A Decade of Fun

Last week Cowboy and I celebrated the 10 year anniversary of our first date. A decade of fun, I referred to it.

I remember the day as clear as a bell. We went snowboarding at Mt. Bachelor on a Friday when we didn't have classes. It was a bluebird powder day (there are not many of those in Oregon in January). And he was an incredible rider.

I used to use snowboarding, mountain biking or climbing as my filter for dates. Back in Washington, D.C., from whence I came, I would meet lots of guys at parties who professed to being snowboarders, bikers or climbers. So if asked for a date, I would suggest one of the above. Cowboy was the first guy in a long time who was better than me at one of the aforementioned sports. To this day, he's better than me at most outdoor sports. But I can still kick his ass rock climbing.

We ate a lunch of brought-from-home soup and sandwiches on the tailgate of Old Blue (his pick-up truck). Gus sat between us in the back, begging pets and sandwich crusts. I instantly saw a future with this man.

Just by coincidence, 10 years from that excellent day riding fell on CD14.

Cowboy's New Gig

I have some very big news - well, we think it is big news - about Cowboy that I'd like to document here:

He was accepted as an apprentice patroller on the Mt. Hood Ski Patrol.

For a man who loves to ski and whose favorite show (when we had T.V.) was "Cops," this is truly a dream come true.

He printed out the application for ski patrol every year since before we got married. This was the first year he followed through with the try out. Because they only take 20% of the applicants and because everyone at the try out was - in his words - either a medic or an ex-ski racer, neither of us had much hope he would make it. And then he was drafted to slot #9 in a class of 70 apprentices for the 2010 season!

I am so proud of him.

This means a lot for our family because his being a patroller is truly a family commitment. He has to pledge to patrol 20x per season, which is a lot of Saturdays and Sundays at the mountain for us (yay!). The apprenticeship also means he is gone every Saturday from January 'til June from 5 AM until 9 PM. This is in addition to the dawn-to-dusk hours he keeps at the office during the week. Yikes. Which means momma and Missy have another extra day to adventure together. It's the rainy, snowy season here so we've gone sledding, snowshoeing and to a local indoor pool so far. Other suggestions gladly taken!

We are also hoping that we find a new mountain "family" with the patrol crew. The sports company I used to work for came with a built-in crew of like-minded skiers and snowboarders but we've scattered to the four winds in the three years since my employer moved to Utah. So far, we haven't connected with other families who are dedicated enough to hit the mountain on a frequent basis - and pay the heaping cost of daycare. It's something we miss in our lives.

Speaking of mountain daycare. Missy loves ski school (as we call it because it sounds cooler). She yells "key cool - yeeeee!" with clapping hands when we talk about it. We have her ski boots, skis and goggles out for her to play with and get used to. She will start skiing this spring, just before she turns 2. When we go to the mountain, she MUST play in the snow and skis down in Cowboy's arms to the car from the day care center with a huge grin at the end of the day. Will have to get a picture of it soon. Camera is broken.

Fuck it & Wing it

While perhaps a good strategy for DIY during the holidays and a ski road trip, did not pay off in the end. Sigh.

Today is CD28. I greeted this morning with a sick, whiny toddler and a BFN after hoping, hoping, hoping that actually making it this far meant, well...very good things.

Patience is my mantra today.

Three years ago I would have been devastated about this morning's main event. Today my attitude is more keep-calm-and-carry-on. There was breakfast to be made, doggies to be walked and the cutest nose on earth (hers, not mine) that needed wiping.

I can only hope that I remain this resolute in the coming months.

All You Need to Know about Road Tripping with a Toddler

Sorry not to post while I was on the road. Between all the mountains and friends we wanted to visit across Idaho and Utah, we ran a tight ship. Organizing, hauling, packing and unpacking all that gear was quite the feat. And we didn't even pack that much. Five pairs of baby socks for 10 days of travel, for instance. My secret: Smartwool socks turned inside out and dried by the heater. (No laundry this time. I can only imagine spending a few hours in a laundramat with an active toddler.)

Cowboy ended up being quite the sherpa. That man is amazing. We only lost one snack trap during the entire trip, which included moving into and out of five different temporary residences with the port-a-crib, ski boots, boxes of Annie's bunnies and an assortment of gloves for each of us.

I am so grateful for the mountains, for the fresh air, for the snow. I am grateful we've chosen to have the mountains define our lives as a family. I am grateful that we do this for Christmas instead of presents. Each year has its own memories and learning experiences.

This year we learned to pack more of Missy's favorite music CD's for the long hours on the road. In an effort to bring as little as possible, we only brought TWO.

Both of which will be ceremoniously burned one night after Missy goes to bed.

In an effort to conserve space, I didn't even bring the CBEFM. I got to CD15 without an indication of peak fertility before we left. I considered bringing it briefly but in the end decided to fuck it and wing it old school style. I guess we'll just hope for the best this cycle.

Of course, to ensure a little good luck, I made sure to drink some beer and wine, sit in a few hot tubs and eat shellfish in the back half (I think?) of this cycle. Should make for some good babymaking karma, eh?