Since we became parents slightly over a year ago, we haven’t had a chance to get out for a vacation yet. This past weekend was our first family vacation. We spent the night and an enjoyable Saturday in Fraser, Colorado.

Road tripping with a toddler was easy-going for our first trip. We made sure to bring lots of snacks and activities for her to work on. Thankfully the drive was less than 2 hours to Fraser from Denver.

There’s something about spending quality family time in the mountains. It’s a time to slow down, disconnect from technology, and enjoy the beautiful facets of God’s country. My husband and I sat out on the front patio of the cabin we were staying at, after our toddler fell asleep for the night, and couldn’t help but mention how quiet it was. Back at home, our house is near a busy intersection. Nighttime is full of cars zooming by constantly, sometimes waking us up from revving their engines. I recognize that these are first-world problems, but Fraser was a welcome change. Just us in deep conversation, next to a warm fire.

The next day was adventure time with our toddler. We took a drive to Winter Park and strolled around the ski resort. The resort was filled with mountain bikers taking the gondola up to ride down the trails. We took a seat in the shade and watched bikers rush down the mountain. I’m usually at the ski resorts during wintertime, so it was neat to see what it was like in the summer. We also walked in a couple of gift shops.

After spending about an hour or so in Winter Park, and with a tired toddler, we decided to take a drive toward Lake Granby to get lunch. While our daughter napped, we ordered burgers, to-go, from a local grille. We didn’t want to wake our tired toddler, so we ate in the car. As they say, “don’t wake a sleeping baby.”

We got back to the cabin and rested after our adventurous day. In the early evening, we headed back home from our trip. My husband had mentioned stopping by the “historic” Dairy King in Empire on the way home. That’s all he had to do to convince me – I can’t decline good ice cream!

Driving home, I felt rejuvenated from our quick mountain getaway. Colorado mountain towns are gorgeous, so it was a nice scenic ride to there and back. Getting away and in a new environment is refreshing for the soul. Especially as parents of a toddler. Things can become so hectic and it’s nice to slow down.