We found it right at dusk, after temper tantrums, wrong turns, giving up at least twice, and more muttered curse words than I cared to admit. It wasn't precisely what we were looking for, but it would do. 2 hours and 20 minutes after having left the house on what I thought would be a quick run out to test what Ford calls his new "sleigh" from Grandpa, we finally found some snow.
And I don't know if it was a metaphor for this entire year, with its twists and turns and frustrations and unexpected joys, or just a stroke of good fortune. But when we finally happened upon Lost River State Park around sunset and found not only a couple miraculous inches of snow, but also enough moonlight to make it sparkle (and not a soul with whom we had to share), we felt like we had won the lottery.
It was a beautiful end to a Christmas week that had been one for the recordbooks. It had included football and park-hopping,
a very-Barcroft Santa in a Lincoln,
this much excitement over our own "Santa's workshop" and COVID Christmas shopping,
and a very-2020 work party.
We took our first real leave in who-knows-how-long and spent a couple days at a ski resort we had never heard of
which boasted one of the world's shortest and iciest runs
but also a really terrific kinderschool
at which Finley managed to twerk on the carpet ride while on a snowboard (
not to our surprise), and Ford finally got his yearned-for and totally unnecessary "ski sticks."
We also froze to death in the pool, but wore tank tops in the lift line.
It was quite a getaway. We made it back in time for me to turn into a completely insane person, decide I had not done enough preparation for our first solo at-home Christmas, and- in addition to baking everything in the house, with mixed results- drag the kids to Cabela's on Christmas Eve (among other stops on my frenzied Christmas shopping tour.)
And Christmas was magical, even without the family and friends we missed desperately; complete with Belgian waffles and matching PJs and
so many cups of coffee plus a run in to the city to see the
National Christmas Tree, because I am an insane person,
and Christmas dinner with the extent of our "Barcroft bubble." For which we dressed, inexplicably, like this.
I feel like Finley spoke for us all, by the end of the day.
We survived COVID Christmas, all of us, so cheers! We hope everyone managed some joy.
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