Solitude

Megan asked to go ice skating yesterday and was so cute and sincere about wanting to go I decided to take her. Normally it's Luke that asks, and Megan doesn't really care about going.

I really wanted to try the ice rink at Solitude so we did. My grandpa Park came with us. On the way up we saw two bull moose! I think moose are my favorite animal because they are so big and remind me of my favorite place, the Tetons.

The ice rink was absolutely gorgeous! GORGEOUS! We even got lucky and got the rink to ourselves. Luke and I had the most fun, but Megan was happy too. After we skated they wanted ice cream. I guess I had them bundled up tight enough didn't I?

Here are some fun pictures. I wish I had my better camera with me. We got there just as it was getting dark and the little camera just didn't cut it.

I have had a blast the past couple months staying extra busy with skating, sledding and skiing but I think the party has to slow down for a while. Last night on our way home we slid off the road. It was a warmer dry day so it was a shock to hit black ice on one of the turns down the mountain. I started to slide a little bit and hoped to correct the car, but I couldn't and we plowed into a snowbank on the side of the road. Thankfully, we hit the mountain side of the road rather than the cliff side. Also, we are really lucky to live where we have the "greatest snow on earth". The snow we hit was totally soft and when we hit we didn't even feel our seat belts tug. We spun enough that I did a 270 degree turn. By the time we stopped, the snow drift we were in was up to the window of my Tahoe. We would have rolled on our side if it weren't for the snow, making me even more grateful we had such an easy stop. My car has a little damage to the lights and running board, but it's ok otherwise. We are so lucky.

My grandpa wanted to get out and flag the cars to slow down but I begged him to stay put. I wanted all of us to stay put with our seat belts on. We were far enough off the road that no one would hit us unless they slid the same way so I didn't see any use getting out of the car. About 10 cars stopped for us at different times. I yelled to the first lady who stopped and told her we were just fine and not to worry about us. I thanked her and told her we would call the Sheriff and be ok. I didn't want her out of her car either. When she left we realized our phones didn't work, but someone stopped within in a couple minutes again and we told them we were fine but needed them to call the Sheriff when they could. I felt bad for all of the people stopping, but was also so grateful. People were so happy to help. The last group that stopped for us also slid, but they were ok and slid nice and straight. I thanked them a bunch of times but told them we thought it was best to wait for the Sheriff. We were on a blind corner and I didn't dare try to get out without the Sherrff blocking the road. They decided to help anyway and drove up the canyon to slow cars down. One guy stayed with us and communicated what the Sherriff needed as he pulled us out. I'm so grateful for him because getting out was really easy thanks to his instructions. The Sheriff was really great. I couldn't believe how fast he got me out and sent me on my way. Phew! Apparently there were a lot of us that night.

I'm not feeling really confident right now. I'm wondering if it's better to stay home and play the Wii where I know we are safe or continue to take the kids to do neat things. Obviously the more you drive or the more you participate in sports the more chances you have of getting hurt. I feel a little shaken right now and I'm not sure I could handle the pain of hurting my grandpa or my kids. This has been a crazy week. Last Saturday I told you how I accidentally took Luke on that blue ski run. I was a bit stressed while I was sleeping that night, thinking of him possibly going out of control. Next, on Monday (I never blogged about this) I took the kids sledding again and Luke bonked his nose on his friend so hard that it has been fat and swollen since. And now this. What an adventurous week Luke has had.

I know I won't stay home. I'll get back out there, but not today. I certainly couldn't imagine staying out of the mountains because of this, but I'm going to be driving slower now. For the record, I never drove fast before (well at least since having kids) but now I'll be going even slower. There is no way I can stay away from Solitude. Ice skating there was beyond amazing.