More Skiing, More Friends
From Denver, we made our way up to Steamboat Springs to visit my sweetest bestie, Marissa, and her wonderful daughter, Cat. Marissa is a ski instructor, and for years we’ve said she would be the one to teach my kids to ski. We finally did it! She taught all three of them. Sayer didn’t last long, but Demory and Grier could not get enough.
It was also a little surreal to be on the other side of it all, to be the mom standing at the base, sending them off up the mountain and waiting for everyone to meet back up for lunch or at the end of the day. At one point, my sweet bestie lent me all her gear and Demory took it upon herself to take me out for a few runs and “teach” me everything she had learned. With complete confidence, she led me onto the chairlift and down her favorite runs, offering tips and reminders along the way. It had been over a decade since I last skied, and in her mind, that clearly meant I needed a full refresher. It was equal parts hilarious and incredibly sweet.
I found myself unexpectedly touched by it all, and truly, just having so much fun. There’s something really special about this stage, where as they get older, we get to meet them in a different way. We’re not just watching them experience things anymore. We’re getting to do them together, to play together, and to share in things we all genuinely enjoy.
Marissa took them all over the mountain, cruising greens for two days straight. On the second day, after sending the sweetest text about wanting to be part of their “core memories”, Cat joined them on the slopes too. Watching this friendship come full circle, with our kids loving on each other the way we always have, was almost too much for my heart.
While my little snow bunnies skied the mountain with my besties, Sayer and I found our own winter adventure: ice bumper cars. It was hilarious and wildly fun, and exactly his speed. The thing about ice bumper cars is that you’re never really in full control. You just keep sliding, even when you’re trying to go the opposite direction because...it's ice. It’s equal parts driving and surrendering to physics. Somehow, Sayer figured out how to steer his with surprising precision and quickly took charge, organizing an all-out game where everyone picked one person to chase and crash into. What followed was total chaos, spinning, sliding, laughing, and absolutely zero rules. It was the perfect kind of fun for him.
One of my favorite moments of the whole visit was one night, watching Catalina, Demory, and Grier huddled together with the most intense determination, trying to hook up Marissa’s new record player. Just when I was trying to tell them they had to give up because it was way past bedtime, they finally got it working and we all had a little dance party to the new Taylor Swift album.
Here’s Demory’s take on the visit:
Most Fun Ever Getting Stuck on a Mountain
We went to Steamboat because we were going to learn how to ski with my mom’s friend, Marissa. I was sooooo excited!
This was my first time ever skiing, and honestly, it was not even that hard. I felt like a natural. I could not believe how beautiful the mountains were, and the snow was as soft as a pillow. At one point, we skied to a picnic spot where no one had been since it snowed, and obviously we had to taste the fresh snow (10/10, would recommend).
Everything looked so magical, even though it was very cold. The snow tasted so fresh and even smelled fresh too. It was so quiet, except for the sound of skis gliding over the snow.
At the end of the last day, Grier, Marissa, Cat, and I got stuck at the top of the mountain! We were hungry, cold, and most of the chairlifts down were closed. So, we skied to a little snack spot…which was also closed. Luckily, there were free oyster crackers, so that became our dinner (okay, Mom did give us dinner later but it felt like it in the moment). Eventually, we found a chairlift that was still open and made it down the mountain. It was so crazy, so insane, and SO fun!
We also went to a museum with the family and Marissa, ice skating, and one night we went sledding on the ski slopes, which was really fun. But skiing was definitely the best part because we learned so much and it was just so fun!
Learning how to ski was amazing and so cool. It made me feel happy, calm, and also a little sore. I really didn’t want to leave, and I would 100% go back and ski again! We had the best visit.
Demory left wanting more skiing. I left wanting more time with dear friends. I have these incredible people scattered across the country, and I’m realizing I don’t want to let distance dictate how often we see each other. I’m determined to do better!