It has become a tradition for Scott and I to go skiing over Valentine's weekend. This year we decided it was time to bring Amaya along to join in on the fun. We decided to go to Telluride this year because we've heard so many great things about both the area and the ski conditions. It did not disappoint. We didn't want to leave and Scott mentioned tonight he wished we could go back in March and do it again. I have a feeling our annual ski trip will be to Telluride every year from now on. It was an 8 1/2 hour car ride (which included a stop for lunch), but the drive went by very fast. Perhaps because the drive was so scenic and it also helped that Amaya was a great traveler. What a difference a year makes! I could not say the same thing about the 5 1/2 hour drive to Disneyland last March. Upon arriving we found Telluride to be this quaint little town full of charm and full of friendly, happy people. Telluride is a town with no chain hotels or restaurants, but is full of wonderful places to dine and stay. We loved where we stayed, Hotel Telluride, and would love to stay there everytime we return if possible. It had everything we look for when choosing a place to stay while skiing, ie great location, a fireplace, outdoor hot tubs, great mountain views, comfie beds, kitchenette, shuttle, and on-site restaurant/cocktail lounge. And then there is the skiing. What can we say. It was the best skiing we have ever experienced. Amazing! The powder was perfection! We arrived in sunshine, which quickly gave way to snow showers and it pretty much snowed for the rest of our trip. Which was not only fabulous for having fresh powder to ski in, but it was fabulous because Amaya had never seen it actually snow and that is something she has been wanting to experience for a long time. She was giddy with delight seeing the big, fluffy flakes fall from the sky. She loved, loved, loved catching them with her tongue. And to our delight, Amaya loved, loved, loved ski school. I cannot say enough about the Telluride Ski School. They do a fabulous job. Amaya had a blast, did great and cannot wait to go back. Other highlights for Amaya on her first ski-trip include riding in a gondola, eating snow, making snow angels, squeezing in some sledding, sitting by a fire and hot-tubbing outside while it was heavily snowing. It was a fabulous trip.
Cuddling up on the cozy bed upon arriving.
View from our balcony.
Breathtaking!
Snow on our balcony when we arrived.
Snow on our balcony the following morning.
Our favorite piece of luggage.
Waiting for the shuttle to take her to her first day of ski school.
Riding the Gondola.
My two Valentine's.
Telluride through the snow from the Gondola.
Mommy/Daughter Moment
I swear that Amaya and I under all that ski gear.
Ski school. Aren't they cute?!
Look at those cute little ski boots.
Amaya with skis on for the first time.
Snowing, snowing, snowing.
Mommy and daddy's first run of the trip.
Catching snow flakes with her tongue.
A brief break in the clouds.
We took advantage and snapped some photos while there was some visibility.
One of the many perks of AZ living is that so many people we know love visiting here, especially in the winter. Bonus! Here is a picture of Amaya getting to see her midwestern friends Katy and Elly, twin daughters of my friend Dawn. It's becoming an annual tradition. :) The same week we also got to see my friend Tina and her boyfriend Aaron, though I neglected to take any pictures. :(
Dawn and I and our about to be 5-year-olds. They had so much fun together too bad we don't live closer!
Amaya taking Kanani horseback riding.
I thought this was so cute.
Kung Fu Amaya
The love birds at Karate. 
The animal of the week. Amaya's only constant at bedtime is her lovie. Her companion of choice changes week-to-week, sometimes day-to-day. This week her companion took up more of her bed than she did. Thought this was funny. Had to share. Don't worry, we made sure she could breath under the weight of Mr. Bear.
Amaya has been asking to take guitar lessons for a long time. So we signed her up and she loves it! She can tell us all the parts of the guitar and even play us a little melody. She's also learning to read music. She loves her instructor, Spencer, and so do we. But she doesn't always get to have him. :( Which is too bad cuz he is the best! She cracked him up on her first day, cuz he aked her if she wanted to play guitar because of Taylor Swift and she said no, because of Green Day. It caught him off guard and he busted out laughing. She did add that she does like Taylor Swift, too, though.
Amaya also decided that she wanted to give golf a try, which thrilled Scott. She seems to love it and has quite the natural swing from the get-go. Gee, I wonder why. Could be from watching golf on tv with dad virtually every weekend of her life. :) 
A couple shots of my other golfer. ;)
That's all I have time for for now. Thus the blog title 7 days of blogging. I usually do a big blog post once a month. But for my March blogging, I decided to break it up over a week instead due to time constraints. Come back tomorrow for day 2 of 7. ;)
