Cousins came

My cousins came to visit at the end of January. It was fun to see them, show them Denver and go skiing together. We usually do a cousins trip every December, but with lots of babies in the family 2012 was the first year we didn't do one. So this was kind of a mini cousins trip.

Hiking at Chautauqua

Skiing at Copper Mountain

I'm so grateful to have people in my life who've known me my entire life. They've seen me through all seasons of life.

Skiing

I learned how to ski this year! Last year, I just tagged along with Will and went shopping and hung out at coffee shops while he snowboarded. Denver has such an outdoors culture, and a big part of that is skiing in the winter. I figured I should give it a try. I was really nervous about how I'd do because I always struggled with snowboarding. But I ended up really enjoying it!

My first day of skiing: Ski Cooper with my friend Grace. We took lessons together while the others hit the slopes.

One of the biggest barriers I felt with skiing/boarding was how expensive it is. It turns out that skiing can be pretty affordable for locals. We got a 5 pack for $130. Will switched to skiing this year too. We had a great time skiing with friends and out of town guests. It's a fun bonding activity, and something to look forward to in the winter, especially for someone like me who isn't so fond of winter.