Copper Mountain, Colorado

the closest we got to everyone in a pic...missing 3, but Dawn is taking the picture

12 adults and 18 kids all in one ski town...sounds like our kind of fun!  And that's just what we did!  Over Martin Luther King weekend we flew out along with some of our closest friends and made the best memories skiing in Colorado!  While we all weren't on the same flight going out, we were on the flight coming home!  We all flew to Denver then made the long drive to Copper Mountain, thanks to some icy roads.  We arrived dead tired and gasping for air in the high altitude but nothing a little pizza and sleep didn't fix for us!

On our flight going we were all spread out but luckily the girls were seated together and I was at least behind them.  During take off I snapped this picture of them holding hands.  They can be sweet on their own when they want!

Saturday we were up early, but thanks to being on Eastern time we were early to bed and early to rise.    We headed to West Village where some of our kids would be checking into ski school.  This was Kate's very first ski trip and Cohen's 2nd to Colorado.  Its so much fun for them to have some of their friends with them and they handle ski school pretty well having each other.  Everyone had someone in their group.   This was our day to ski without the kids so we made the most of it and we had a blast.  We met up at lunch with some of the ones who had older kids that weren't in school.  Even though we had a huge group there was no way we could all ski together.  I think we had lunch together on day 1 and then most of us met up for a quick picture on the slopes on day 2.  After lunch we had time for a few more runs before it was time to go get our kids at school.  We had tried to spy on them but had no luck.  When we picked them up though they had had a great day, the instructor told us they had learned and did well so we headed up for a few more runs with them before calling it a day.  I was amazed at how well Kate had picked up on it and was doing great!  Cohen also amazed me because she just seem to pick right up on it.   Her first trip she had been hesitant to try a lot but this trip she was ready to go and actually was gone each time we started a run.  It was an answered prayer.  They loved it and had a ball.  Its always nice too having friends.   At the end of the day we headed back to our room and got ready to go eat.  All that skiing works up an appetite for sure.  We had some laughs thanks to a Ruby Tuesday in town that we did not end up eating at.  It all worked out though and again we had some laughs.  We also got to eat at a great Noodle place!  There were 3 restaurants close together so everyone could choose but a lot of us loved this little noodle spot and we all met up there and got a picture.  We had a couple who were getting over some altitude sickness so again no picture of everyone, but it was the majority.

Kelly & Jeremy getting ready to go...Jeremy was snowboarding so he was strapping it on even if it looks like he fell

The most beautiful scenery you can ask for

the adult table!

Sunday was day 2 on the slopes and this time the kids were all with us.  Again it was just amazing to watch them pick it up so quick.  Kate was so fun to watch and she listened so well to everything we said.  Kelly started teaching her to go side to side and she would just follow him like a little duckling.  The kids could point and go really well but we tried to start her going side to side.  I'm not sure what Cohen did, she would take off and be gone.  I know they went through the trees a few times and they got the biggest kick out of getting stuck in the deep snow.   I loved it though and as long as they were happy I was happy!  We had some excitement too that I thought I would kill over laughing about.  Stacey and I were on the ski lift together with Carolina and on this one lift Stacey gets a call from home letting her know her donkey was out, but had returned, then call #2 came in saying the miniature horse was out, and then call #3 from ski patrol who had Davis.  He had somehow gotten lost from Jeremy while skiing.  We had just sent Michael and Jeremy off with the big girls and Davis.  All this and getting off the lift and I was about to kill myself laughing because once you say that all out loud it sounds hilarious!  She had to make a few phone calls and then we laughed some more.  Good times!  

Good morning Copper Mountain

Stacey is busy solving all her problems

Here we are at the end of the day!  Still smiling and loved every minute

We got smart on night number 2 and ordered in pizza for all the kids and let the big kids watch the little kids while the adults had a nice date night!  The perks of having high school teenagers!  We did decide on 2 tables, guys and girls but we really had a fun night.  When we finished and came back the girls had a cute little talent show to perform for us.  We had put the girls in one condo and the boys in another.  I know they had a fun time too!

On Monday we could have skied half a day but at the time we were making our decision we weren't sure how well it would go with the kids or if they may be tired so we chose not to.  If we had known how much they would enjoy it and how well both girls did we probably would have skied.  We had a fun morning anyway.  Several of us didn't ski so we all met up and did some shopping.  The kids just wanted to play in the snow so we did that, and then we let them ice skate.  That was an adventure too, but more so because of the guys.  Lets just say they can really provide entertainment running out onto the ice!  The kids had a blast and I think they enjoyed a change of scenery.  Since a big snow storm was moving in that night and we were heading to Denver since our flight was early Tuesday we headed out around lunch time.  No one wanted our drive back to Denver to turn into another 4 hour van ride.  We were beating that weather!  And we did!  We got checked in at our hotel in time to just hang out for a while, which we did in the hall!  That night we went across the road to Ruby Tuesday...a good experience this time.  The predicted blizzard did arrive that night and we definitely saw it coming down.  Thankfully we were up super early Tuesday and made it to the airport with no delays getting back to GA!  All 30 of us on the same flight but scattered in every middle seat in the back of the plane!  Kelly and I actually got to sit with each other this time thanks to a nice guy who wanted to switch seats with one of us.  That was good for me since I could sleep on Hubby!

hanging out in the hall!

about to head out!  SO much wind and snow!

We got back to GA safe and sound.  What a fun trip it was and I'm always left thinking of what a fun group of friends we have and about all the fun memories we have made together.  These people are friends that are family for sure!  Can't wait to see where our next adventure takes us!