Ready to play “Guess what,” I said to Wade, pouncing on him as he lay on our King Size bed, comfortably reading as the ominous snow clouds crept in. “Just lined up another staycation in Aspen for us. We’re going up tomorrow to stay at the Hotel Aspen.” “Grrreeat,” he said in his best Michael Myers Fat Bastard impersonation. Wade does not like surprises and he also does not like to leave his beautiful home that he built with his bare hands, to pack up and head twenty-five minutes up to Aspen to stay in a hotel room. It’s a...
read moreWhen I was a teenager, I was introduced to Beaver Creek by my parents. My father, who was his happiest when shushing and yodeling down ski slopes, loved to ski the wide groomed runs of Beaver Creek, known as North America’s World Cup Mountain. (photo courtesy of Beaver Creek) Beaver Creek is also known for being kid friendly: With a slogan that says, “Beaver Creek, Not Exactly Roughing It,” I felt compelled to follow suit with my father and take my children there. The trip was originally planned for the winter but was canceled due to...
read moreOhhh baby, gimme some of that good stuff Chef Rob Zack serves his roasted lamb with a smile Maureen Poschman, my new guardian angel from the PR firm Promo Communications, sent me an invite to attend an Aspen Magazine and Viceroy Snowmass party to honor the launch of Aspen Magazine’s Summer Food and Wine Issue, and what a launch it was! Gretchen and I descended the stairs pretending that we had not just valet parked Vini-man. Kicking back a well deserved chilled shot of tequila, delivered fresh off of the ice luge, I couldn’t...
read more(Brevitt top right) As I took photos of the boys during the Denver Lax Tournament I listened carefully to the loudest cheerleaders on the sidelines who happened to be my husband and my father-in-law. “Who wants the ball?” I burst out, mimicking their calls. Man I love this sport! I love the skill involved, the energy and the quickness of the game. I love that it takes me back to my high school days and I love that my boys are passionate about playing. As for being too excited to sit while watching the games in 96 degree heat, yeah, I...
read more(Me, Patty and Seana) Here in the mountains April brings a mixed bag of muddy trails and major snowstorms that dump many of us into a slump and that is when visions of red rock arches, fins and pinnacles infiltrate our minds and our bodies yearn for the adrenaline rush of mountain biking in Moab. The conversations began with my friends, Patty and Seana, where we explored the idea of taking a break from it all; the kids, the work, the nasty weather and yes, the puppy and the more we thought about spending our days riding through vast canyons...
read morePhotos courtesy of The Viceroy Hotel Group My family and I were invited to stay at the Viceroy Hotels and Resorts’ Mountain Resort in Snowmass for the last weekend of the ski season, and what a weekend it was. When entering a hotel with three boys, heaps of gear and a less than enthusiastic husband who would prefer to stay in the luxury of his own home, it is always the immediate reception we get from the staff that lets us know what kind of stay we are going to have. It has become our custom to let the boys enter the lobby while we...
read moreWhen my three boys and my husband, Wade, asked where we were going, I told them that we were going to the Wolf Creek Ski Area, a high alpine ski resort that rises up from its 10,300 foot base. A place that proudly boasts 465 natural inches of snowfall a year, the highest snowfall in Colorado. My excitement waned and my concern began to grow when Wade mapped out the arduous route to southwestern Colorado.“You’ll probably be sleeping the entire time anyway,” he said and then continued, “Don’t get me wrong, I have always wanted...
read moreGreat Family Hotel in Aspen: I picked up the boys from school on Friday and we headed on up to Aspen to stay at The Limelight Lodge. The hotel was so conveniently located to town that we weren’t going to need a car and so we parked Vini-Man in the heated garage for the weekend and entered the lobby. It almost felt like home with its light and spacious living room. I plopped my tired and worn out body down onto the comfortable couch in front of the stone fireplace and stared into the flames as the kids raced around like puppy dogs, exploring...
read moreOpen the doors and life will be revealed. That is my new motto for my transforming travel blog and boy are we having fun as the doors swing open. Why get on an airplane and be exposed to terrorism threats and obnoxious, smelly, germ spreading people when there is so much to explore in our backyard? By setting goals for each day, my entire constitution has changed and as I load up Vini-Man I have a renewed energy. There is so much to see, so many people to meet, so many exciting adventures to be had and so I accelerate it out of my...
read moreWhen I was little, my sisters called me “dolphin”. I loved the ocean and played in the waves all day. We now live in the mountains and play endlessly in our backyard, but there is no ocean and it calls to us on those hot summer days. Often feeling land-locked we plunge into the frigid hypothermic temperatures of our punch-bowls, rivers and lakes to cool off, and hopefully not die from the cold. One February Wade and I took a trip to Maui to escape our daily chaos. The locals told us that Hawaii either embraces you or spits you out...
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