The Newest Hochstetler Ski Bum

We went on vacation last week!! I've always loved vacation time (who doesn't?!), but since Brad started his program this summer, they've been especially welcomed. He had to request his weeks off (they only let you take off a week at a time... no long weekends here and there) last April, so we've been looking forward to our week in February for a long time.

Anyone who knows us knows we LOVE to ski. We weren't planning on a big ski trip this year, but as the winter approached, we decided to splurge. There's a ski resort in western Maryland and it's only about 3 hours from here. We looked for a one- or two-bedroom condo for two nights... and found--for the same price--a four-bedroom house for four nights! What a bargain! Since we had room to spare, we called up the Hochstetler clan and invited them to join us. Brad's parents, a brother, and his sister were all able to spend most of the trip with us. What fun!

The skiing wasn't that great, especially compared to what we were used to out west, but it was a chance to get out and get our fix. Mostly I like hanging out at the house just as well, anyway, so I was just fine. Wait... does that make me sound old? Anyway, we skied a bit, ate a lot, played some games, ate some more (Brad's mom is the world's best cook and it's impossible to be near her without gaining 5 pounds!), drank hot cocoa... the works.

We decided to take Jonah skiing one day. I wish I could say he was one of those cool little shrimpy kids who goes flying down the mountain, passing those of us who started skiing later in life, but, well, he wasn't. Jonah--in case you've never met him--has a mind of his own. I know all three-year-olds can be difficult at times, but Jonah is just his own person in every way. Bless his heart: He was SO excited to ski like the big kids. He was quite patient as we went through the gruelling process of renting skis, getting him dressed, putting the skis on, and carrying him up to the bunny slopes.



I watched from the bottom of the little hill, so I could take pictures. I'll include a few here, of course. I have to say that I was very glad that Brad was the one helping Jonah get down the hill. I couldn't see much from my spot, but I could just imagine what was going on up there... and kept laughing out loud because I was so thankful to not be the one to get him back down to the bottom. It probably took about 20 minutes for Brad to drag, push, and coax Jonah to the bottom. He didn't fall down, exactly, but he wouldn't stand up either. He kept letting his legs go limp because he was afraid of falling.




When he got to the bottom, where I was waiting, I yelled with excitement, "JONAH! Did you have fun??!!" He yelled back, "YEAH! I'm ready for a snack!!" And that was the end of his $34.00, 30-minute ski experience.