Preparing for Colorado

After months of planning and preparing, we leave on Saturday (Christmas Day) to spend a week in Pagosa Springs, Colorado.  We have been looking forward to this vacation for a while now.  It will be nice to spend Christmas in the snow for the first time since I was 3 years old.

Sometime early Christmas morning, Tommy and my dad will set out in the car for the drive.  When we go on vacation, Tommy always drives ahead so he can carry all of the equipment and supplies that we need for JT while we are gone.  This includes all of our luggage, toys, ventilator and oxygen for sleeping, trach care supplies and many other things that are necessary.  Then early afternoon on Christmas Day, my mom, JT and I will fly from Houston to Albuquerque, New Mexico.  Durango is a closer airport, but it's not as big and we couldn't get a direct flight.  Once we arrive in Albuquerque, we will rent a car and drive to Santa Fe, where we will meet Tommy and dad, as well as my brother, Jimmie, and his family to stay the night.  Then sometime on Sunday, we will drive the remainder of the way to Pagosa Springs, where we will be staying at the Wyndham resort for a week.

Tommy and I have never been skiing.  I'm a little afraid to try because I'm the one that will break something, and we certainly cannot afford to have me out of commission any longer than I already have been.  So I haven't decided yet if I'll do any skiing while I'm there.

But for me, the highlight of the trip will be seeing John come down the hill in a chair ski.  After several conversations with the staff at Wolf Creek, we seem to have an arrangement made for John.  They have a certified adaptive ski instructor there, and he has several instructors that he has trained.  They have what is called a bi-ski, which is a chair on two skis that we will be using for John.  It will have him strapped in pretty well, and he will basically be going down the hill with an instructor and one other person that we send with him.

John loves the cold weather and he loves having the wind blow on him.  I'm hoping that he is going to love this sensation and this experience and want to continue to do it.  If he enjoys himself, the look on his face will be priceless.  I will be sure to post pictures.  But if this IS something that he enjoys, then a trip to the Adaptive Sports Center in Crested Butte, CO may be in the near future.  They have sports programs year round for the disabled.  I would love to take John there one day so he can experience things that he otherwise wouldn't be able to experience.

We are looking forward to spending the week with my parents as well as my brother, sister-in-law and their two boys.  Being around the kids always makes me happy.  And my sister-in-law is expecting their 3rd child.  We always have a lot of fun and we eat very well while we are together.  I'm so thankful to have a sister-in-law who is a good cook.

But first, we have to get John well from his latest bout with strep throat.  I think we will all enjoy it much better if he is not sick.

We are wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year.

By the way, if you are someone who we usually send a Christmas Card, don't worry.  We haven't forgotten you.  We just haven't taken any family photos yet.  So I will probably use photos from Colorado and send out a Happy New Year card.