We just had a snow storm in Denver.  A snow storm sounds quite dramatic, but it is just a lot of snow in a fairly short space of time.  In this case over a foot in 1 1/2 days.  It was fun though, and everybody was talking about whether there would be snow storm, or if the predictions were exagerated.  The funny thing about a snow storm is that it is so quiet – you just wake up and look out the window and there’s a whole stack of fresh snow. 

School was closed – that made Jordan’s year I think he has been hanging out for a snow day with no school ever since he heard about them.  My office was shut – but that just means I work at home.  It is pretty amazing – the amount of snow that has to be moved after a storm.  Everyone is responsible for shovelling their own path and drive.  Businesses have to have their car parks cleared and all the main roads need to be cleared.  By the day after the storm – all main roads were cleared, all car parks cleared… The behind the scenes work that goes on must be huge.  Planes need to be de-iced before flying – and after de-icing have to be flown fairly quickly so they don’t need to be de-iced again.  Andrea’s mum flew out on the day of the storm – personally I would rather not fly out on a de-iced plane…

I went for a drive to take some photos.  Jordan and Caitlyn’s school looks so different covered in snow.  The 2 pictures above are taken from our garage.

It was so pretty after it stopped snowing.  The sun came out.  The weather here is surprisingly mild- the next day I went for a run in shorts & t shirt.  It was chilly but no worse than Melbourne on a cold day.  It was a little tricky running on the semi cleared paths though…

Jordan & Caitlyn are going to the local elementary school. One of the reasons we chose this area to live is that it is supposed to be the best school district in Denver (and we are not disappointed – so happy with the school).  It’s different here in Denver than Australia– there are about 5 school districts  each managed by a central committee, and there are a bunch of elementary, middle school and high schools in each district.  Some districts are better than others.  Where you live determines which school district you belong to.

Jordan, in particular, was really keen to start school so he could make some new friends.  On the first day they had to do testing to see what grade they would be in.  They are half way through the school year here, so they would either go up to the next grade and possibly be half a year behind, or stay in the grade they just finished in Australia.  Jordan really wanted to go up to grade 4.  Prep (called kinder here) is only 2.5 days a week so we were hoping Caitlyn might go into grade 1. 

The morning arrived.  Caitlyn was up and dressed in clothes she had especially picked out. They are both excited to have no school uniform.  Jordan was (understandably) really nervous.  We all walked to school together (Chris, me, Jordan and Caitlyn).  While we waited on a couch near the office, different teachers and the Principal came and introduced themselves.  Everyone is so friendly!  A teacher came to do Caitlyn’s test.  When she told Caitlyn that she was going to take her off for her test, Caitlyn stood up, said goodbye, gave a little wave and walked off so easily and confidently that I got tears in my eyes.  Next, it was Jordan’s turn and off he went. 

After the tests, we were told they would be assigned to their class and we could go home.  So off we went, I couldn’t wait till the end of the day to see how they went.  They both enjoyed their first day.  Jordan said he was really popular. Caitlyn said she had a boyfriend.  We know how to breed them modest.  I asked the next day if Jordan was as popular and he said ‘not AS much’ so maybe the Aussie accent novelty was wearing off.  Jordan is in grade 3, and Caitlyn is in kinder – luckily the school offers an optional 2.5 day program that we’ve enrolled Caitlyn in so that she goes to school 5 days instead of 2.5.  Jordan was disappointed to be in grade 3 but we’ve tried to assure him that that won’t mean he will have to stay down a grade when we come back to Australia – his biggest worry.  The maths is really different here so he’s had a big learning curve. 

So I think they are enjoying school.  I say think because school conversations often go something like this “How was school today?” “Good”  “What did you do?” “The usual?”  “What’s the usual?”  “You know, the usual.”

Jordan gets homework every day.  If students do their homework every day in a week – they get an extra 15 minutes of recess on Friday.  All the kids who didn’t do their homework have to stand by the wall during that 15 minutes.  This is a big incentive for Jordan, he doesn’t want to be one of the kids against the wall and miss the extra 15 minutes of recess, so we’ve had surprisingly few struggles over homework.   

Cowboy / cowgirl night at school for the kinder (prep) kids.  The teachers went to so much effort.  There were games and decorations and the kids did some dances and sang cowboy songs.  The kids loved it.  I did miss knowing all the mums when I arrived though.  Because I don’t do pick up & drop off very often I haven’t got to know many mums except Andrea of course.  So it was a bit daunting walking in and the place being full of unfamiliar faces.  I think kids settle in so much easier!

We’ve been skiing as much as we can.  Logistically, there are a lot of things to organise when skiing with a family – skis, boots, headwarmers, gloves, jackets, pants, thermals, helmets, goggles…  The first day we realised we can only get better at this. We got up early so we could be at the slopes at a good time.  We were staying about a 10  minute drive from the mountain.  We arranged to meet Andrea, Bruce and family there.  They called us when we were 5 mins away from the base to say their kids were still asleep, and that we’d meet up on the slopes. 

We arrived at the car park.  We helped the kids get their ski boots on (plus helmets, gloves, goggles etc) then I tried to get my (brand new) ski boots on.  For the life of me I could not get my feet into those boots.  I tried and tried but there was no way I was getting my feet in.  So, that meant hiring.  Great.  So we decided I would catch the gondola up with the others and hire boots up on the hill.  We all traipsed through the car park to the gondola base.  Jordan was wondering out loud if we were ever going to get there.  Caitlyn was scared of the gondola.  I realised that I had left something in the car, so back I went while the others waited.  Then I got back to them.  “Where are your gloves?” I asked Chris.  “In the car.”  So Chris went back to the car.  The kids were getting more restless.  We waited in the gondola line.  Caitlyn was terrified and almost crying as we got on.  Finally we were all sitting in the gondola.  We got to the lift station.  We planned our exit “I’ll go first – then you Caitlyn, Jordan, Dad.”  Caitlyn was wimpering.  We all walked off.  Gondola kept going. “This isn’t the snow stop – get back on!” said the liftie.  So, quick, quick, we had to turn around and hurry back on before the gondola passed the station, back in we all got, Caitlyn beside herself.  I got the giggles imagining how silly we must have looked to the people coming up in the next gondola – all off… all on.

“We can only get better at this” I said.  I got a call from Andrea – they had now boarded the gondola.  This means that in the time it took us to get ready in the car park & get on the gondola, their kids had woken, had breakfast, got dressed, got in the car, to the carpark and to the gondola. 

So, we got to the correct point of disembarkment.  I went to the hire shop while the others waited (again!) and Andrea, who had arrived, met me in the ski shop. I said I just can’t understand why my boots don’t fit.  “Did you leave them in the car overnight?” Andrea asked.  “Yes” “There you go.”  Hmm, apparently cold ski boots don’t fit feet.  Andrea is truly the knower of nearly everything. 

In the end, we had a really great day skiing with Andrea and Bruce and the kids.  Jordan and Caitlyn are (for the most part) really enjoying the skiing.  We enrolled them in a 3 week Saturday program at Keystone mountain  which has just finished.  The kids skied on Saturdays in ski school and Chris and I skied together, then on Sundays we all skied together.    

It really does seem a bit surreal to me.  How lucky Colorado people are to have these mountains on their doorstep.   

 Unfortunately I don’t have many photos – only those taken on my mobile phone.  I took my little camera in my pocket each week and then found out that I left the cord that connects it to the computer at home… Chris is a snowboarder but I don’t hold that against him.  I have to wait at the top of the run to do up his boots, but as he points out to me he’s spent the last 15 years waiting for me to be ready so we will never be even.  Jordan went skiing with his beanie babies.  Sadly, moose fell out and was lost.  There was a lot of sadness over the lost moose  (”oh no – I can’t believe I’ll never see moose again) – far more than when our chooks got eaten by the fox not so long ago… In the motel, Caitlyn relaxes with some of her friends and the kids fill in time in the car on the way back to Denver at the end of the weekend…

My bosses’ boss visited the Denver office from Europe last week.  I’ll call him BB to protect privacy.   He was keen to ski but needed a lift to get there.  I offered to drive him.  In hindsight, given my recent history navigating, this was a mistake.

I arranged to pick him up from his hotel at 6.45am, then we had to pick up another person, Alex who was coming too.  I arrived right on 6.45, and we were on track to be at Alex’s house to pick him up at 7.00.  We arrived at 7.05, almost on time.  BB jumped out of the car and knocked on the door.  No one answered.  He waited, looked at me questioningly, waited.  Strange, I thought… so I double checked the address and realised I’d entered the wrong street number in the GPS.  Oops…  I opened my door and yelled “Ah, BB…, really sorry – it’s the wrong address.”  I entered the new address in the GPS, and we were scheduled to arrive at 7.17 (17 minutes late). 

So we arrived, BB jumped out to knock on the door and waited.  And waited…  I started to get a bit of a sinking feeling as I reached for the GPS to double check again what I’d entered in the GPS against the address in my phone.  My worst suspicion was confirmed.  Wrong address.  I opened the door “Ah, BB.., really sorry, it’s the wrong house.  But don’t worry – it’s only 2 doors up.”  He gave me a look.  “Really – it’s only 2 doors up” I assured him and even showed him the address in my phone to prove it. 

Hmmm, awkward. So we picked up Alex and we were on the way.  Skied at Breckenridge most of the day without incident.  I headed off early to check out the local shops and agreed to meet them at my car at 4.30.  So I got to the car just before Alex and BB, and did think it was a little strange that the central locking didn’t work, but didn’t think much of it until I turned the key in the ignition and the car wouldn’t turn start.  One quick look at the light switch confirmed that yes I had left the headlights on all day.  Just then, BB and Alex arrived back at the car.  “Umm, I have a little problem” I said.  “Flat battery – why don’t you two go to the pub and I’ll call you when I’ve sorted it” – having absolutely no clue how I would sort it.  Alex suggested asking people in the car park if they had chargers, so I went around the car park asking until I found someone with chargers.  Phew.  Car started first pop and we were off.  The day at this stage not going so great, but still salvageable.

The 1.5 hour drive from Breckenridge to Alex’s house in Denver went without incident.  We dropped him off then plugged the hotel address in the GPS.  BB offered to hold the GPS, and I said great, maybe you could direct me.  So off we went, and I took a bit of an early turn and ended up in a shopping centre car park.  No biggy, could happen to anyone.  We drove around the car park till we realised the only way out was the way in – not the short cut I had suggested.  BB commented that the time to reach the destination was getting further away.  We took off again, and the GPS told us to turn but it looked to me like a no turn intersection, so had to keep going.  “Recalculating… advised the GPS.  “We may never get there” said BB.  I joked about my navigation skills – slightly tense in the car, but still able to joke about my driving (least I was still able to joke about it, not sure it was reciprocated). 

I actually was wondering if we’d ever get there as we drove around the block again.  “Turn left in 200 feet” said the GPS.  “Turn here!” said BB and I said no it’s down here.  Big call given my previous errors but oh phew we were on the highway.  I heaved a massive sigh of relief and was so busy being relieved that I didn’t hear B or the GPS say “go left!.”  I went right and was on the motorway heading to Colorado Springs – the opposite direction of where we were supposed to go.  “Recalculating…”  “I told you to go left!” said BB(twice).  This was getting really awkward, but I said “don’t worry we’ll be able to get off.” 

So we got off the highway, turned back onto the correct freeway but unfortunately had to exit onto another freeway within 300 feet of entering.  This meant veering across 3 lanes.  If you ask me, that is a design fault for a freeway, however there was no way I was going to miss that exit.  It was quite busy on the freeway, as I pushed in across the 3 lanes.  I knew that I was going to make it, but it must have been quite scary for BB who was yelling loudly by now “Shit! Fuck! Shit! Fuck!”  There may have even been a “we’re going to die” thrown in there but I’m not sure if my mind made that up in the panic. 

 We made the 300ft exit, which took us in a big almost 360 circle where we had to merge on yet another freeway – this one had no added lane to merge.  So, I came around the turn, looking for a break in the traffic to merge and still driving.  I knew that I had to merge, but BB was yelling loudly in panic “the lane is ending merge merge!!”

I merged and we were now on the correct highway.  I could see the hotel.  “There’s the hotel – we’re there!” I said.  “We’re not there yet” said BB. Yes, point taken. However, we did make it.  I dropped him safely off, said goodbye, picked up my phone, rang Chris and said “I’m nearly home don’t ask questions just please make me a gin and tonic!”  Ah, the G&T was sooo good.