First Highway Long Drive

Mar 29,

Today Bella had a lacrosse game at her school, and for the very first time she drove all the way there and back - on the highway. She did a good job, but it was still nerve wrecking for me. The highway is definitely not the same as driving on side streets.

It was really cold, especially just standing there watching the game. The weather app said it was 40 but felt like 29. I had my thick jacket and my Boulder hat, but Lionel forgot to bring one. Meanwhile, as we checked the weather, Cincinnati was really warm. Let's hope the weather starts to warm up around here as well. After all, it is the end of March.

Best Book

Mar 28,

I love reading, but for many years I have read very little as my job is very busy, and life gets in the way. And when I have a bit of downtime, I have to get some movement in. Whether it is walking or running, I know that I need movement to keep my mental health.  Audiobooks have been around for a long time, but it has always felt like cheating, like not good enough, and certainly not the same as sitting down with an actual book. However, this year I finally decided that an audiobook is better than nothing, as I can at least listen to the story when I am running, when I am walking with Kika, or when I am driving to and from work. I am on  my 4th or 5th book, and I just finished a really great one. It is not a happy story at all, but it is beautifully written.  

Sauna!

Mar 23,

This afternoon Bella, Cheryl, and I went to check out a sauna place in Sommerville while Lionel spends a few days in Las Vegas. It was a cool experience. Bella thought it was ok, but Cheryl and I really loved that we did it, and would do it again. We also learned that it is a pop up business, meaning that it changes locations from year to year. Apparently last year it was in South Boston. The weather was in the forties, but since the sauna is so hot we were not cold as we went outside to move across the 3 different saunas. They also had a cold plunge, which I only did for a few seconds. I was ok cooling down in between saunas by just standing outside.

After the sauna we went to check out a restaurant called St. Germain, also in Sommerville. Since it was Sunday it was not that crowded, and we were also able to park nearby. The food was good, and we also enjoyed our dessert. So we think we found a place that is worth going back to.

Pickle Ball

Mar 21,

Today was the last day of Bella's spring break. Her friend Izzy went to the house, and then Lionel and the two of them met Cheryl and I at PKL (by my work) to play pickle ball in the afternoon. Cheryl and I have been dealing with some challenging people situations at work, so we appreciated the break and letting go of some of the stress.

Vail 2025 - Day 8 - Heading back

Mar 18,

And that’s it for now. Our vacation and time with Sofifi are behind us, and heading back to Boston now. Grateful for the past week, and trying to get mentally ready to get back to the grind.

Vail 2025 - Day 7 - Boulder

Mar 17,

This morning we drove to the Denver airport to drop Philippe off, as he was flying back to Boston. We then went to Boulder where we lingered a bit before it was time to meet Sofia at 3:30 pm. The weather was windy but warm. We tried to go to the Boulder falls, about 20 mins from the center of town, but apparently they were closed. So we came back, walked around Pearl street, and had lunch.

We met Sofia at the bookstore to renew our Colorado merchandise and then went to get new iPhones for the two of us. Hers was older and mine even worse. She asked for that for her birthday and I figured I should finally give up on mine as well. After that we went back to her apartment briefly and went out for dinner. I had envisioned taking her to a nice place, but we ended up in a taco place. She didn’t seem to mind too much though, as she didn’t have to cook and didn’t have to pay.

After dinner we dropped her back off at her apartment, which was the saddest part of the week for me - it doesn’t get any easier having to say goodbye to her. She was sad to see us go as well, but at least we know she is ok. She is happy in her apartment, with her routine, and with her friends. Still, can’t wait to see her again.

Vail 2025 - Day 6 - Last day of skiing

Mar 16,

This morning I stayed behind for the first couple hours of skiing so Lionel, Bella, and Claire could go everywhere they pleased. Claire had to take the shuttle to the airport at 11:45, and really wanted to get some skiing before that. 

At 11:00 am they came down the mountain, Claire headed back to the hotel to get her stuff, and Lionel, Bella, and I went back up to ski. Today was sunny again, and my knee was ok. We didn’t stop for lunch, and skied all the way to 3:00 pm. 

When we came back down Lionel went straight back to the hotel, while Bella and I went to a couple of stores. We also got a coffee and sat for a few minutes by the ice skating rink. We all went to the spa for the last time, and after showers it was time for our last dinner in Vail this time around.

We are now packing and leave tomorrow at 8:00 am to drop Philippe off at the airport at 10:00 am. We will then linger around Boulder waiting to meet Sofia at her apartment at 3:30 pm. We get to spend the afternoon with her, and have dinner together, before flying back to Boston on Tuesday morning.

Vail 2025 - Day 5 - Staying behind

Mar 15,

Last night I ended the day with a somewhat swollen left knee. It was better this morning, but Lionel suggested that I didn’t ski today and iced it instead. Just in case.

I asked for an ice pack at the front desk but I guess they didn’t have one and brought me a bucket of ice instead. Luckily I found a plastic bag in my stuff and used that to ice my knee for a while. 

After taking it easy for the first half of the day I went to the gym to walk and do some upper body exercises. And then came back to the room and iced the knee again. It was not bothering me but I figured it was the right thing to do. I then went back down and went to the hot tub, the sauna, and stayed downstairs to read for a while.

Lionel, Claire, and Bella eventually came back. They had a great day out on the slopes and apparently my absence allowed them to go places they wouldn’t have been able to go to otherwise. Nothing like hearing that things were better because you were not around. And nothing like thinking that if my knee is better tomorrow, they will likely be disappointed to have me back.

Also, since I wasn’t there, no photos of the day.

Vail 2025 - Day 4 - Bad conditions

Mar 14,

Today we had the worst skiing conditions. It was snowing the entire time (so our faces were frozen), it was super foggy (so you couldn’t see too far ahead), it was windy (enough said), and the snow was heavy and powdery. That kind of powdery snow is a dream for expert skiers, but not so much for the average intermediate skier like me. During the very first run I fell a couple of times, and while I somewhat adjusted during the following runs, it was hard and I had to go much slower so I didn’t fall all over again.

We pushed through and skied until 1:00 pm, but by then everyone was cold, and it was still snowing, and sitting in the lift fell more and more miserable. So we called it a day. I am so glad Sofia was here yesterday and not today.

After we came down from the mountain the girls and I did some shopping separately, and when I came back Lionel and I went to the hot tub and the sauna. After resting for a bit and taking showers we went out for dinner to an Italian restaurant called Ti Amo. And now we are back in the rooms chilling for a bit, with everyone doing their own thing, before we crash for the night.

Vail 2025 - Day 3 - The best day

Mar 13,

Today was the best day. I can say that, even though we still have 3 days of skiing left, because Sofia was with us. For the full day we enjoyed her company as if it was still the four of us, all the time. We woke up under the same roof, had breakfast together (Bella’s favorite breakfast), and skied together all day. And she was smiling and in such a good mood.

She did head home in the evening, with enough time to make it back to Boulder before it got dark or too late, but at least we get to see her on Monday again before we travel back to Boston on Tuesday morning. Missing her already and looking forward to seeing her then.

Vail 2025 - Day 2 - First day of skiing

Mar 12,

Today was our first day of skiing. The snow was hard, making it more challenging to ski, but at least it was warm, and sunny, and beautiful. Maybe a little too warm for Lionel’s liking, but he hung in there all day. 

We actually came down the mountain at 3:00 pm vs 4:00 pm because Bella and I wanted to have time to go to the hot tub and not have to rush before dinner. My legs were tired by 3 anyway, and no need to push it on the very first day.

We went to the hot tub, I then sat by the fireplace for a little bit and even took a short nap, and went to the sauna. We then took showers and went to our 6:30 dinner.

By 8:00 pm Sofia made it to Vail with Claire, Bella’s friend from Cincinnati. She picked her up from the Denver airport before heading this way. I was so happy to see my Sofia again and I am excited that tomorrow we get to ski together. The four of us together just like it used to be and just like I like it.