The day after Thanksgiving. No shopping planned for today although I called my neighbor to ask her a favor and she hit the stores at 4:30am. Wow, that is dedication.

I asked my neighbor if she could keep an eye on the house. Why? Josh and I decided that Ella was doing well enough that we should try to take her on an adventure.

By 3pm, the car was loaded and we were headed for the mountains. We had asked her pulmonologist about going into the mountains. He advised that Ella should be pretty much the same, but may require more oxygen. Otherwise, it should not really have an impact on her. So, we decided to go for it.

The drive up made it clear that winter had arrived. The roads were icy and snow was falling. It was gorgeous although not the best driving conditions. We passed a few accidents on the way up the mountain, all on the opposite side of the road heading back towards Denver.

Ella was in such a great mood. She loves going out on adventures. Most of the time, it is to go to the hospital or the doctor. We want her to have other experiences in the car too. She was having a good time watching the scenery go by through the window. Here and there, she would take little cat naps.

Josh has a big project for work that has kept him really busy this week, even into this weekend. It needs to be done by the time he goes to work on Monday. So although we came to the mountains, he is busy in the corner with his headphones on, working away. Ella is chillin’ out watching some videos. We are just enjoying the change of scenery.

By the time we arrived at Copper Mountain, it was dark. Although you can peek out and see the snow falling, we will need to wait till tomorrow to enjoy the winter wonderland scenery. I’m looking forward to it. I love looking at the mountains and the snow covered pine trees. Somehow, someway, coming to the mountains always rejuvenates my spirit.

Ella can’t appreciate it much these days, but I look forward to the days when she can enjoy coming to the mountains too. I have visions in future years of spending time here as a family and teaching Ella to ski and snow shoe.

The best part is that we were not sure how Ella would adjust to the mountains. The altitude is around 10,000 feet. Our home in the Denver metro area is close to 6,000 feet, so this is significantly higher. She is requiring 1.5 liters when asleep and close to 2 liters when she is awake. Other than turning up the concentrator more, she is acting like she is very comfortable.

That makes us so happy. It means that we can come to the mountains as a family more often in future days; something we have always enjoyed.

Psalm 119:77 (NIV)
Let your compassion come to me that I may live,
for your law is my delight.