Oh, Hi.

My dear friends,

I've left you high&dry. And for those who have been anxiously awaiting my post, I realize it's been a while. Particularly LEX, who admitted that she has my blog saved as a favorite and has made it part of her daily routine.

So. It's been a while, hasn't it? Let's see. It was probably sunny and 55 the last time I wrote, and currently it is 16 and a bit windy. Winter appeared with a vengeance on Friday, bringing almost a foot of snow by Saturday. It was negative 2 when I got up on Monday, and a balmy 3 when I got up this morning. I am not in the least bit prepared for this frigid winter business. But I do have a real live season's ski pass this year for the first time and so dreams of bright sunny powder days keep me happy.

This month I've had two of the best weekends I've had in a long time. I'll work backwards. This past weekend I was out at the farm with Brett. Ken and Carol were gone so we fed the 'pacas on Friday night. It was a bit on the late side by the time we got out there (and by late I probably mean about 7. ha. ) and very very snowy and I absolutely dreaded changing in my my carhartt get-up and going down to feed. But as always, once I was down there greeting the alpacas and scooping their grain I was happy. The little ones are getting big and they are adorable in the snow. I'm so thankful to have those 40 little friends who appreciate me each time I see them.

Saturday I stayed inside all day long, except to go for a soak in the hot tub. I lounged, I watched tv, I perused the internet. I was as lazy as I could possibly be, and it felt marvelous. The snow sparkled outside the window and I stayed warm inside. It was just what I needed. Sunday we came into town, feasted on brunch at the Egg & I, and then headed up to Rabbit Ear's Pass for a snowshoe. It was about 13 degrees and blustery, but the snow was fluffy and our quest for adventure kept us out there for almost 2 hours. We came back down into Steamboat and picked up some delicious cheeses, bread, grapes & apples to enjoy next to the [gas] fireplace at my apartment. After a soak in the downtown hot springs, Brett watched football while I dozed. Delightful!

To backtrack one more week.....

I'll start with a bit of history. In preschool in Vermont, I became friends with two lovely little ladies. Dark-haired twins named Kate and Lexie Waite. Throughout my school years, we shared classes, soccer teams, notebooks full of notes back and forth, awesome mix tapes, endless laughter and all sorts of adventure. Upon graduating from college, I came out to Colorado with two of our other great friends (V & Alaya) for our dude ranch experience, and later that summer Kate and Lex moved to Boulder. Over the past few years I've enjoyed many a visit with them in Boulder, including several months spent living in Lex's room (while she was absent) playing with Kate. In summer 08, Lex moved out to California for grad school...and Kate moved in with her boyfriend in Broomfield. SO time with these two has been reduced. Because they are so spread out now, they've decided that the dates of holidays are arbitrary and they should create reason to celebrate on their own schedule. So, November 7th magically became "Thanksgiving" in their world, and Lex flew in from Cali and their mom Laurie & her partner Pierre from Vermont. I was honored to be invited down to join in the giving of thanks & turkey... so I jaunted down for the night on Saturday. I can hardly begin to describe how fantastic it was. Not only was the feast delicious-- but the comfort and simplicity of being with two people who I have known for over 20 years was absolutely marvelous. We snuggled, we laughed, we slept, we ate, we facebook-stalked many of our former classmates, we played guitar hero (a first for two of us!)... It was just so easy. I've been dealing a lot this fall with the expectations that I set for people- and often feeling disappointed when people don't seem to match up with the basic expectations I hold for them. Not necessarily expectations that I vocalize, but just concepts or standards that I hold my friends accountable for. What I appreciated most about my time with Kate and Lex was that my expectations matched reality. Perhaps that is just how it is when you know someone(s) that well-- I know that Kate and Lex will stay up late and then sleep in late. And so it is fine that we don't have a full morning of activity (and sometimes I do better with a late snooze than I anticipate!). I know, too, that being with Kate and Lex will mean a lot of laughing and strong feeling of comfort. I appreciate all of these things about them.

Kate and Lex are also camp counselors, which says a lot about why we get along so well. In high school, we were given monthly portfolio problems in our pre-calculus class. Sometimes this turned into a group study session. One such occasion occurred at my house, during our senior year of high school. Somehow this math party erupted into a sing-a-long in the way only camp counselors can manage. Please enjoy this photo of myself, Lex, Kate & Cayla rocking out to "Children of the Lord/Rise & Shine"....

The weekend was a much needed break from Steamboat. Now that the snow has come, I know that I will hibernate here. I'll pretty much settle in to "island" life for the next 5 months. If I'm lucky, the ferry from the mainland will bring a few of my friends here to ski.

It's time to snuggle in for sleep. In the meantime, I love you all!