A Winter of Skiing

 We may have felt like we had more snow and cold than we bargained for this past winter but on the ski front - there were no complaints.  We were blessed to be able to head to Castle Mountain Ski Resort many times this year.  The blue skies and beautiful Canadian Rockies made for exhilarating days.  I only got to ski myself once but once was better than not at all and it was very much fun and a fantastic feeling since it had been around 6 years since I had gone last. Even though I can't ski much (someones has to take care of the babies!) it is so much fun for me just watching the menfolk go and see their happy faces and watch the improvement of them over the weeks, months, and years.  Often we go with friends but either way, it's so neat and heartwarming to see the love of the sport passed from father to sons. The beaming smiles make the long day worthwhile.  All mixed in with some frosty noses and hot chocolate of course.

As the winter progressed so did Seth and Tristan's skill. Andy went alone for a day with just them to work on more technique and of course, tree skills.  They came came home pretty pumped about all the "off roading" they had done.

We went in February for a day with the Denboers which turned out to be a trip with more excitement than we bargained for! By the time we were ready to call it quits for the day we found out there was such a storm going on outside of Castle that the highway home was closed and so we were stranded in Pincher Creek at a makeshift emergency centre. What we originally thought would be hours of delay turned into an overnight stay, with us (and many others!) sleeping on cots in a gym.  If someone ever wants to make memories, that is a way to do it!  Not like I ever want to do it again, but I must say, having friends there with us made it quite enjoyable! :)

Jelle, Ewoud, Andy, Lars and Seth

My entertaining crew in the chalet

And to end the winter with a bang, Andy's brother Willem came for a weekend, last weekend actually.  Andy jumped on this opportunity to ski one more time so off to Castle they went, this time also with the Bareman family.   Apparently the snow was epic and the joy this outing (with Uncle Willem) brought, made me all teary with joy.  There's nothing quite like showing a brother the place you love and being able to reconnect over a shared activity.  This is only the second sibling of Andy's to come over so it meant alot to us and we are so thankful you could come Willem!  We were thrilled to have you! 

Seth, Tristan and Willem

James and Willem