Last weekend, I had the opportunity to get away from Florida and spend a few days in the snow. My younger sister is a freshman at the University of Colorado Boulder. I haven’t had time to see her yet, so it was perfect timing that I ended up being free on her birthday weekend.
I left for the airport around 5:00 p.m. on Friday to catch my flight. Everyone in Tallahassee knows how small the airport is, and I have TSA pre-check, so long lines were not a concern. However, I learned that you must be at the airport an hour before taking off to check your bag!
I was instantly told that I could not check my bag, which confused me. Luckily, this didn’t ruin my weekend that hadn’t even begun yet. I was able to get rebooked on to another flight, which was really only 30 minutes later than my original arrival time.
My sister and her friends picked me up from the airport with an agenda. But first, coffee!
After getting coffee, my sister showed me around her campus and I got a glimpse into how she spends her days. Despite the snow on the ground, we could take our jackets off while walking around. She took me into the lecture halls, the art building and the stadium. Then, we went about five minutes down the road to Pearl Street. Here, we did some window shopping and made an impulsive purchase or two. We even saw FSU alumnus and the current coach of CU Boulder’s football team, Deion Sanders, walking around.
After shopping, we ordered a create-your-own charcuterie board, which was delicious. My parents were also in town that weekend, so they met up with us. I hadn’t seen either of them since the semester started, so I was so excited to see them again. Waking up at 5:00 a.m. and being on the plane wore me out, so I ended up parting ways with my sister and going back to the hotel with my parents.
The next day, I woke up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed at 7:30 a.m., which was 9:30 a.m. in Tallahassee time. I enjoyed a cup of hot coffee while journaling with a beautiful view of the mountains in front of me.
Then it was time to get ready for the day. We then headed to Copper Mountain to go skiing. Before making the hour-and-a-half drive, we had a few stops to make. We went to get breakfast at the Bluff, Dicks Sporting Goods and Whole Foods.
The drive to Copper Mountain went by quickly and was accompanied by snowy mountain views and my dad’s favorite artist, Miley Cyrus, playing in the background. During the drive, there was a long tunnel that looked like a Winter Wonderland when you came out of the other side.
When we got to Copper Mountain, we had to rent skis and boots for the next day. Then, we unpacked the car for my sister’s arrival. It was about dinnertime, so I made dinner, which is my favorite thing to do for my loved ones. After dinner, we cleaned up and spent the rest of the night playing board games and playing on my sister’s new Nintendo Switch.
I hadn’t skied in seven years, so I went to the bunny hill for some refreshers. Luckily, my sister’s friends and I were in the same boat. My parents, sister and another one of her friends headed up the ski lift like pros.
After some practice, morale was high, so we thought it was time to go meet up with everyone again. We got on a shuttle and headed over to everyone.
At first, I was confident going down the greens. Then I realized how fast I was going and the fear set in. I started to fall and get frustrated, but my dad had a lot of patience and taught me how to slow down.
After a few hours, it was time to hang up the skis and head back to the lodge for some hot chocolate. The mountain closed in an hour anyway, and I had just had another fall, so I don’t regret calling it a bit early.
Back at the lodge, everyone got ready to stroll around the town and look at gift shops. Then, we headed back to make dinner and watch the Grammys.
We woke up that morning to snow falling. I had an early flight back to Tallahassee on Monday morning, so I said my goodbyes and my dad drove me to the airport. I had such a great time in Colorado, from the company, to the food and almost all the activities.
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