New Year’s Eve was another one of those nights where things were up in the air (literally and figuratively!) for us. I had called a week ahead to book tickets for the family-friendly NYE party at the Beaver Run Resort. It would have been perfect, as it was located on Peak 9 where the glow-worm parade (kids skiing down the mountain with glow sticks, though I can’t say for sure since we missed it!), the torch-light parade (presumably expert level skiers ski down the mountain in a winding procession with long firey sticks), and last but not least, the fireworks. Unfortunately, Beaver Run’s tickets were already sold out.
So we walked the 10 minutes from our condo over to Peak 9 to see the parades beginning at 6pm. I figured it wouldn’t hurt to ask a restaurant if they had a table available. I tried Spencer’s and, as luck would have it, they did! But for 8 o’clock.
Though it was touch and go for a bit, we managed to settle into a great spot out on the patio facing the slopes to kill time (about an hour and a half with hungry kids). It turned into a great party atmosphere. There was a bar, a live DJ, and a firepit in front of which we scored prime seats. So we hung out by the fire, listened to the music, and danced a little. The scene was mostly 20something skiers, one wore an awesome pajama onesie; they were total goofballs and it was hysterical. It was just the right amount of party atmosphere without being inappropriate for little kids.
I could tell my daughter wanted to dance but was too shy to jump in with a bunch of adults. I encouraged her and said I would go if she goes. The second she said she was nervous, I stood up and said “Let’s go. Dance like no one is watching.” So we danced for a couple of minutes until I was out of breath from jumping up and down-I blame it on the altitude.
Dinner was an impressive buffet which worked perfectly since we had just under an hour before the fireworks started. They actually started a few minutes earlier. Last I had heard, our waiter was trying to find out if they were going to start at 9 or 9:30. I went to the restroom, came back, and everyone was gone. I followed the sound of fireworks outside and joined the crowd. My youngest was not enjoying the loudness of the fireworks so we squeezed through the crowd and snuggled inside on the hotel’s main staircase and watched the fireworks through the glass (the front of the building was a glass wall, so we didn’t miss a minute of the fireworks). It turned out to be a really special moment just the two of us. Last year, we were in Steamboat Springs and those fireworks were even more magical. There is something really neat about fireworks over a snowy mountain.
Finally, we headed home to watch the “countdown” on Netflix and put the kids to bed. Greatest ide
Fortunate Femme 