We have booked our flights for our March 2009 family ski trip to Ellicottville, NY and Holiday Valley Ski Resort.

Um, we are going the weekend of the “Mardi Gras Parade & Winter Carnival” which is SO strange. Mardi Gras in NY seems like sacrilege. People who don’t know what boudin is (much less how to pronounce it) should not be allowed to celebrate Mardi Gras unless they are visiting one of the Gulf states, the Caribbean, or Brazil. Those crazy Yankees ALSO forgot to check their calendar because Mardi Gras is February 24th this year. Just another example of how them Yanks like to make fun of us down here in the South, yet we’re so cool that they have to steal our holidays. I guess the “Freeze Your Butt Off Festival” would not sound as attractive. Whatever. Maybe we’ll find a leftover mold-free King Cake on the clearance rack to haul up there.

Gloria (Jesse’s Mom) found a great 4 bedroom house rental for us to rough it in. It has a fireplace, jacuzzi, and is dog-friendly. I will try to survive the miserable cold the best I can.

Koko is extremely excited about learning to ski with Uncle Nick. She will probably be really good at it. Now we just have to find a really stupid looking dog jacket and boots for Bella…