Breck

Breck is short for Breckenridge (Colorado, that is) where we spent last weekend. After a 6 hour drive- Oliver crying for only about 2 of it, we finally arrived in Parker where we met up with my sister and her family. We left the next day for Breckenridge. We drove by a few beautiful mountain towns that looked like they were straight out of Man From Snowy River. (I had to throw that one in for little Natey.) But, Breckenridge definitely topped them all as one of the cutest, most quaint towns I have visited this side of the Mississippi. It was a collage of old yellow, red, green, turquoise, blue, purple, etc.-colored buildings with a Victorian accent to them. Plus, there was a little river with a bike path next to it that made it all the more romantic. Our cabin was big, but still seemed a bit crowded when all 19 of us finally settled in. Yes, you read that right, 19 people- 11 kids and 8 adults. Whoever said, "the more the merrier" obviously never traveled with the Jewkes clan. Christian's favorite part of it all was the TV in each room. Friday was a beautiful day- in the 50's or higher and sunny. So, we took advantage of it and headed down to the bike path along the river. Somehow I got stuck with a men's bike and needless to say, I was in a little bit of pain for a couple of hours. It was a nice ride and a little bit different from those spin classes I sometimes take at my gym (double the elevation from 5500 ft in Albuquerque to almost 11,000 in Breck probably had something to do with it as well). That night during dinner our party was crashed by about 5 red foxes right outside our window. All the kids dashed outside, beef jerky and bread in hand. That explains why they were our guests all weekend (or were we there's???). They came around thereafter at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The kids were banned after a while from feeding them when my brother-in-law, Jim, threatened them with stories of rabies, hospital visits, and their heads being bitten off and/or them being carried away. Pretty unbelievable in my opinion- they are such cute little creatures. Saturday started out nice, but took a turn for the worst when clouds slowly hovered in and it began to snow. We were expecting a "light dusting," but it turned out to be a full-blow snow storm, reaching almost a foot by the time we left on Sunday morning. So, instead of our plans on Saturday to run 10 miles and go fishing, kayaking, canoeing, rafting, hiking, and mountain climbing, the girls opted instead for the outlet malls 20 miles outside of town (totally unplanned, we promise). We had a good time and got our exercise instead walking from Banana Republic, to J. Crew (that one's for you, Davis), to Coach. We celebrated our good finds that day over dinner at Breckenridge Brewery with some hot cocoa, soup, and brownie ala mode. Christian and I were going to stay through Sunday afternoon but between the snow piling up and the crammed quarters at the cabin, we decided to head out after breakfast. And so off we went in our trusty non-4-wheel drive (one of the ONLY one's on the road that day) Honda Accord. Christian kept talking about what a good, Utah-bred snow-driver he was and I just kept praying that we'd make it through the switchbacks on the 20 mile road through Hoosier Pass. With an inch of snow and ice on the road we were both scared, especially when we saw one of the 2 other non-4-wheel drive vehicles on the road that day hanging off the edge of a small cliff. We had to back up, gain momentum, and then drive on a couple of times, but after only about an hour, we made it to the main highway and were safely on our way back to Albuquerque, Oliver crying for only about an hour and a half of this leg. So, in case you're wondering, yes, we did have a great time and it was a beautiful, beautiful place and we loved being with family and friends.

Outside the cabin on Friday with Daddy. Obviously Oliver was prepared for the oncoming blizzard.

One-on-one time with Grandma, admiring the snow. She took Oliver on walks every day while she visited us.

Grandma and Oliver definitely bonded on this trip.

Sunday morning, on the back deck right before we faced the blizzard in our Honda. Excuse the haggared appearance, but being with 19 people in a cabin all weekend took it's toll. That, and I had just rolled out of bed.
Along with mastering the stairs, Olivered learned to play peek-a-boo this weekend.