrest. I can’t explain what a difference two days of ski school made for ‘little man.’ I was so proud of him and for him. He would lead, and I would ski in the middle of them, or I’d lead if he got tired. He rocked it. They both did. I am so grateful for this time with both of them; it will forever be one of my favorite memories. I wish Kelly could have joined us, but at the same time, I’m thankful I had them to myself some. I don’t mean it selfishly.  I just mean it was special to me to ski with them on the mountain and watch them grow, laugh, learn and enjoy the trails.  We got to the base, and I asked if they were ready to do another run. Both kids said their legs were tired and we hoofed it to our locker, caught the bus back to the condo, returned our skis to the show and then returned to our place. We had the kiddos shower and packed up. We loaded the car so that in the morning all we had to do was wake the kids and head back home.

Wednesday

We left about 4:00 am knowing we’d miss the Denver traffic, and the kids would sleep much of the way. The trip home flew by even with Kelly and his banged-up foot.

My heart will hold these memories tight forever. I’m so thankful for a husband who loves us all the way he does and for all his hard work that allows us to do such fun things together even if we are camped out in a hospital room.

If you are looking for a family friendly place to ski that has great runs for all levels, fun food and seemingly great medical care ? Winter Park could be the perfect spot. I will say after our quick trip to Steamboat for Kelly’s surgery, all of us wanted to try skiing there sometime soon as well. I’ve stayed in a ski-in and ski-out place in town before and loved it as well. You’ve got lots of options in this beautiful place. Mary Jane will always be a favorite spot of mine. I skied my first black here when I was a kid. I love that I now have memories here my husband and kids. #grateful #blessed