Oh, Canada

What an amazing week we had in Whistler-Blackcomb! Celebrating Corey's birthday, an amazing ski trip was what he wanted - and what he definitely got!

The village was so fun to visit.  We were able to ski right out of our condo to the slopes, or walk across a beautiful little bridge to the village.  The kids (and Corey) had a blast skating and throwing snowballs and playing in various snow forts.

The ski conditions on the mountain were incredible.  We skied five of the days we were there. Slightly sunny the first day, the snow dumped more and more each day.

The conditions were so crazy.  One run it would be cloudy and blustery, the next would be rainy, and then the sun would peak through and briefly warm us up.  I didn't get nearly enough photos for fear of freezing my hands.  So, most of the pictures I took are from when the sun dared to make an appearance.  And though it did occasionally, the snow just kept coming! The kids loved skiing above and in the clouds! Porter and Corey loved skiing through the trees - which were so cool - tall and almost plant-like with lime-green "moose-hair" hanging down.  Absolutely beautiful.

One of the coolest sights to see was from the gondola between Whistler and Blackcomb peaks. The gondola, the largest and longest of its kind, spanned nearly three miles, over 1400 feet in the air.  These pictures just don't do it justice:

We loved the lodge at the top of Whistler - the Roundhouse, were we sat over the mountain in a window booth:

It was cold, and we ended up getting Emma Rose a little face-mask and she skied. bearing her teeth the whole time. (If you zoom up, you can see them...)

The kids were definitely exhausted every night, after long days of skiing, a couple hours in the pool, and a hearty meal:

(The mornings were spent coloring and playing games...)

Corey was thrilled that our last day skiing, Saturday March 25, was the best snow day of all. The conditions were like butter.  The kids and I were so happy to celebrate this amazing guy, who loves life and is constantly looking for adventure.

(Notice the moose-hair mustache)

That last evening, we had a nice night on the town, celebrating the way Corey loves best: with a Margarita.

So goodbye for now, Whistler.  Going into surgery in a week, I definitely ended the ski-season with a bang.  Happy Birthday, Corey, and thank you for such an awesome celebration. And thank you, Emma Rose, Porter, and Vancouver for an amazing trip!

Winter is here and gone...and here's my verbal rant...

I can't believe how quickly time has flown by.  This has definitely been a whirlwind time for the Sowa family.  So much change about to take place, and so very busy in this time of transition.

We've more or less settled into our new neighborhood, which we LOVE.  Our neighbors are so outgoing and there are tons of little ones that our kids have connected with.  We love our neighborhood church and pastor as well, and feel so confident about where we are ... which is great considering how worried I've been about the unknowns! A little weird for me, but here's a little sneak peek into where we've been - where I've been - as of late...

One of the most gratifying elements of being a teacher is the massive paycheck that I bring home each month.  Kidding, obviously.  I do have one of the most gratifying jobs on the planet, however… It is so wonderful to see your pupils blossom and succeed and make slightly wiser choices because of your love or guidance, or when they succeed despite you; even more incredible is to find that the “student” has actually become a lifelong friend...sometimes even your teacher!

Spring Break is that fun time in the life of a teacher where student-teacher relationships often blossom into friendships as a handful of former students drop by to say hi, tell you what your class meant to him/her in their studies in college, or – even to let you know that your words made a specific impact on his/her journey in life… and all the time you sacrificed to spend away from your family makes it so worth it.

Last week I had the joy of meeting up with a couple students back from their final year in college, ready to embark on the world.  I was surprised at how much I was sitting in the “pupil” seat, learning from their wisdom – one who had travelled the world and found her steadfastness, another who has faced the hardest four years of her life between athletic injuries and a family in crisis. 

As I write this blog, in the midst of a significantly rough patch in my life (“rough” seems to be a pretty normative term to any full-time working parent of young kids – but it's been a little more than just that), I really don't mean to be whiney.  In fact, I think – I HOPE – that I just experienced the hardest year, emotionally and spiritually, of my life (despite the happy pictures on facebook and instagram, despite the smile I pasted on for my students…)  Still I am so grateful for the lessons that God has taught me in the past year. But, when you walk upwards and out of a muddy, mucky valley where the rain has been pouring down, but is finally lightening – and you finally are sensing the break of sunlight through the clouds, you don’t know what quite is around the corner … or in the next 30 miles … that whole unknown time can be a little daunting.

Let me be vaguely specific about the road ahead:  Corey is starting a new business.  He (WE!!!) are thrilled, but the financial unknown can be terrifying.  The kids probably need to change schools to one closer to our neighborhood – not near my work - and it looks like the lottery results for the school I wanted aren’t going to work out.  Where to send them??? And, after being an avid runner for 10+ years, I am about to undergo two significant hip surgeries, requiring months - perhaps a year - of rehab before I am able to run – or work out significantly at all again.  All the while, between the everyday of life, work, moves, kids’ activities, and significant change and growth in my marriage, a healthy, constant, and steady place of security has been at the forefront of my mind, my prayers, and my actions for my kids.  Their emotional well-being is prominent in all of my decisions and outside actions while I still, admittedly, have been terrified and amazed and disappointed and reassured as I smile on. 

I guess that’s life.  But in their formative years, Emma Rose and Porter will know that they are loved by their God, and they will know that their parents are committed to each other and to them.  I’m not faking that message, but rather facing the reality that those are God’s messages for me, and that while I am far from perfect, I will do my best to model that truth to them while protecting them.

So here are some pictures - what's happened on the outside in the Sowa family.  I can’t believe it’s been 3 months since I last put up a blog, but here it is - what the Sowa’s have been up to in the midst of a pretty chaotic time in life:

Colorado weather has been nuts this winter! Here's a random day in December, chez Sowa:

This is one of my favorites...it captures Emma Rose running to the car, daily, as I pick her up from school.  She loves her "ear-puffs," as she calls them:

...And a pretty common sight of the kids on the commute home, when they can't stay awake to the "Dragon Rider," or "The BFG," or "Limmeny Snicket," or "Chronicles of Narnia" on CD (yes, we've listened to them all) anymore...

We've gotten a small handful of snow days this year.  Here's one of the first.  The kids and I came home to "my" garage, knowing that daddy loves us:

Here's one of Emma Rose's favorite winter past-times at home, bubble baths!

A picture of the kids, enjoying hot chocolate on 1 of 5 cold days out of 90 this winter (at least that's what it felt like!!!)

I love this picture of Porter, Emma Rose, Reese, and Anna (school friends) at Porter and Anna's 2nd grade "Western" - themed musical. (Porter is wearing Grandma's cowboy boots --- because they fit!)

Emma Rose loves her crafts, so she was thrilled about the prospect of a "girl-date" with me.  It was all about arts and crafts. We crafted some homemade Valentines, friendship bracelets, and a 100-piece glitter snowflake for her 100th day at school:

Porter and I made Star Wars Valentines this year:

We've enjoyed our surroundings.  Here's a nice, 70-degree day in February where we went for a hike on the Mesas in Golden:

I took Emma Rose with me to the Broadmoor for a school DECA event. We ran into some of her friends from school:

Corey and Porter came down briefly to join us for lunch and a stroll around the grounds as well...

Early in March, Corey took Emma Rose out for a daddy-daughter date, while I took Porter out for a mommy-son date.  Emma Rose was so excited for this special time with her dad that she started getting ready for her evening date at 10:30 in the morning.  She "hates" getting her hair curled and braided, but she put on a special dress and "high heels" and had me curl and braid her hair... Corey took her out for pedicures and a fancy dinner.

Porter could care less about his appearance (as long as neon was involved), but said that our evening of neon golf, arcades, and a burger while playing CandyLand was "epic."

Emma Rose practiced and practiced for her first-ever musical with her kindergarten peers at Ben Franklin.  She went dressed as a gardener/farmer...

And, because the weather has been so warm, the kids have gotten some good golf days in with their daddy!

I love this.  At the end of the day, when you've faced disappointment or frustration, when you've screamed, or chosen moodiness over joy, your kids can outshine you and show you the truth.  Emma Rose "gets" real love.  I'm grateful for her sweet, sweet spirt.  Here's a book she started to create while I was working out one day...

... kinda puts it all into perspective for me...