Hectic weekend worth all the effort despite fighting off cold

To make matters worse, I couldn't breathe because of a cold that made my eyes itchy, nose runny and voice sound like it was being smothered by cotton balls.

Ahh, winter in Alaska.

Here we are, another month to go until the stranglehold of winter finally lets loose (not to assume April will be balmy, but we can always dream, right?), and there are still many days of snowy adventure ahead. The problem with winter, though, is that the stars all must align to make it ideal for that ski, bike, run, mush or ice-skating outing.

With the weekend looming and the list of activities on our agenda full, I knew it would've been better to wrap up with a blanket and sit by the fireplace. My head felt like a brick and my energy waned. The stars were telling me to rest, beat this nasty cold and go outside another day. Still, knowing there were all these great activities, I just couldn't resist.

In the summer we are used to this crazy "burn the candle on both ends" mentality. After all, we are making up for lost time, taking advantage of a sun that doesn't set and basking in the few days when T-shirts and flip flops are reasonable clothing choices. We know that even summer can turn out dreary, wet and chilly, so we make the most of it when the weather cooperates.

But here it is the dead of winter, with a thermometer telling me it is zero degrees outside, and the idea of sitting idle still remains elusive. I'm not sure why. Maybe it's having a group of friends who encourage each other to get out -- when one of us gets grumpy and our resolve begins to crumble, the other boosts us up, saying, "Get out here and stop whining, it's not that bad once you're moving!"

They're right, of course, and despite my waning energy, the weekend was a blast. The snow fell heavily as we started the Frostbite Footrace, me following closely behind my 7-year-old daughter and her friend, dressed as bright orange crabs and running side by side. It wasn't a workout, running at a 7-year-old's pace, but watching the girls dig deep to run a course that to them was infinite was heartening.

Later at the cabin I snuggled up on the couch by the fireplace and was just beginning to let the warmth of the flames lull me into non-action, when Emily clomped in and announced, "Mom said to come in here and tell you to get your butt out there."

It was just the encouragement I needed, so I got up, laced on the ice skates and ended up having a great time playing tag with the kids and taking part in an ice-skating relay on the cleared lake ice.

Later in the evening we clamped on skis and went for a jaunt around the lake, and the next morning I cheered the kids on as they finished their distances in the Ski the Beach event. They looked exhausted; I could see that even their energetic little bodies were ready for some down time.

Still, it was one of those weekends that creates memories that, hopefully, will be remembered fondly. "Back-in-the-day" recollections about taking advantage of all that makes the Alaska outdoors so special. Because come Monday, we're all hanging out on the couch with nothing to do at all.

And that can be kind of fun too.

• Contact Melissa DeVaughn and read her blog "Deadlines and Stopwatches" at www.melissadevaughn.com.