New Hampshire: Snow, Coasties, and a Gymnastics Meet
New Hampshire: Snow, Coasties, and a Gymnastics Meet
We started our New Hampshire trip on Friday—really, we started it Thursday night.
That’s when we drove to Meme's house with our new Tesla charging adapter. And yes, we used the adapter so we could charge at Tesla stations, which felt like being accepted into a secret society. Tesla loved us. Electrify America… not so much. I’m pretty sure they were jealous.
From there, Friday was a full day of driving north. It’s actually a pretty great drive—beautiful, long, and just familiar enough to be comfortable. I even tried to keep up with some work along the way (emphasis on tried).
We arrived at our Airbnb in New Hampshire to find the kind of joy that makes you instantly feel like life is good: Meme had made two lasagnas.
And then—like a movie scene—the Coast Guard kids began arriving.
Not all at once. In waves. Like a cheerful invasion.
Eight Coasties descended on the Airbnb: Lydia and MG, Josh, Celia, Dylan, Claire, Diba, Arwin—everybody showing up with snow energy and that Coast Guard vibe of being both exhausted and unstoppable.
It snowed late Friday night, so Friday itself wasn’t a big activity night. We played code names, ate, laughed, settled in, and went to bed knowing the weekend was about to get loud—in the best way.
Saturday: Ski Day and a House Full of Life
Saturday morning started with tradition: Meme's famous egg casserole (Boyer recipe, of course).
Chelsea flew to the meet on military air — a KC-135 refueling cargo plane — and she and her friends got to play with the controls. Because apparently that’s a totally normal Saturday for an Air Force gymnast.
Then it was go-time.
Tom and the coasties got ready to ski for the day. Beanies, gloves, gear everywhere. Chaos, excitement, somebody always looking for something. Lydia and Josh volunteered to be ski instructors because MG was snowboarding for the first time. Lydia was her first teacher. Josh was her second. MG enjoyed it and in her words, she spent most of her time vertical.
Lynne and Meme stayed back at the Airbnb while the rest of us braved the roads to the slopes. The snow was coming down enough that we had to brush off cars in the morning, and the drive to skiing was… interesting. Not terrifying, but definitely one of those drives where you’re thankful for good tires and a steady grip on the wheel.
Once we got there, the conditions were actually pretty great—snowy, a little icy in spots, but completely skiable. Most importantly:
Nobody got hurt.
A miracle worth celebrating.
And at lunch, Dylan and Claire had prepared a full charcuterie spread like it was a professional event. It was delicious—one of those meals where you stop and think, How did we get so lucky?
That night the Coasties made dinner for us: “Marry Me Soup.”(But nobody got engaged. Slightly disappointing.)Except Makayla in Pennsylvania… which might’ve been remote. But still. Everyone agreed it counted.
We played games—Uno, three different ways. Everyone crashed hard afterwards. Skiing is humbling. Everyone sleeps like they earned it.
Oh—and Saturday night we also celebrated Dylan’s birthday, complete with candles and singing. The kind of small moment that somehow becomes one of the best memories of the weekend.
Sunday: Pancakes, Escape Room, and Chelsea’s Meet
Sunday morning: pancakes.
The whole house smelled like breakfast and togetherness. People wandered in slowly. Everyone was happy.
We started an escape room game and got about two-thirds of the way through before reality set in—we needed to clean up and put on our Air Force shirts, because it was time to see Chelsea compete at the University of New Hampshire.
We got to the meet early enough to watch Chelsea warm up. She warmed up for two events, but competed on bars. It was so good to see her in her element—focused, poised, strong.
The team got second place out of four, and Jennifer talked to them afterward for a long time.
Afterward we all went to dinner at Clark’s American Bistro. It was a small place, which made it tricky for a group our size. But two very kind Air Force gymnastics fans actually moved over a table so we could have six of us together—including Uncle Michael and Aunt Sandy, who graciously came out to support Chelsea.
Chelsea ended up eating with us (the team was in a back room), and we got to spend real time with her. We talked, laughed, sat longer than planned—in other words, the kind of dinner that doesn’t feel rushed, which is rare and beautiful.
We also heard the story of Chelsea’s first date with Gabe from Maggie…
Chelsea told us about her Cambodia trip too, and honestly, those conversations are part of what this whole weekend was about. Not the skiing. Not the food. Not the games.
Just being together, long enough for stories to come out.
Snow Driving and Sauna Warriors
Driving back to the Airbnb was the most challenging stretch of the weekend. The snow was really coming down, roads got slick, and one hill in particular was so slippery it felt like a test.
We made it—slowly.
Spaceship complained the whole way.
(Spaceship is the name of our car.)
Back at the Airbnb, we finally finished the escape room—successfully. The Coasties also made brownies and ate most of them (as Coasties do), and yes, they were good.
The sauna became its own event: Coasties would go in the sauna, then run outside and jump into the snow like it was a training exercise. I’m still not sure whether that’s brave or insane. Possibly both. Lynne did the sauna too without the snow (Saturday).
Eventually everyone fell asleep again—tired in that deep, peaceful way you only get after snow days with people you love.
Monday: Goodbyes and more skiing
Monday morning came quickly.
Oatmeal. Packing up. Backing cars out. The kind of quiet, routine movements that mean: the weekend is ending.
Tom, Lynne, and Meme headed south back home while the Coasties went back to the hill to ski (except Arwen, who had to head back).
We hugged. We took pictures in the snow. That particular kind of goodbye where you’re full and grateful and also just a little sad. The family, coasties, and teammates we spent time with are just great people.
It was a great weekend trading time for memories.
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