Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it SNOW!

Vacation is a wonderful thing. It clears your head from what's going on at work, reconnects you with your family and friends, and is just plain FUN.
This week, we're at Breckenridge with some great friends, skiing our brains out. I was so worried last week (see my second blog entry) that the weather would not cooperate and that we'd be skiing on ice. And guess what? It's been snowing almost non-stop since we got here! Today we skied in 4-6 inches of powder. It's cold, but it's better than having ice in the morning and slush in the afternoon.
Every year for the past 21 years (with a few missed years when we lived overseas), I've been coming to Breck to ski with ex-work-friends. It's the same group, plus or minus a few, every year. It's the only time most of us see each other, and it's like we haven't missed a beat. We just pick up where we left off, catching up on kids and grandkids, jobs and retirement, work and vacation news. It's like a living Christmas card each year with these 20 or 30 people.
This year we had one car accident (thank goodness these folks were OK and they wanted a new car anyway), one new baby on the way, and one retirement. We're lucky this year! Some years we've lost some friends, and it's not been so happy. But our friendships have grown closer and closer - eventhough we spend just these 8 days together, once a year. I'm grateful for this.