Finch Family Reunion

At the Top of the mountain!

This past week, the Fee family headed across the country to Jackson Hole, Wy for a Finch Family Reunion. Why Jackson Hole, you ask? Well, my Dad and Brother Dan have been going skiing there once a year for the past 10 years. I told my Dad that in 2011, I was definitely coming, and then it ended up being a reunion of sorts! So here Mark and I are, packed up and ready to go. We have the portable crib, the toys, the stroller, carseat, food, diapers, etc. And oh my gosh was it crazy. It is so much harder to travel with and infant! But, we got through security and the flights to Jackson with ease even with our layover in Dallas.
My family met us at the cabin they rented for the week and we were ready to celebrate! It was so nice to be with my family again, and it was nice to have all the help in-house! Any one of my family members were happy and willing to take Breckan for a bit, and he was great about it too.
The weather there was quite different than our warm little Ft. Lauderdale. It was in the negative numbers almost the entire time! Let's just say, our lips were-a-crackin'. Breckan's skin was even dry and his lips were chapped too! He handled it pretty well though, but was up at 5:30 every morning because of the time change. (Yippee for us! LOL)
Mark and I were able to get some time together in on the slopes while my Mom took care of Breckan for a few days. I was a little leery about skiing again and I hoped that my knee could keep up (I tore it back in 2003). I got on those slopes and low and behold, I picked it right up again! Don't get me wrong, I am not the best at slalom, but I could get down the double blacks with time and planning. We ended up going out of bounds twice, and I felt like a rebel! It was so beautiful and the fact that we were not in the ski resort made it that much cooler.

Finch Family Shot

Jeff's Blown Boot

Jeff and his girlfriend Ashley made it to Jackson a few days after us because they were driving. The next morning we got a Finch Family reunion photo with the shirts I designed for the trip. Following that, Jeff joined us on the slopes with Dad, Mark, Dan, Jen and Ashley came along too. Later in the day, when we were skiing out of bounds, Jeff was slaloming down the hill like a pro, then suddenly he sees pieces of orange stuff around him. He looks down and BAM, his boot blew out!! HAHA. He had to ski down the rest of the out of bounds with one ski. I guess he should have known that 15 yr old boots may not hold up like they used to. It was so funny! Jeff's leg was burning like crazy by the end of the day. He isn't the youngin' he used to be.
Besides skiing, my Mom and I visited the town of Jackson. While we were expecting quaint little shops, it seemed more like very expensive cowboy stores and mercantile stores. We got a few shirts and called it a day with lunch and a little mom and pop sandwich shop. We did happen to find this really cool oil and vinegar place called "Vom Fass". They get all these really neat oils and vinegars from Germany and display them in little canisters for sampling. Once you decide on which combination of oil and vinegar you like best, the owner will fill your chosen bottle up with it! Now, I didn't purchase anything, but I was very tempted. It was sooo flavorful and I was dying to try these oils and vinegars on my salads and bread. My mom ended up purchasing a Pomegranate Vinegar with a Rosemary oil. I couldn't believe the flavor. YUM!!

At the Elk Refuge

On Thursday, Mark, Ashley, Breckan and I drove through the Teton National Park. I could not believe how beautiful the scenery was. It was out of a picture book. Even though we have photos, it doesn't do it justice. It was a beautiful and peaceful day, and Breckan and I ended up napping in the car on the way back through the park. I guess we both needed it! We also visited the Elk Refuge. Although we couldn't see the elk close up, we were able to see tons of Rams. They were so close! A mere 4 feet away and just chilling around the area. We also were fortunate enough to see a few moose near the house we were staying at and Deer in the backyard! Gotta love all the wildlife.
The day everyone left was bittersweet. I had tears in my eyes for sure. My family makes me feel whole again. I miss them so much. We ended up flying out the following Saturday afternoon. Breckan came down with a fever the night before and he wasn't in good spirits. I felt so bad for my little man. The flight from Jackson to Dallas was fine. We then had our flight to Ft. Lauderdale. They plane was delayed, and then they forgot to put our bags on the plane, so we waited, sitting there...with a screaming baby for an hour until we had takeoff. I have never been so overwhelmed, drained and embarrassed in my entire life. I felt so bad that people had to deal with hearing my baby screaming. We thankfully were able to get him down when we were airborne and I could get up and about the cabin to rock him to sleep. He was exhausted. We ended up getting home at about 2am Sunday morning.
Overall, the trip was a blast. I love spending time with my family, and I cannot wait for the next reunion!!