The McCullough Family: Superbowl VII

For this years annual Super Bowl trip with the Leadbetter's, we decided to return to Connecticut again. Last year was so wonderful with the added bonus of the ease of skiing. And who knows where we will be next year, so we thought we'd make it kid friendly and drivable this year.

A week before we went, I found goggles and helmets for both kids on sale-

Score. Now what else to pack?

Friday morning we drove up, in a bit of spitting snow through Maryland, while Sara and family woke up to a snow day! We promised we'd hurry and get there...

But first we had to stop for lunch. We were on a cheesesteak quest, and Brian found Chick's in NJ. When we arrived, it looked questionable-

It was in an alley and pretty much empty. But on the other side of that shady looking door-

Pickles! This place reminded me of home, well my childhood home- Massachusetts. You can't find a good "grinder" outside of New England. Nor can you find buckets of giant dill pickles, uncovered, in the lobby of most restaurants, right?

We arrived at Sara and Chris' right after 3. The kids immediately went out sledding, we adults had some drinks and then Sara and I actually left for most of the night, and planned to be gone almost all of Saturday too.

A few months back, Sara told me that he church was hosting an IF:Local gathering via live streamiest, and that Jen Hatmaker was going to be one of the speakers. Would I want to go while in town for Super Bowl weekend? Heck yes!

Friday was 7-10pm, and we thought we'd go and give it a chance. Wouldn't you know we stayed the entire time!

Saturday morning, we were back at it at 9am, feeling energized to spend the day together with other women who love Jesus, learning more about how to love others more!

The conference went from 9-7pm on Saturday and again, we went thinking we wouldn't stay the whole day. Guess what? We did!

Meanwhile, our amazing husbands were getting 5 kids ready to go skiing-

No easy feat, but something I think they think is easier without us moms around actually!

Brian and Macy skied together, while Tate went along with Chris and his boys. (Tate and Macy hadn't skied since we visited last year...)

While reports were that Tate held his own, apparently this girl mastered it and didn't want to stop skiing! Ever.

Sara's parents lovingly agreed to babysit all the kids Saturday night so that we could escape for a double date. The guys were itching to get out of the house, and when we pulled in 10 minutes before our reservation time, they were not too thrilled with us. But seriously, we were at a women's conference learning about God! It's not like we were out clubbing...

The restaurant was beautiful, and delicious.

During dinner, Sara overheard a familiar voice from her past... Turns out it was her high school history teacher! Small town living for sure.

Beautiful waterfall outside restaurant-

We went home to relieve the babysitters, played some games and then suddenly this happened apparently-

Sunday morning required a little nap-

And then we were all off to church! Sara and I just couldn't get enough... And we let the kids all wear their football jersey's to church. On game days, that's how we roll to church at home.

Sunday afternoon we skipped naps, piled all 9 of us in the minivan and went moonshine tasting!

Check out this quintessential old New England farm, turned moonshine distillery-

Cheers!

And suddenly it was time for Super Bowl! Quick, bet on your square-

And what a night it was for all us Peyton Manning fans! Finally.

Monday morning started off with a traditional Leadbetter breakfast for us all-

And then we were off to the slopes! Sara took on a part time job at the mountain this winter, and Macy could not wait to get some time with Mrs. Sara, the official ski instructor-

It was like she was in a private lesson all day! Sara was the ultimate authority on all things ski related that day. Macy wouldn't even sit with me on the chair lifts, always choosing Sara instead.

The day was a blast. Good temperature, with fresh now falling for a lot of the day. We planned well too, with plenty of snacks, drinks and amazing burritos made by Chef Brian. Then the adult beverages ran out. And Drew needed a nap. And we needed milk, and gas. And Sara and I had a grand plan, that didn't involve Sara running off the road, while talking with me on the phone, during a snow storm, narrowly missing a fire hydrant, electrical box, street light pole AND hair salon. Phew.

Back to the slopes for some night skiing-

And then we reluctantly decided to call it quits. What a day!

These are all the trail names at the ski slope that are painted on the staircase to the gift shop. So cool for the kids to remember which the skied-

And then suddenly, it was Tuesday and time to go home. And just like last year, it snowed for our departure too!

Along the way, we decided to stop off for another cheesesteak, this time at the original Tony Luke's in South Philly. AMAZING!