So I booked a room at Caberfae Peaks and began the search for ski wear. Then, the next day I got a call from the reservation office informing me that they'd made a mistake and did not have an available room for the 23rd (and this on Friday the 18th). I was at the top of the list and there were multiple post-it notes all saying CALL CAILIN FIRST in case of a cancellation. So then I was on tenderhooks and worried that all my searching for ski gear would end up being in vain. I found a jacket/pants deal on craigslist for Iz for a good deal but couldn't find anything for me. Only florescent orange one piece suits in large. Shudder. I ended up splurging on a Spyder jacket at Marshalls for my Christmas present for the next couple of years. Then on Saturday I checked my email and saw an ad from Treetops for returning visitors which was way cheaper than posted on their website and cross my finger and call......to discover the office closed five minutes earlier. So I called at 9am sharp Sunday morning and booked us a room--with a free upgrade to a Lodge suite with jacuzzi bathtub since the Inn was closed. Sah-weet!
Of course, then I find out from Iz that he's been stuck at the airport for 5 hours only to find out that all the flights are canceled due to weather and the soonest he can fly out of NYC is Friday. FRIDAY! Christmas Day! And he has to miss his Baton Rouge interview to boot. So we check out Amtrack--full and start exploring rental cars--way, way expensive due to high demand, and then Ben Tano suggests the Greyhound. So for $80 and a 12 hour bus ride Iz made it home Monday afternoon--our anniversary. So a silver lining to all the mess. Too bad he got bumped to the waiting list for his B.R. interview. Here's hoping a slot opens up.
Anyhow, it all works out and we're able to head out to Gaylord for our second anniversary ski trip. Bettina was amazing about letting us drop off the kids so early in the morning so we could finish our 5 hour drive with time to ski for most of the day. The drive was easypeasy with no fishtailing unlike last year. And our room was way bigger, too. We used our vouchers for an awesome lunch--so now we know that this place does breakfast and lunch really well but our dinner last year was terrible....must be a different chef at night--and headed for the slopes. I spent more time than Iz on the bunny slopes reaclimating myself. It was all exhausting, awesome fun. I did bang into a fence once when I couldn't stop in time and I also fell coming off the ski lift because my skis got tangled with Iz's snowboard just as we stood up to go down the ramp. A faceplant ensued. And a throbbing headache. But Iz's sorrowful, sheepish look made up for it and we kept going.
Iz researched restaurants in the area and made me choose our dinner location--anyone who knows us knows neither of us likes making decisions so it all took a while--and we settled on "the most authentic Mexican food in Michigan" according to somebody online. Actually, it was really awesome. Everything was tasty from the tamales to the chile verde pork. And every single worker was Latino. It's always discouraging when you enter a place like this and it's run by Chinese. So another satisfying meal.
Followed by another great day of skiing and possibly an even better lunch. Iz got really good at spinning and I attempted some of the bigger runs with him. I had another bad fall. From the ski lift ramp again. This time it was a different lift that had a really short ramp before ending in a big dropoff and I wasn't sure I'd be able to stop in time so I deliberatey fell to the side, expecting my skis to pop off like they had the day before--even when I wasn't doing anything. But they held firm and my body went one way while my knees stayed pointed the other way. It's been a month and I can still feel stiffness in that knee. And poor Iz also came home with his own injury to his ankle tendons. So, I guess we can't really expect to ever come back from a ski trip wholely unharmed. But it was worth it. We had a blast. And I had time to miss my kids and remember all the good things instead of it being clouded over with the whining whatnot. All in all, it was a great anniversary. Maybe it'll become a tradition. We'll just have to find friends wherever we end up living that are willing to do a kid exchange. Any takers?
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4 comments:
Wow - I knew your trip planning got complicated, but I didn't know it was THAT complicated! I'm glad it all worked out for a happy ending.
If you're near us again next year we'd love to do another swap!
p.s. Though your kids did play at Eastland Mall and in the snow while you were away, is that cheating to use pictures you took of when YOU had MY kids?
didn't I say you guys should come ski here in Jackson? I have clothes you could borrow and I have ways of getting discounted ski rentals, a spare room, and, if you came this winter, I could have given you and IZ 2 vouchers to the JH Mountain Resort, a $180 value! But, if you are coming all the way out here, you would probably want to bring the kiddos because they would like it too. Or, I guess, practice skiing the east, and then when you finally get here, you will be rippers.
one more thing, knee injuries from skiing are VERY common here, and orthopedics make LOTS of money with torn ACLs, MCLs, and meniscuses (sp?). With one of them (I think the torn MCL) you can heal on your own, the other two require surgery. Joy just had surgery on her meniscus from playing rugby. I don't mean to scare you, but if it doesn't get better soon, see if IZ has any friends in the orthopedic department.
we definitely needed the practice on the tiny hills here first before tackling jackson hole. but we'd love to visit you sometime. first we just have to figure out where we'll be living for the next 3 years of residency. i'm voting for somewhere warm.
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