One of the most exciting and thrilling experiences I ever had was going to Deer Valley, Utah. We always went with our cousins the Siebers. Their family has four kids: Peter, Tommy, Molly, and Robby, and my Aunt Biz and Uncle Jeff. We went there every year because my grandpa used to own a condo there. He doesn’t own it any more so we don’t go there anymore, but I often think about the amazing memories and experiences we had there.

I remember waking up at six thirty in the morning to head off to the airport. The air outside was really cold as my family loaded in our mini-van. We would drive 40 minutes to the Milwaukee Airport and head to check in. It seemed like we always forgot something like my mom’s license or one of our tickets, but we would somehow make it work and go to the bag checking area. I remember being afraid of the metal detector, but my dad would tell me that it was just a machine like our little T.V. in the kitchen, only bigger.

We would get on to the airplane and I would always get very nervous at this point from my aviophobia, fear of planes and flying. My mom would fall asleep almost instantly and my dad would let me squeeze his hand as hard as I wanted while we took off into the air. The plane trip took almost an entire day because of all the stops we had, but I knew that I was going to get to see my family. We would all get to enjoy ourselves in beautiful Utah with the snow all around us.

Every morning, we would wake early and have cinnamon rolls for breakfast. That was one of my fondest memories because I enjoyed spending time with my family and having fun. After, we would head out to the ski hills. I remember getting out of the car and hearing the crunch of the snow as the skiers came to a stop. We would first find a table next to the lodge that would accommodate all eleven of us. Then, it was time to ski.

My cousin Robby and I would get dropped off at “Bambi Camp”. That is a camp where kids seven and and under go with instructors to get better at skiing on the bigger mountains. After getting into groups, we went to the chair lift. Riding up the mountain was always fun. I felt like I was flying in a world of snow. Touching my skis to the snow would remind me of all the past memories I had and all of the enjoyment and excitement that was coming. The whole group would go, in a single file line, down the mountain. The cold air hitting my face along with enormous chunks of snow that hurt like chunks of concrete flying at me on the freeway. The sunburn felt like my skin was going to peel off. However, the pain was all worth the thrill of flying down the hill at 20 miles an hour.
When we got back to the lodge, we would eat lunch. We had gooey, homemade macaroni and cheese, crunchy french fries, and sweet Oreos for dessert. We only got Oreos when we had instructors that didn’t care much about the overall health of the lunch. All the other instructors made us eat carrots and grapes. The food tasted like cafeteria food, and not as good as my mom’s homemade meals, but I was hungry from skiing and willing to eat anything.

After lunch, we would go and watch a movie. The movie was usually something like “The Muppets” or “Monster’s Inc.” . Watching the movie was so warm and cuddly with everyone around me and blankets surrounding us.
Our parents would pick Robby and me up at about three. Then, we would go to the table that seemed as big as the queen’s royal dinner table that we had found before. We were all back together again and very glad to see each other. We had a big cookie from the restaurant as a prize for being good Bambi students, then we would head back to the condo.
At the condo, we all got into the big, indoor hot tub. It felt so good to get in the warm water after a long day in the freezing cold snow and wind. Being with everyone made my day and we all were so happy together. My mom loved the hot tub so much that we actually got one at our own house as a way to remember the fun.
It is really a shame that we don’t go to Deer Valley anymore. Being there with family was a great experience. We all loved each other so much and we wanted to spend as much time together as we possibly could. But, at the end of the week, we had to go home. I still have amazing memories that fill my mind whenever I think about going there. Maybe someday we can all go back to our favorite place, Deer Valley.