Hi there! Sorry I disappeared for a second there, I was in Colorado for my family’s annual ski trip and then this week has been absolute craziness catching up!
After a crazy flight out of LAX (re-routed to Vegas for a medical emergency and then grounded for a technical error), I finally reunited with my family late last Wednesday afternoon! Shoutout to Southwest for killer customer service though, I have to hand it to ’em.
The drive to Breckenridge, where my family has been staying for the past 15 or so years, takes about 2 hours. We’ve been staying there versus Vail, Beaver Creek or Keystone (which we also love and visit!) because the town of Breck is so stinkin’ cute. They have incredible restaurants, great shops, and the skiing is incredible.
We’ve always stayed with Vail Resorts, but for the past few years in particular we stay at the Grand Lodge on Peak 7 (highly recommended!). Breck has 5 different peaks you can stay on and a ton of variety in the trails, which is another great reason to go there! Something for everyone 🙂
Wednesday night we went to one of our favorite restaurants, Hearthstone, which is definitely one of the fancier ones in the area. The food is always unrealI can honestly say that we haven’t had a sub-par experience there in decades! (Also how cute are those Christmas lights?) My mom and I split the salmon and steak, but we all ended up kind of sharing everything anyway because everyone’s was so delicious!
Thursday I skiied at Breckenridge with my mom and dad. The snow was so perfect and the mountain wasn’t too crowded. We even stopped for hot cocoa and my brother met us outside. It was the best!!
That night, we went for taco’s at our favorite place, Breckenridge Taphouse. Talk about another place that never lets us down – their tacos are to die for and the drinks don’t disappoint either! If you can make it there for happy hour too, you will not be disappointed!
By Friday morning, my boyfriend was in town and we all headed over to Vail where the Burton U.S. Open was being held. We skiied in the morning and then watched the competition all afternoon.
I’ll tell ya, nothing gets me inspired like watching snowboarders absolutely crush it on the half-pipe and those giant ass jumps they carve out of the side of the mountain. I’m a pretty decent boarder, but I’m way too much of a pansy to try any tricks :/ I’m so afraid of getting hurt, but next year I really want to take a lesson to learn some basic jumps. If you’re still reading this in a year, please remind me that I’m saying this and hold me accountable so I can’t puss out again. I really want to look like this guy someday (or never)…
Saturday it was back to skiing at Breck for another perfect day. I can’t even tell you in words or pictures how beautiful is was, but I will say that it 40 degrees and sunny on a snow covered mountain top with near 360 degree views. Aka the most gorgeous Saturday I could ask for.
My family had to head out Saturday night back to Denver, but before leaving we all grabbed happy hour at Twist, one of our newer favorites in town! My really parents like to over order and it’s pretty much the best thing ever. Standouts from this meal were hands down the mac and cheese, trout dip and sliders, but absolutely everything was amazing!
Saturday night was spent with the boy, first by the fire and then in the outdoor hot tub with some hard cider.
We left Sunday morning after breakfast at Columbine Cafe (a must if you’re in town, but go early ’cause the line gets long!) and drove back to Denver for our flight. We surprisingly didn’t hit traffic, so we had time for Bloody Mary’s before heading back to LA.
The trip went by so quickly and I was definitely sad to leave and say goodbye, but I’m so happy I was able to spend the days I had with my favorite people.
As I get older, I realize how precious vacation is and how important it is to use that time to just be with people you love. I’m so lucky to have a family that reunites throughout the year and I’m already counting down until our next trip!
I hope everyone’s having a great week – promise I’ll post a recipe soon, I’ve been cooking up a storm these days!
xo jordan