The Broadmoor, Colorado Springs

So we made it to the Broadmoor without a hitch and settled into our plush room complete with a balcony.  We love this place, I mean LOVE.IT.  We use to come to the Broadmoor when we were little kids and I vividly remember those trips.  My family loves the mountains and Colorado was always a beloved vacation spot for us.  We would have so much fun running around the compound, swimming in the gorgeous swimming pool, cruising down the water slides, going to the kids camp, paddle boating and just being on the resort grounds.  The Broadmoor is simply exquisite and there is just no reason to want to leave!  You are surrounded by mountains and from any angle, the views are breath taking.

As my brother, sister and I got older, our school activities and interests multiplied and we slowly stopped taking our vacations there - life offers so many places to see!  However, now that we are all grown and some of us have children, the Broadmoor has proven to be the absolute best spot for all of us to reunite for a family vacation.  There is something for everyone!

With the exception of Dan, the guys are golfers and so they spent many an afternoon on the course while the rest of us partied hard in our cabana (#6) near the pool.  Since we have a 15 month old, a 3.5 year old, a couple with fair skin (guess who?), and the sunshine of Colorado, the cabana and beach umbrellas proved to be the best way for us to camp out as a group.  We could come and go from our central location and at the same time enjoy the landscape all day long.  William LOVED swimming in the huge pool and he got a real kick out watching the adults go down the water slides.   He'd rank the splashes for us and cheered us on as we came speeding down the slides.

Although we logged most of our vacation near the pool, we also managed to get out on the town.  One day Bebe and Pops took William, Elin and the adults to The North Pole, home of Santa's Workshop. It's a Christmas themed family amusement park that has been in existence since 1956.  In fact, Bebe remembers going there as a little girl.  The park includes more than 25 rides, gift shops, train rides and the opportunity to meet the jolly man himself (which we skipped).

At first William was not real keen on the rides.  He was very slow to warm up and studied the rocket ride and the twisty slide VERY closely before deciding that the old fashioned model T cars were more his speed.  Once he experienced his first amusement ride he realized there was a lot of fun to be discovered and he let down his guard.  He rode the boat ride about 20 times and rang the bell as he floated around and around.  He also liked the train ride around the park and the transportation ride where you pick a bus, taxi, motorcycle, etc. to ride around in a circle.  Of course, his airplane radar was in full swing and he managed to find Santa's workshop full of toys and you guessed it - airplanes.  Pops treated him to a few new fighter jets (aka tighter jets) and that just topped off his wonderful day!

Now you don't just vacation without eating yourself silly.  The Broadmoor has tons of delicious options for every age and kids eat free to boot!  So, the first two nights we went back to our favorite place, The Summit.  One night we all ate together.  As a side note, last year Bebe had the brilliant idea of bringing along surprise presents every night to dinner for each of the kids.  This tactic was well received by William and before we ever got to the Broadmoor, he was asking Bebe if she would have "surprise packs" for him.  I tell ya what, he has quite the memory!  Bebe assured him that she was well prepared with surprises and night after night she proved him right!  William's theme was airplanes (model planes, book, stickers, fan, etc) and Elin's theme was geared for the everyday toddler who loves Wonder Pets.   These "surprise packs" kept the kids entertained throughout dinner while the adults enjoyed each other's company.

The second night my parents kept the little people while us big kids had a night on the town.  We lingered over dinner, swapped stories and made complete idiots of ourselves by taking goofy pictures with the self timer on the camera.

We also dined on the Gulf Club terrace which was a big hit.  William made a few friends on the practice putting green while the rest of us enjoyed our meal.  We also spent every morning having breakfast as a big group at our favorite, Charles Court.  You could find us in the crowd because every morning Pilot Barron was in his uniform flying his toy planes at the table!

All in all, it was a wonderful, treasured vacation.  I covet the moments I get to spend with my family because we are more than just an original party of 5.  We are great friends who remain fiercely loyal to one another. When we are together it just feels "right" - almost like it was just yesterday that Ryan and I held Rachel for the first time as Big Brother and Big Sister or all the Christmases we spent huddled at the top of the stairs waiting to race down and see what Santa left us.  I can feel so many of those special moments and oh how the time flies!  We laugh ourselves silly, we support each other's dreams and are so grateful to God for giving us the best parents 3 Johnston kids could ever ask for!