Winter Weekend Getaway

Josh and I left early Saturday morning and headed North to Duluth for a weekend at Spirit Mountain with friends. Our friends Erin and Brian organized lodging at one of the mountain villas and hotels for the 11 people who came. Erin also planned all the meals, not a small feat for a large group. Everything was delicious, and we even brought home a little leftovers from the tortilla soup. 

Joshua had a blast skiing all day despite the negative temperatures and wind. They took several breaks throughout the day to warm up and eat snacks. Our villa was right above the ski chalet, and you could walk just a few paces, clip into your skis, and start heading down the slopes. 

I was super bummed I wasn't able to ski. Even though the wind would give you a brain freeze with each gust, I would have still preferred to be out on the slopes. Thankfully there's always next year! Part of me constantly yearns for outdoor recreation. Whether it's skiing, hiking, camping, biking, sailing, you-name-it, I want to be out doing it. There's something wonderfully refreshing about enjoying the outdoors I can't get enough of. I have countless memories of wonderful adventures that I love to relive and that get me excited for the adventures up next. It's something my parents shared with me and my siblings from a very early age, something I continued to love while growing up, something I've now shared with Josh, and something I am so excited to share with our kids. Josh and I both look forward to next winter when Harper will be old enough to learn to ski. I cannot wait to see him make his way down the bunny hill, get his first face full of snow, pick himself back up, and ask to do it again. It'll be grand.

Back to our weekend: Before dinner, some of us headed over to Spirit Mountain's Adventure Park for a ride down the Timber Twister. We weren't quite sure what to expect, but I think it's safe to say we all really enjoyed ourselves.

Beth, Ally, Dave, Josh, and me heading to the Timber Twister

Me and Josh ready to go

Mike giving the ride a thumbs up!

Josh headed out after dinner with Dave and Mike to hit a few more runs before calling it a night. The rest of us cozied up in front of the fireplace and made conversation about anything and everything. I was a little surprised when we were all in bed a little after 10pm, but then again it was a full day of activity. Even though we didn't have our little alarm clock with us, we still woke up the next morning at 7am. At least we weren't told to "Ged-up!" and could relax in bed for awhile. The morning brought blueberry pancakes, sausage, bacon, and fruit. It wasn't long before it was time to clean and pack up, say good-bye and head home. It may have been only a one night getaway, but we had a great time and made some new friends.