Ski Season has begun!

Just got back from skiing over the Thanksgiving holiday and boy was it great! This was the best early season snow we've ever seen in the 9 years we've been going up there! It was a wee bit cold, but not enough to stop us from skiing hard! This picture is from the restaurant at Vail where we stopped for an afternoon breather! In the morning it was -5 (yes negative) up at Horseshoe Bowl! Friday, Saturday and Sunday were all warmer! Unfortunately no new snow fell while we were there though. A few inches last night after we left... go figure! I'm hoping we can sneak away next weekend for a few more turns up in God's Country!

Our Thanksgiving dinner with the family was celebrated the weekend before whenI cooked the big feast! It was really good and there are still a few meals of turkey now frozen to enjoy later! On the actual turkey day, we feasted on a frozen pizza! OK, not what we had hoped for, but the fresh ones were all gone and no one in Chicago sent us a pizza. Hint, hint!!

The great news we got from Chicago was that my niece Sarah got a new job! We're so proud of her! Dan helped her with the resume and she thinks it really helped! We wish her luck - and don't spend all that extra money at once!

I'm finishing up the final cards for Operation Write Home. I challenged myself to make 100 cards to send and I'm almost there! I have 12 more to make and I'm working on some Valentine's cards for them! Yes,that is the next holiday they're collecting for! I think it's a really great way to give away the cards I'm not using, plus a way to use up supplies and give someone who is really appreciative a homemade card to send back home! If you haven't checked out their blog, go for it! Maybe you'll be inspired!

And did I mention I haven't started on any projects for Christmas yet? It's not December yet! I don't have too many in mind... well I do only have 3 weeks left! A few really simple cards and gifts and I'll be happy!

Off to keep shopping... it is cyber Monday!

Aruba

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Aruba Recap

We had our first snow on Tuesday... a far cry from the beautiful weather we had in Aruba! Boy, I do wish I was back there! (I love the snow for skiing, but they can keep it up in the mountains!)

Our overall impression of Aruba was fantastic and we would recommend it in a heartbeat to anyone looking for a Caribbean getaway! The natives were very friendly and they were not at all pushy like we experienced in Mexico. Only one person approached us to visit their timeshare and they simply took no for an answer and moved on! The hotel and the food were nothing to remember, but when you got the awesome deal we did, you can't really complain! The room was clean, the showers were hot and the food was edible! We weren't there for that stuff anyway!

On our first afternoon in Aruba, we jumped into our swimsuits, strapped on our snorkel gear and walked into the the water for our first swim with the fish! The water was warm and there were lots of little fish right there! Because of the boat traffic close by, it wasn't the best place to snorkel but we made the best of it that day and several more!

On Monday we took a full day tour to De Palm Island, a private island that is set up for water adventure! We arrived to a decent buffet breakfast and then took a dive into the waters where we found a great reef and lots of bigger and prettier fish! I had a blast following a puffer fish around for what seemed like hours! It was so pretty! I wish I could have taken it home! They also had a water park equipped with slides and water spurting everywhere! It was fun to act like a kid! We also road a "banana" boat, which was a big tube pulled by a speed boat! You straddle it while kneeling and they cruise around trying hard to dump you off the side! I fell off twice! It was really fun, although hard on the knees! The kids played volleyball and I relaxed with fancy drinks from the bar! It was a really great day and we were thrilled the island wasn't very crowded.

On Tuesday we decided to take a ride into town and see what treasures we could find! We each came home with something we wanted that represented Aruba. I got a sweatshirt, which seemed very inappropriate since it was 90+ degrees and humid! And of course, we found a great little ornament to remember our trip! It was really the only day we ate out and the food was good.

On Wednesday we decided to take an afternoon jeep tour of the island. What we weren't informed was that we'd have to do the driving. Well, make that Dan, along with some of the other passengers. Since he has such great experience at it, it wasn't difficult, but I'm sure he would have rather let someone else do it for what we paid for the trip! It was my favorite adventure of the week because we got to see a lot of the island many people don't go to. It was a shame they hurried us through there though. The last reward of the trip was a dip in the pools where we got to snorkel around and Dan spotted an eel! They beat the vehicles to death as we 4-wheeled up some pretty tough terrain! Thankfully everyone made it out without too many bumps!

On our final day there we decided to snorkel off the beach to a shipwreck. There are a few different wrecks, but we opted for the one that was closest to shore. The wreck has been there for about 18 years and it was great to see all the schools of fish living around it! And some very cool starfish! The waters were choppy that day as a storm approached, so our fun ended sooner than we wanted. It was good we choose the closer in one though!

The rest of our time throughout the week was spent poolside or beach side - whatever floated our boat! We drank lots of fancy drinks and tried our hardest just to relax! The weather was very cooperative despite the unwelcome humidity!

When it was time to go home, we were relaxed and ready. Thankfully we still had 2 additional days at home before we had to go back to work! Was it the trip of a lifetime - no, however it was exactly what we wanted, expected and enjoyed at this point! There are plenty of more days to come when we can take the trip of a lifetime!! Like China in May??????

So relaxed

What a wonderful week we had relaxing on the beach in Aruba! We got back very late on Friday night (actually Saturday) and spent the rest of our weekend doing those necessary errands and trying not to think about Monday! I woke up on Saturday with a sore throat and don't feel much better tonight... thankfully if I had to get sick it's after the vacation and not during! Maybe I need a few more days off?
I don't feel much like uploading pictures tonight, so just thought I'd share a few. Wasn't this a beautiful sunset? We watched this as we dined on our final night on the island! It went so fast - both the sunset and the week - but we sure did have an awesome time! We'd recommend Aruba over Mexico any day of the week! It was wonderful! I'll share more of the adventure later this week. (I promise!)

Aruba Baby!

Doesn't this look wonderful? In just a few weeks, we will be laying on that beach soaking in the sun and snorkeling in those beautiful blue waters! Oh Baby, ARUBA!!!!!! I am most excited about swimming with the fishes and just relaxing! After the big projects I've had to work on lately at work, I can't wait to relax!! Jealous??!!

Bridal Veil Falls

On Sunday we took a drive up to Rocky Mountain National Park to explore a new hike on a beautiful fall day! Yes, there are actually still plenty of hikes we have not experienced up there yet! It is amazing! This part of the park is not very popular so it really feels like you are lost in nature! We went a total of 6.5 miles roundtrip and relaxed next to a beautiful waterfall! The only downside to the hike - it was HOT! I know, HOT is September? Yep, it was 85 in Estes Park and we weren't very high up, so it was rather unusual for this time of year! But it was an awesome hike!Because it has been so warm and dry here this fall, the colors are just beginning to change up in the high country! The trees are only barely changing down here, but up there we were able to see some beautiful yellow and red! It's not like the Midwest though... colors are quite scarce here!

Before we left the park we did go searching for the elk. There were several herds, however with the unusual heat, they were all bedded down waiting for the temps to drop. There was a little bit of bugling, but nothing like we've witnessed in the past! This little baby was really cute and we were only a stone's throw from them!

Homecoming

Melanie had her first date to Homecoming this year - his name was Briar. He was very nice and they had a good time. She's not telling if anything further will come out of this relationship, but we're not pushing either! She looked very pretty in her dress that we found in Chicago! My little girl is not so little anymore, but we can always wish! (See her baby picture above her head!!)