Brilliant

It's been less than 2 weeks and it feels like forever ago... but looking at this BRILLIANT video takes me back and cracks me up! Granted I look like a total spaz... but I guess the camera doesn't lie and I am clearly having fun, just like everybody else. I mean, seriously, that was fun... super, unabashed, good, mostly clean, fun. Thank you Allan for making the video and thank you Melissa for letting us come and ring in the New Year with splendor. xoxoxo-suzy

Video from Allan

I promised you that Allan was our cinematographer, and I wasn't lying. Check out this nice little ditty he put together. Part 1 of 2. I love the glamour shots of the house and the excellent wipe outs while sledding. Can't wait for Part 2!

Adventures in Keystone

Home base... our little Colorado Cottage

I spy, with my little eye, a snowman resembling Jabba-the-Hut

Allan, Nanci, Erika and Noel gearing up for the final countdown...

Allan, grabbing some digital footage before the checkered flag drops.

Harlow grabbing some daddy time.

A view from the top... Melissa and Sus about to carve some nice runs.

The Oompa Band, getting ready to make their move on Jen...

Rafe and Caroline, before the fromage.

Happy Birthday to Jen

We were a little slow to get up on New Year's Day, as well it should be. But once we got going... we couldn't be stopped. It was Jen's 35th birthday, and we needed to do it up right. So we cooked up some breakfast burritos (God bless Noel). Erika, I'm just warning you that Jen and I have plotted to kidnap your husband so we can keep him as our personal chef.

Jen opened some sweet gifts and then we were ready for an adventure. It was the warmest day since we'd been in Keystone (19 degree... sauna weather). Jen taught Caroline some moves on the bunny slopes, Rafe got jacked by a skier and busted his tail bone while snowboarding, and Melissa and I tore it up on the hills and (unintentionally) moguls. Seriously, Melissa and I rocked the slopes. Meanwhile, Nanci, Allan, Erika and Noel raged on snow mobiles. I'm hoping to figure out how to post Allan's video of their race, because it looked AWESOME.

We all rushed to get ready for our fancy New Year's dinner... FONDUE! The Bavarian restaurant was two gondola rides from civilization and I thought half our group was gonna jump ship in the middle of the ride. It did kind of seem like we were being carted off somewhere... somewhere awesome, it turned out. Hans and Liddy (their real names) brought us tons of food, the Oompa Band got the whole place doing the chicken dance and sang Happy Birthday to Jen (in a slightly embarrassing manner). After all that, the 25 minute gondola rides home were pretty festive. Now EVERYBODY chicken dance!!!

Ringing in the New Year

SOULJAH BOY... souljah boy... now SUPERMAN... superman

Jen, Melissa and Rafe mugging for camera

Heeeeyyyyy... cheers to the New Year, Noel & Erika

A little flair from Caleb and Allan

A little flair from Sus, Rafe and Jen

Nanci, Allan, Jack and a headlamp

The gang's all here!!

Happy New Year!!

I'm not entirely sure what details I should share about the evening's debauchery, but I will say that Nanci made me a humdinger of a 'Scarlett O'Hara.' We had a rousing dinner conversation that led to a raucous Trivial Pursuit match. It should be noted that Nanci & Caroline, had they been on their own team, would have swept the competition. There was some Souljah Boy dancing (Superman) and some football watching, Melissa & Jen broke the hot tub, Noel got Caleb to pound it out, Rafe was taught how to read a Trivial Pursuit question without a hint of sarcasm, the guys took a manly hike though the woods, the ladies fell asleep to Dick Clark's Rockin' New Year's Eve featuring some truly C-List celebs, and there were some road flairs and a champagne toast at midnight. Cheers!

The Only Way to Fly

We started off a little bumpy today. Harlow is teething and was a little cranky-pants and there was some confusion about our sleigh ride (which was canceled), but after we got past those two things and got some of Rafe & Caroline's awesome chili in our bellies all was right with the world. Allan, Caleb, Rafe, Caroline and Sus went sledding on the golf course and it was MAJOR. Not only is it probably the coldest day since we got here, but that hill is serious. The snow and wind yesterday created some deep powder and just getting to the hill was exhausting.

There was a nice collection of kids on the hill dare deviling on saucers and in tubes... but we did them one better. We had the toboggan. It's the only way to fly. Man that thing can move. And in the unofficial battle of who could go the farthest, it was Allan by a nose, followed by Caleb and Susan close behind (seriously, I almost had them). Don't be fooled though, we also had some excellent wipe outs and Rafe & Caroline had a snow-toss fight (they didn't bother to make snowballs). Jen and Melissa arrived just as we were leaving and they too had some good, solid, competitive, sledding fun.

Now we are settling in for Nanci and Allan's shrimp dinner and getting ready for a rowdy New Year's Eve. Party!!!