A Mountain Swim at Sunrise

A stroke of good luck, and the blessing of generous friends, landed us a free night at the Stein Eriksen lodge. We found out about the opportunity Friday afternoon, and after a flurry of shopping, leg shaving, nose wiping (the kids noses that is) and packing, we were checking into a beautiful room Friday night.

On a tangent, one of my best friends won a free trip to Disneyland a few years ago. It included airfare, park tickets, and accommodations at the Disney Grand for the whole family. You know, the really nice hotel with three swimming pools and your own private entrance to the park for about $375 per night. She would have normally stayed at the budget Best Western down the street for $100 per night. But, since it was a free trip, they were going in style and we were all SO excited for them to experience the extra luxurious accommodations.

After the trip was over, she wrote a really funny story called "The Imposters" about how they felt all out of place at the really fancy hotel, sneaking homemade meals in their room and wondering how much to tip the guy who was carrying their luggage all around. Then, when they moved to the budget Best Western down the street (they extended the vacation by a few days), they felt right at home with their little micro-fridge and carrying their own luggage. She is hilarious the way she tells it.

I have to admit, that as I packed our things into a huge suitcase and carefully stowed a little cooler full of chocolate milk in the bottom, I was reminded of her story and chuckled a little to myself.

We arrived at the beautiful Stein Eriksen Lodge, passed our stinky mini-van off to the valet (I did actually vacuum it during the flurry of getting ready, it still seemed out of place at that elegant lodge), and proceeded to our room with a guy hefting our embarrassingly heavy suitcase (adding a cooler of drinks makes it a tad heavy, but you've gotta have hotel munchies!). It was after 9 p.m. when we got settled. The pool was closed. The kids were tired. So, after Soph and AiAi took a fun bubble bath in the jetted tub huge enough to fit our whole family (we didn't try that out, but it looked like it would fit our whole family) and we drank a bunch of chocolate milk with powdered sugar donuts and crackers with easy cheese on the side (yeah, we go all out on junk food for trips), we got everyone settled into their beds for the night.

We made room for Soph in the huge king-sized bed with us (at her request) and made beds on the floor for the boys. By the time morning rolled around, I was nestled in the bed with all three kids and awesome Photoguy was taking the hit for the family sleeping on the floor (thanks Photoguy!). Luckily, as I've said before, that guy can sleep anywhere. And, while I loved being surrounded by six over-sized feather pillows and engulfed in a warm feather comforter, Photoguy found it hot and stifling. So, maybe he was even happier in his more modest accommodations.

I awoke at 6:30 a.m. and sneaked out to look around. The perfectly manicured lawns and elaborate gardens were gorgeous, and the fall colored mountains encircling the lodge were incredible. The pool opened at 7 a.m. I crept back to the room and dressed Soph and E-Man in their swimsuits for an early morning dip. Scratch that. I forgot Soph's swimsuit. Kind of important. I was glad she was a good sport about wearing a t-shirt and my swim shorts rigged up with a hair band to keep them from falling off. Classy, I know. But, we couldn't just not swim so we had to get creative. Photoguy and AiAi stayed behind for a few more Z's.

When I at first realized that the pool was outdoor, I was a bit surprised and wondered how that was going to work for a pre-sunrise swim in the mountains at the end of September? Luckily, the weather was awesome and the water felt like a warm bath. It was a magical, peaceful morning gliding through the water with my kids while the sky slowly lit up, taking the clouds from dull gray, to glowing golden, to pure white. We experienced that quiet moment together, just before the sun is up, when the leaves on the trees seem illuminated from within. And, after the sun lit up the sky, the water scattered little shimmers of light all over the rock wall lining the pool on one side.

We also spent some time in the hot tub with a rock waterfall spilling into it or curled up on the padded chaise lounges draped in the giant plush pool towels.

A little before 9 a.m. our friends (the friends I babysit for and kids), and Photoguy and AiAi joined us. It was a great morning playing together in the pool. Soph looked up at a tree covered with green leaves just beginning to yellow and said, "The leaves on that tree are really yellow. Leaves have chlorophyll, which is green, and when the chlorophyll leaves you can see their true color." I love it when my kids share something they've just learned.

After another bubble bath for the kids, we headed to the Glitretind, the resort's ultra-elegant restaurant for a delectable breakfast. Somehow, all six kids were angels for the hour-and-a-half experience. Whenever they acted up, we just let them eat cubes from the sugar bowl and for once all the extra sweets worked in our favor.

I wanted to order hot chocolates for all the kids, but, at $5 per cup (the prices were overly inflated), I couldn't bring myself to do it. After breakfast, we congregated in our friends' room for a bit before heading to a movie. The kids, of course, wanted to play in the closet. I love how kids are magnetized to tiny spaces. They heated water in the coffee maker and opened a box of Nestle hot cocoa with mini marshmallows (that I had grabbed at the store when I was picking up trip munchies), and made themselves cocoas in mugs and wine glasses. They were perfectly happy with themselves and it only cost 99-cents instead of thirty-dollars. Gotta love that. And, I loved seeing them using the stirrers like tiny straws to sip their drinks from goblets.

Our juice was also served in fancy glass goblets at breakfast. E-man must have reached across the table and toasted me about thirty times throughout the meal. So sweet. We feel so blessed for this little excursion to the mountains, and even more blessed to have such thoughtful friends!

And, since I'm writing about great times and free trips to Disneyland and stuff, the other good news is that on Friday we are leaving for our own free Disneyland trip!

Last fall, Photoguy came home from a photo assignment and said that he had happened upon a raffle for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. "I was feeling lucky," he said. So, he bought $5 worth of tickets and threw them in. A few days later we received a phone call telling us we had won the grand prize!

It's not quite as grand as the trip my friend won (with airfare and fancy hotel and all). In fact, it's just three nights at the budget Best Western down the street, and one-day tickets to Disneyland. But, whatever, we're still grateful and excited.

Friday, we are heading down to St. George so Photoguy can run the St. George Marathon on Saturday (maybe I should change his name to Marathonman?). On Sunday, we are driving to California for a day at the beach and Disneyland on Monday. All day today when I was thinking, "Somebody pinch me. Why am I in Park City in the lap of luxury?" I was also thinking, "And, why are we doing this (as in, getting away) again in just a few more days?" We are blessed.