A thin layer of new snow had already covered the greening hillside behind the house when I woke up on Thursday. Though most of it was melted by the time my folks pulled into the driveway from Durango, I’d already switched gears and had a pot of spicy chili on the stove and jalapeno cornbread in the works. The unpredictable springtime weather may have changed my Easter weekend plans with my folks a tad, but there was no shortage of fun. There never is.

I’ve mentioned a hundred times here that I lucked out with great parents. We communicate quite often but I hadn’t seen them in person for months, so we took advantage of the time to catch up, wishing my brother was there with us. I heard all about their recent cruise to Cabo, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta. We reviewed Mom’s pile of new recipes and selected a few to try over the next few days. We daydreamed about a family trip we’ve got planned for the fall. Cholula and little Lucky instantly impressed us with simultaneous snack begging. Over the weekend, we ate a lot, drank a lot, laughed a lot, and played a lot of poker- the usual.

One evening, we had a Mexican theme in honor of the cruise they so enjoyed, complete with salsa music, Ranchera steak tacos, homemade chips with Mom’s guacamole, and margaritas. Oh, and tequila in my Mom’s souvenir glass.

We tried some new recipes, like baked eggs in hashbrown “nests” and buffalo chicken wontons. Handy Dad fixed my broken clock and Cholula stalked chipmunks from an orange chair for hours. We strolled along McCloud Creek with the dogs, spying bits of spring and looking for beaver in the water. (The only sea creature was my dog.)

We headed to Old Town for a High West Distillery supper and did a little whiskey tasting. When in Rome! We also played some new board games that had us holding our sides in laughter.

Sunday was slow but steady in the kitchen. Snacks from my childhood appeared on the counter and a pair of bunny ears made their way around the family. We looked at itty-bitty John photos in a family album, relaxed with books, walked the dogs around the block. For our Easter dinner, we put together our traditional ham feast but tried a couple of different sides in addition to the ham potatoes: roasted vegetables and a classic wedge salad. By the time we’d eaten dinner, we were tuckered out and FULL; we even forgot to dive into the ice cream sundaes we’d planned on for dessert!

And just like that, my folks were packing up the car, distributing hugs and kisses, and honking as they pulled out of the driveway to head back to Colorado. Though I was tired, I never enjoy the feeling of a silent and empty house after five days of family mayhem. (Cholula pouted on Grandma’s bed for a few hours.) And then I made myself a ham sandwich, uploaded the photos from the weekend, and smiled as I browsed through them. I am extraordinarily lucky.

Happy Easter, indeed.

One year ago: The things I look forward to most about springtime.