The Munce Family: Old Dogs, New Tricks

We did it! We lasted an entire five days away from Sullivan. We were tempted at times to catch an earlier flight home to snuggle with our little buddy, but we refrained. I will admit, each day got a bit easier, but we didn't miss him any less. We would spend the last 30 minutes of each day looking through photos of Sully, then turn in to bed knowing we were one day closer to seeing him (and excited about another full night of sleep ahead of us).

We had a great time. We booked the trip with intentions of going to ski school, but when I woke up on Monday morning, I felt like I had been hit by a truck, a truck which contained very little oxygen. Turns out I had a touch of the old altitude flu and there was no way I was up for a day of skiing. So, we decided to look into "take it easy" alternatives. We settled on a drive to Hot Sulphur Springs, CO, about an hour and a half from Breckenridge. The weather was beautiful and the scenery was amazing. We pulled up to this little natural hot springs spot and Dave exited the car with his book in tow, "this isn't really for me, Suz, but you take your time." Two (plus) hours later, I was hinting that I was ready to go, and Dave was asking for five more minutes. It was an unexpected pleasant and relaxing day.

We went to ski school on Tuesday afternoon. We were both anxious about what the day would entail, it was technically Dave's first time skiing, and he was really nervous about broken bones or something worse. We had a really good and patient instructor by the name of Chris. He was just what we needed, Dave a bit more than me, but I definitely benefitted from the slow and cautious pace. We started out on the bunny hill and ended on the slopes. It was really nice to be beginners together, neither of us had our expectations set too high, and were very considerate of each other's concerns. Plus, it never hurts to have a built in cheerleader (even if the cheers come for something as simple as getting off the chair lift, or being able to take off your skis without a major tumble).

We woke up on Wednesday morning with much different attitudes, Dave was so excited to hit the slopes again. He was excited to practice what he had learned the previous day. We had a great second day, boarding and departing the ski lift with ease and gliding peacefully down the slopes (not flawless, and definitely not fast, but our butts remained snowless when we finished for the day) we considered it a success. It turns out you actually can teach a couple of old dogs a few new tricks! We stayed in on Wednesday evening and enjoyed hot tubbing, a light dinner, and a bottle of wine. While we were eating, Dave brought up the travel world that had just opened up for us, now that we ski and all ;). I responded with the obvious, "do you know how much it would cost to take an entire family skiing?". Dave didn't miss a beat and says "Suz, my entire life is about delayed gratification, so yes, I know how much it will cost, and it will be worth it." True that, Dave...I cant wait, we will be the slowest, but safest family on the slopes!

We got home on Thursday afternoon and had never been so excited to walk (jog) down the main terminal in Sioux Falls. We had strategized the day before about the fastest way to get home: Dave would go get the car while I waited for the luggage, we would be home in no time. Our homecoming was exactly what we had hoped, Sullivan looked from me to Dave, and back and forth again with loud giggles and screams. He was as happy to see us as we were to see him, what an incredible feeling.