Getting up to the cabin proved a little more difficult than originally thought. And although we were warned to have either 4 wheel drive or snow chains the fault is ours alone. You see as were driving through it was clear there was very little snow to even speak of and only saw tiny amounts going up the sides of mountains so we chose snow cables. They were the cheaper of the 2 and therefore the way to go. Not so, because when you are climbing to an altitude of 3500 feet there may not be remnants of snow but by golly there will be remnants of ice and sure enough. As we were driving up the very steep tiny-barely-able-to-fit-one-car lane drive which by the way had a total drop off into the valley below some 500 feet on my side, the car got stuck, wheels began spinning, we started to slide and the cables were useless. By this time I am having quite the anxiety attack since its very dark and I am terrified of heights. Why go to the mountains I hear you ask? The things you do for the ones you love.
At that moment I exited the car in haste and took in a deep breath of mountain air. I also proceeded to walk as fast and as safely as I could up the rest of the drive to see just how far away the house was because I was not getting back in that car. Shortly after that Brian decided he could not get the rest of the way up without chains so we all hopped out of the car and walked all of our stuff up to the house. He made his way back down the mountain returned the cables and spent the extra money for safety and peace of mind.
We headed out Christmas Eve to take the boys skiing. Because of my neck injury I was simply the cheerleader and photographer for this event. The boys were excited, as was I because I had skied as a kid and loved it. I am pleased to say I only had 3 more anxiety attacks that day and one had nothing to do with height.
We were driving through Banner Elk downtown area taking in all the sights. We just happen to look over at a grassy hill area just in time to witness a police officer unloading a couple of rounds on a raccoon. Even though I know raccoons aren't your everyday tame domestic animal it was still a sight to behold and really shocked the boys.
Anyway, I digress. As we are ascending the mountain I feel the wave of panic set in again and wonder how much further are we from the top. It's almost as if I can somehow see us catapulting off the top every time we round another corner. But instead we just climb higher and higher and with every turn its steeper and steeper and I just wanna get off the ride.
But its kind of the same feeling I had when I was giving birth. You can't stop and decide you are done. There is no where to turn around, there is no where to pull over. You just have to keep going until you reach the top. Sensing my panic Brian had the foresight to pull over at the top. Ya I know what you are thinking, its too late now she's already melted down. But, surprisingly I still had it together. (I didn't completely lose it until later) So, we pulled over and took a couple pics.
Isn't that breathtaking? God is truly a magnificent creator. After a brief moment to catch my breath we drove around the corner and there was Beech Mountain.
It took about 30 minutes to get everyones stuff on, rent ski's, and find the bunny slopes and once they did it was only 5 minutes to decide they all needed to take the class.
Fast forward an hour and they are done being bunnies and ready to rock the real slopes. Its so amazing to watch how fast kids pick stuff up. Before I knew it, all of them were coming down that second mountain so fast I could hardly catch a picture or video. They had a blast. Here are a few more pics. 
Leaving was hard. First of all they were all having a such a good time they didn't want it to be over and second because 4:30 was the end for everyone. They were closing so it was a race to hurry up and wait to turn in all your ski equipment. The drive back down the mountain was pretty uneventful except for me crying in the back seat and my 11 year old attempting to comfort me. Seriously, my boys are never going to want me to go anywhere with them again.
Christmas day was beautiful. Since it had been snowing all night the trees glistened and children listened...just kidding. Honestly though it was beautiful.
After we ate pancakes, opened presents and stuffed ourselves with ham and everything else for Christmas lunch we suited up and went for a walk. Since there was a sled the boys had a blast walking from hill to hill seeing who could go down the fastest. It got funny when one had ice under the snow and Jared didn't realize it. He wasn't quite so eager the next time.
The plan was to go skiing the day after Christmas but by the time we got up there was already 8 inches of freshly fallen snow on the ground and it was still snowing. The forecast said a blizzard was coming and wasn't expected to let up until 6 the following day. So we decided to cut our losses and leave a day early.
However, I can't finish this post without boasting about my husbands amazing skills. He had to back down the drive in over 10 inches of snow and even when the car began to slide he never lost his cool (of course I'm a different story). Instead of sliding off the side, we slid into the side of the mountain. Finally, we were able to turn around and I truly thank God for His angels guiding us safely down and through the valley to the main road.
Moral of the story: Rachel stays at the bottom of the mountain.
All in all a beautiful and somewhat adventurous Christmas.
I have so much to be thankful for and am!!
