When Opportunity Knocks...

Sometime before Thanksgiving we received a phone call from a guy who said that I entered a drawing at the Home Show and I was selected to stay in Breckenridge for a weekend. The only catch was that I had to attend a two-hour property presentation with my husband. AKA... Time Share Presentation. Sounded like a great excuse to go to the mountains for a weekend. We aren't big fans of skiing Breckenridge, but when Opportunity Knocks, you jump at it! Little did we know what kind of opportunity we were in for.

We drove up to Breckenridge (fondly referred to as Breck by locals) on Friday after work. After a later arrival than planned (typical for us on a Friday night) we finally got Oliver to bed later than usual and then hit the hay ourselves. None of us slept well that night and Oliver had us up at 6 AM sharp! We hired a resort sitter to arrive at 9 AM so that we could spend the day skiing. We were exited to be out in the sunshine and fresh, crisp mountain air.

Here is a shot from the farthest South mountain, Peak 10, facing north toward Peak 9, 8 and 7.

It was SO bright and sunny that the sun made our eyes water when we took this photo. I know... what a rough life.
Looking down at the valley and town of Breck below.

Last year for Christmas Keith bought me some new ski boots. My old boots were BRIGHT orange and I had worn them for 10 years. I think I was way over due for some new boots, but I could never bring myself to buying new ones. I only got to ski in these twice last year and now twice this year. I am THRILLED to say that they are finally breaking in and I'm loving them.

Jen and Craig.. these next few shots are for you!

Jen and Craig were married in Breck in '07 and the ceremony was at Ten Mile Station, the lodge somewhere between Peak 10 and 9. We had lunch right on the deck where their ceremony was. It was a beautiful day, both their wedding AND this past Saturday.

(must be read while sining)

Happy, Togetherrrrrrrr!!!!

So, how is the Weatherrrrr????

(SO SUNNY!!!!)

Ok.. So I don't know if that's really how the song goes, but that is how it goes in my head!

Keith looking at the map, trying to find some good runs. We will be the first to admit that Breck is one of our least favorite resorts to ski at in Colorado and we had a hard time finding runs that we wanted to hit. Never the less, it was a beautiful day so we had no complaints.

Last Thursday I received an email that we had an option to upgrade our accommodations. We could rent a 1 bedroom condo that was right in town and we could ski to for $25 per night. Once again... I heard an opportunity knocking!

Here is Keith lounging after skiing all day.

Then.... we went to the Time Share presentation.

Our appointment was at 3:30. Our master plan was to go to the presentation and skirt out of there at 5:30 thanks to Oliver's growling belly and increasing crankiness. Oliver definitely got the message, but his cranky side came out at the beginning instead of the end. Shortly after we started, the sales woman noticed that Oliver was a bit cranky and offered him some gold fish crackers. We accepted, sine he LOVES snacks. As he was shoveling these into his mouth he seemed happy a a clam. All this time we were looking at the drawings of the property and the tiny models. I was carrying Oliver and as we went to sit at the woman's desk, Oliver began to gag. Before I knew it, he vomited all over himself and I and began crying. I went to the restroom to clean us up, but this didn't make either one of us feel better. The lady insisted on continuing but after another 10-15 minutes we decided that it was a waste of time. However, we didn't get out of this, we had to reschedule to go back Sunday morning. We could have cancelled all together but we would have had to pay for the 1 bedroom condo at full price. Ugh!

Needless to say, Oliver was fine. We left, went and changed and went to dinner. (story to be continued)

Does this kid look sick to you? Lesson learned, don't put too many gold fish in a pond made for one.

Oliver and Mama at the Motherloaded for dinner.

"We Are The Champions, My Friend"

"We Keep On Fighting, Till the End"

"We Are the Champions!"

"We Are the Champions!'

Did you sing along?

I just had to post this photo. I made it Black and White to protect the "innocent"

This is Oliver on his way to the bath tub last night. Does it get any cuter than this? I just want to reach out and pinch his little buns!

Sunday morning... time to go home. We didn't sleep well either night, Oliver threw up on his mother AND we still had to go to the presentation. Ugh!

Keith wheeled in the luggage cart and Oliver jumped right on it for inspection. Was he done with Breck and ready to Roll Out to Denver?

"Suitcase, Check"

"Booster Seat, Check"

"Ok, Mom and Dad, let's hit the road!"

Sunday morning we were welcomed with crisp, cold air and blue bird skies. Does it get any better than this? I am convinced that the skies are more blue in Colorado than anyplace I've ever been.

Dad snuggling Oliver in his jacket nice and tight.

We headed down to Starbucks to start the day right with a cup of hot Chai and a pastry. Here are a few photos of the ski area from town. The big blocks of snow are for the snow sculpting contest next weekend.

It was less than a five minute walk from Starbucks to the presentation and Oliver fell asleep.

Back to the presentation story...

This morning, Oliver was up at 6 AM, once again. What is the deal with kids and their internal alarm clocks? Don't they know that it is Ok to sleep in on vacation? I know, someday he'll be a teenager and we'll be dragging him out of bed. I'll be sure to remind him of all of the early mornings when he was a baby.

Anyway.... We went back Sunday morning for the presentation. Oliver was in a much better mood and we let him play in the play room with the other kids. They had a girl with the kids to watch over them and Oliver seemed quite happy. We made it through the presentation and even though it seemed like a decent deal for someone, we declined the offer to purchase. Yes, this story is much less dramatic, but that is a good thing. I'm also sparing you the details of how we pull so much information out of the people, including quesitoning the insanely high interest rate that the sales woman literally told us that we were not in the market for a time share. Sweet! I think she was tired of us asking so many questions.

We trucked out of town and had lunch in Frisco. We found a perfect place that was very yummy and kid friendly. I love these next few photos.

Keith is offering Oliver a lemon. Will he fall for it?

"OOOOOO EEEEEEEE!!!"

Lemon Pucker!!!

" WATER... Must, Have, WATER!!!"

"Dad, You're a nut.

What are you doing with THAT in your mouth?"

"Ya, right, Pops. I don't believe it. You're the same guy that convinced me to taste that lemon."

Oliver shows affection with fore head touches. I caught this great video clip of him and Keith today. It also shows how Keith and Oliver bond over loud noises. Have we really evolved from the cave man days? HA HA!!

When we got home it was 65 degrees and we decided that we must go to the park.

"Mush, Dad, Mush!

We must conquer the playground."

King of the castle...

...looking out over the land.... uh... twirly slide.

then... he wore pants!

Does this look a little bit like mini me?

No, these outfits weren't coordinated. It is just all they both had left in the suitcase to wear today. So Cute!

By the way... Oliver is not yet walking on his own. However, we did witness his first steps on Saturday. As we were paying the sitter Keith put Oliver down and we noticed him take 2-3 steps completely on his own and unpromted. YAY, Oliver!!!

We had a great weekend, in spite of some unforseen opportunity. When it knocks, you never know what you'll get. At the very least, some memorable moments and photos.

For the record... Oliver has vomitted twice, both times on his mother. The last time was on our flight home from Jacksonville. That in itself is a whole drama. Should I be concerned or happy that he is comfortable around me. I hope the latter.