Where to start? (Verbier)

I could tell you about the exhilarating all-terrain buggy ride through the snowstorm up the mountain in the dark pulling luggage behind on a trailer to get to the remote chalet where we stayed this weekend as the guests of kind new friends.

Or about the muscle-toning snowshoeing (that is a hard word to type as I think about how to spell it) through the snowfall for an hour to a non-smoking restaurant in the French-speaking part of Switzerland, with a party of nine, including 5 kids, and the 30 minutes back (more downhill on the way back, thankfully!).

Or I could describe the unfolding of the opening weekend of the ski season in  Verbier, with the slopes closed on Saturday due to high winds and snowstorm, then closed Sunday morning due to a broken-down lift, then open Sunday afternoon with gorgeous sunshine and great visibility and lovely soft snow (three lifts running), but closed again Monday all day (today) due to (get this) "heavy snow." Actually, the exact words on the website are "Ski resort all day closed. Important Snowfalls." Boy were we glad we got our three fantastic hours of skiing in Sunday afternoon! We couldn't even believe our luck that there was enough snow to ski in November! I'm not sure I've ever skiied in November before in my whole life!

Or perhaps you'd be interested in the real snowmobile ride down the mountain, again in the dark and heavy snowfall, with our luggage and skis, at 8pm last night (the only time the snowmobile was available), and our subsequent digging out of our car, and drive home for 5 1/4 hours through practically continuous snowstorm and snowy highways, often only at half-speed. In normal conditions, the drive would be 3.5 hours. We didn't get home last night until 1:45am. This morning, that is. My husband is, as usual, the great hero of the family, at the wheel the whole time, awake and alert while the kids slept in the back and I did my best to stay awake with him...only jerked back awake about 5 times after my (hopefully) short cat naps. Good thing I wasn't driving, and he knows it.

The kids went to school this morning, bleary-eyed and only one of them slightly late. David went off to work, the poor soul. I need to get all the suitcases emptied, the laundry going, the shopping done, etc. But had to tell some of our story.

It was a great weekend full of adventure and fun and novel experiences. Thank you so much to our wonderful friends and their generosity in sharing their weekend away with us. The beauty of the snowy mountains and that blue, blue sky between blizzards was most conducive to worship of the Creator, who Himself is so generous. 

Now I'm watching the rain fall on the snow in the back yard, and must do all the chores...

Photos of the trip soon.