Christmas in Colorado

This year we celebrated Christmas in Colorado, going to visit Heather's brother, Jason, and his family.  The whole family, in fact (her parents and other siblings), made the trip.  In many ways, it was an unusual Christmas: no fewer than five people got extremely sick, some of them staying in bed to the extent that I feel like I didn't even get to see them.  Then there was the age discrepancy.  Aydan and Brennan are significantly older than their cousins.  The closest is in first grade.  So there was a very different feel about what each of the separate families wanted to do--particularly in light of what their children COULD do--and very little cohesive activity.  

But despite all that, the trip culminated today in a much anticipated event; the big Christmas present for the boys: our return to the slopes.  Several years ago we all tried our hand at snowboarding (except Brennan--he was too young and had to ski), and after two exhausting, truly frustrating days we finally got the hang of it.  I was a little worried as I picked up my gear this morning.  1) I had injured my hamstring a couple weeks ago and was still feeling less than 100% in its use; and 2) After three years, is snowboarding just like riding a bicycle, or would I have forgotten everything?

 I'm glad to say my (albeit, rapidly aging) body remembered what to do and I had a great time teaching Brennan and making runs with Aydan.  Not to toot my own horn, but I did pretty well out there, and had a blast.

 Snow-capped mountains are always beautiful.  The scenery was enhanced late in the day by a light downfall of flakes.  Though it was cold, it was absolutely wonderful.

I tweaked my hamstring a bit, and I'm certain my back and legs will be angry with me tomorrow, but the biggest thing was trying to keep icicles out of my beard!  All in all it was a great day.  I'm excited to get to bed early tonight and eager to head out early tomorrow and get back to good ol' Texas.

Lamenting the Loss of Lulu

On 12/12/12, an ominous day, our dear dog Lulu died.  She had been sick for several days, refusing to eat and being very slow to move.  The plan was to go visit the vet on the weekend, but poor Lulu did not make it through the week.

The boys and I took the day off from school, drove to the country and said goodbye to our faithful companion.  We took pains to fully engage in the process, so as to help in the closure and the access of the emotions we were feeling.  On the drive, we listened to songs that made us think of her, spoke of our favorite memories of her, and planned our funeral.  When we arrived we dug the hole.  Finally, we laid Lulu to rest and said our final goodbyes.  It was all very sad.

The house is very sad and empty now, especially when the boys are gone.  No longer do I have an instant companion upon my homecoming, or an eager friend to wake with me and go for a walk.  And while there is an empty chair in the corner now, it is helpful to think of the times when it was full.

I went back through my other blog to find all instances where Lulu was mentioned.  If you care to read them, they are listed below.

http://hopelesslyuncool.blogspot.com/2008/04/vicious-dog-eating-monster.html

http://hopelesslyuncool.blogspot.com/2008/06/just-few-recent-photos.html

http://hopelesslyuncool.blogspot.com/2009/09/seattle-tx.html

http://hopelesslyuncool.blogspot.com/2007/06/winds-of-change-are-blowingand-its.html

And finally, a review of Lulu's life in pictures.  Goodbye, sweet girl.  

 Day One: Sleek and Black

 Lulu first claims the chair

 Love at first sight

Lulu as a Gray Old Lady

Lulu as I'll Always Remember Her