I'm working from home the next two days. Tomorrow we might try the El Salvador restaurant that's near our house. There's also a Kosher deli that sounds good for Friday. We'll see what Mazy is in the mood for.
My Birthday Approaches
Now, back to me. As many of you know, my birthday is quickly approaching. On Saturday I will turn 36 years old. 36! That's officially closer to the 40s than it is to the 30s... Birthdays don't bother me much. I look at my life and think, "This is just where I want it to be. I don't have any regrets so why worry about being another year older?" So far, this philosophy serves me well. But you might want to check back the year I turn 40. I hear that can be a hard one. :)
I'll write more about my weekend plans tomorrow, but rest assured we have many fun events planned. Now on to one of my Wednesday happy memories.
Swimming on a Snow-Covered Mountain
Back before the farm crisis and the dismal farm economy of the '80s, my dad's family vacationed each winter at Copper Mountain in Colorado. Well, they did it twice at least. (Four of my regular readers can probably correct me on this and fill in a lot of gaps.) Anyway, I have several vivid, happy memories of that trip, which is kind of surprising because I was only 3 or so. There are a few photos of that trip that may have kept these memories fresher than most from that period of my life.
I vividly remember being woken up by my Uncle Doug when we were driving to Colorado and him handing me a pair of binoculars and telling me to look at an approaching city or mountain or some kind of landmark. I don't know what I was looking at, but I remember Doug was very excited and I wanted to share that excitement even though the binoculars were too big for my head and I really couldn't see anything.
I think we stayed in a cabin or cottage or maybe a condo. I don't know for sure. But I remember wearing a fuzzy nightgown and trying to crawl up into a bed. My Grandma Betty and Uncle Tobin were there. They must have been on babysitting duty that night. Tobin grabbed me in a big hug and said something like, "Oh those are the most squeezable little cheeks ever!" And he wasn't talking about the chubby cheeks on my face. :) When you are one of four kids, you appreciate every compliment and take it to heart. For years I felt very proud of my squeezable tush.
And then the happiest memory I have of that trip was Grandpa Keith taking me down to the outdoor pool for a swim. It was just the two of us. I distinctly remember the steam rolling off the pool that was surrounded on three sides by a snowy wonderland. It was such a mind-blowing experience to be SWIMMING outside in the wintertime! I will never forget that. I know I was afraid to go into the water. I just would not believe that it wasn't freezing cold, but he eventually talked me into it and then I never wanted to get out! It was a very exciting experience to be swimming outside in the winter. I remember staying as low in the water as I could because any inch of bare skin above it was immediately freezing!
Now that I think about it, I wonder how accurate that memory is. Does anyone know if there truly was an outdoor swimming pool there?
Yes, there was an outdoor pool and I remember the steam rolling off the top of the water and snow all around the pool. I remember taking skiing lessons for kids and listening to the song "I love the rainy nights" over and over in the car. Was that also the trip that grandpa picked up a hichhiker and made us sit in the backseat with him?
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