Ski buddies

I'm going to dedicate this month's avatar to Howie, who would much rather be skiing, or at least bitching to me about the fact that he's not skiing or that I'm not skiing with him.
I'm reminded that two years ago this month, Mom, Howie, Brian and I took a trip to Steamboat Springs, Colo. for what would end up being our last ski trip together. The evening before we left Boston, Brian and I found out that I was pregnant. I was so glad to be flying out to see Mom and Howie the next day because I knew, I knew, that I would not be able to keep the pregnancy a secret for any longer than the time stretching from that afternoon to that evening. I could hardly talk to Mom that whole day because I was simply bursting with the news. Brian and I were in such a state because we didn't know how best to tell them. It ended up being over my refusal of a glass of wine to toast our trip.
One of my cherished memories will now and forever be all four of us being the only people on the planet who knew about the baby, and how happy we all were that we could celebrate it together.