Back to Reality

Posted on January 11, 2012 4 Comments

A few of us on ski trip - after the skiing of course.

I’m back from my annual girls ski trip and though it was seriously fun, I’m ready to be back in my routine. Taking an extended weekend immediately following the holidays was probably a bit too much excitement for me, particularly since I’ve been sick since Christmas.

The ski trip itself was a little different than in years past. First, I spent a lot of time in October, November, and December fretting about whether I should even go. Skiing is a pricey activity; since I’m not a regular, lift tickets for 2 days plus equipment rental costs $180 alone, and that doesn’t even include food, gas, or lodging! The trip as a whole usually costs between $600 and $700 for a Thursday through Sunday getaway — the equivalent of a simple extended weekend getaway for two or a plane ticket to the west coast. Since my family might go to Italy this year and I’ve had some unexpected expenses over the past few months, I was unsure whether I could truly afford to go, especially so close after the holidays. (I think all my travel hesitation really was problematic for my friends who were excited and ready for action.) But, I ended up making my savings goals for the year so I decided to allow myself the trip as a little reward. Plus, I haven’t been skiing in two years and I really was starting to miss it.

For the first time, I took my car up to Boyne Mountain, which is about 350 miles away from my home. I’m glad I did; the last two trips we rented a big 10-person van and payed way too much to rent it. We took three different cars up this year, though, so I’m pretty sure the gas evened out. I was pumped to take Sofie the Subaru up, since she’s equipped with a package that includes automatic all-wheel drive and heated windshield wipers (still so proud of that purchase), but it turns out we didn’t need any of it, because …

… there was no snow in Michigan! None! The drive up was so odd. Usually the roads are covered in snow and ice. Nothing but smooth sailing this year. The “mountain” was covered in man-made snow, and it was 45 degrees on our first skiing day so everything was melting and slushy. I’ve never experienced anything like it. One of my friends on the trip has been skiing in Michigan in January since she was a kid and she never remembers a trip with no snow. Majorly disappointing. Some of the girls went to the spa and got massages instead of going on our mountain. I stayed on the slopes, but cautiously.  The biggest disappointment was that our lift (the one we can ski to from our condo) was closed. So all our planned lunches (we do crock pot meals) were thrown off because we had to drive to ski each day. It really threw a wrench in all our careful planning.

On the second day, we drove 45 minutes North to Boyne Highlands, where the skiing was better. The snow was all man-made, but at least the weather was closer to 30 so it wasn’t melting. We didn’t have to pay extra to ski there; it’s included in the lift ticket for Boyne Mountain. We skied most of the afternoon that day. This is only my 4th ski trip, and I’m getting much better. (Good news, because if we ever move to Boulder, I’ll need to have some confidence in my ski skills.)

The rest of the trip was mostly serving drinks to my friends. I’ve been sick for like three weeks and am on loads of medicines, so I missed out on most of the tasty beverages. One night I had a bummer asthma attack/coughing fit, and another I had a terrible headache. Luckily my friends are great travel companions and highly entertaining. (It’s always good times when you get a bunch of toddler moms out without the kiddos, am I right?)  Plus I had a toasty fire to keep me warm and a hot tub to soothe the muscles and clear the lungs, so the trip wasn’t a total waste.

Still, I’m exhausted now. Trying to sleep in a condo built for six, with seven other people, is nearly impossible. (Hey, we’re cheap and trying to cut corners!) I feel really behind at work. My eating/nutrition has been totally tragic lately. And I haven’t had a good workout in ages. All good reasons to come back to reality and start planning a good winter routine, setting 2012 goals, and getting healthy again.

Category: Life
   Tags: Travel

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