Hey guys! How was your week? It was spring break for our family so my husband led the charge for a fun old fashioned family ski trip in Colorado. We could only sneak away for a few days, but in ski time that’s pleeeennty of time for me. I grew up in the snow, but not really on skis. I can vaguely remember going skiing in West Virginia as a kid once or twice, but certainly not enough times to be able to hop on skis without fearing for my life on a blue. So, we put the girls in ski school and the hubs took me out on a few runs the first day. There were highs, like riding the gondola and having beers at lunch! And then the lows, like me sitting in the middle of a blue run, skiers flying by on all sides, totally paralyzed as to how I would get down the mountain in one piece. If you’re wondering where I’m going with this story, I think I have a plan to circle back to it later in this blog post. Ha!
After three consecutive family trips that have involved some pretty unfortunate bouts of illness—fever virus, stomach bug, strep, and the flu to name just a few (yikes!), it’s been quite the reality check on managing expectations. Admittedly, I build up family vacations to unattainable happiness heights. And let me tell you (and if you have children you don’t really need to be told) that no family trip with little kids goes off without a hitch. Don’t let Instagram fool you, you’re only seeing the perfect side of things for the most part. When we schlepped the fam to Colorado last summer, all three kids were sick the ENTIRE trip. Every day we woke up saying “tomorrow will be better.” And they just didn’t get better until we were off the plane in Houston. I’m sure I probably found something positive to post. Oh yes, I remember now. I posted a photo of Jack in his stroller (with a 102.5 fever) with the mountains in the background. On point! What you didn’t see was the doctor’s office across the street that we were about to roll Jack into!
Anyway, what I’ve learned during our recent string of bad luck (or maybe this is just par for the course with three kids under 5 and lots of little germs), is that no trip will be without it’s ups and downs. I mean, life at home isn’t without highs and lows so why would staying in a hotel with pretty mountain scenery and skiing nearby guarantee perfection?! I guess what I’m saying is that I lied when I told my husband at 2 am after cleaning up throw up for 5 hours straight that “I’m done! This is the last trip for our crew. EVER.” Lordy, the drama, you’ve been there before, right?! Please say yes or at least don’t judge the altitude induced (ha!) melt down. The truth is I’ll continue planning fun experiences for our kids each year, but knowing going in that there’s a high probability at some point during the trip one of us will end up stuck in the middle of the blue ski run with only 1 pole. Not to worry, I’m sure there’s a cool filter for that….
