Lake Tahoe Day 2

 We woke up to this gorgeous dusting of snow for our first day of skiing!

 Matt and Allison spent some time in the hot tub loosening up their backs before getting dressed to hit the slopes.  

 The snow was falling at the base of the mountain and it was pretty chilly, but we bundled up 

 and took the Gold Coast Funitel gondola up to Gold Coast.

 The wind whistled through the gondola and the snow and wind were much worse when we got out.  We did one run up Gold Coast Express and Taylor was whining and ready for the lodge.  She couldn't take the cold and it was a rough start to our day.  It wasn't any better for her when she realized the Starbucks in the lodge was closed and her phone had frozen, so after some coercing, she decided to give it another try…this time, with her jacket zipped up all of the way and a face mask to protect her from the wind and snow.

 Everyone was smiling once again and we had a great morning of skiing on fresh powder!

 These 3 were pretty patient with my slow skiing and we did several runs on Gold Coast

 and then did the long ski down Mountain Run to go back to our room for a hot soup lunch.

 After lunch, we were back in the gondola 

 with even more snow on the ground.

 Visibility was pretty tough any higher that Gold Coast so we were content up there doing several different runs.

 We skied until our legs were jello

 and stopped for a snowball fight on the way back to the room.

 After a short rest, everyone cleaned up for dinner,

 stared out the window as the snow continued to fall

 and walked through the parking lot to play in the snow before dinner.

I think we got about 8-10 inches today and it was beautiful!!

We were bummed we couldn't make s'mores in the village fire pits, but we used the microwave in the room instead :)

Lake Tahoe Day 1

We enjoyed our first week of Spring Break staying home and getting some projects done and hanging out with friends.

 We left at 4:20 this morning for our 9 hour drive to spend most of the 2nd week in Lake Tahoe.  The forecast looked ideal for snowfall and great skiing and our excitement grew as we spotted the first signs of snow once we hit the mountains!

 We booked 4 nights in Squaw Valley and had this great 2 bedroom unit with a balcony overlooking the spa and mountain.

 After unpacking a little, we were eager to check out the village,

 get the kids' gear for skiing and get some dinner.

 Today was 80's day on the slopes so we saw lots of crazy outfits!

The snow hadn't started falling yet, but Allison found plenty to make her happy.

Potato Chip Rock

 For months, I have wanted to hike to Potato Chip Rock, after seeing so many friends post pictures.  I recruited my friend Chris and her girls to join us for the adventure.

Macy, Devan, Taylor and Allison 

 The hike begins at Lake Poway and is 3.7 miles up, and I mean up!  It is a very nice, wide gravel trail, but there are some pretty steep inclines in the first mile or so.  We took a little break for water and snacks and this viewpoint before entering the more narrow, rocky path.

 I'm glad we went early because there was little shade and it got warm quickly. 

 We stopped several times for quick shade breaks and to catch our breath and take in the views.

 After almost 4 miles and very weak legs, we saw our final destination and the line of people waiting for photo ops.  Waiting in line gave us time for a snack and water break.  There was a very sweet guy who helped us jump out onto the rock ledge and another great guy who took our photos.

These two were brave enough to stand

 while the rest of us crawled into position. ( I still can't believe I did it!)

We did it and it was well worth it!  We've crossed another item off of our "To Do" list and had a great workout with friends.  The trek down was so much easier, although tough on our knees, but we completed the nearly 8 mile trip in about 4 hours and celebrated with a well-served lunch at Panera and dessert at Yogurt Island.  

Allison's New Room

Allison got new bedding for Christmas and we have been trying to find a free weekend to do her room makeover.  Although I wasn't excited to start Spring Break with a weekend of painting, it was the only time available and I promised so…

It wasn't fun covering up the hot pink, but we love the new look…light grey and lavender walls with black and white decor.  We added deep purple as the "pop color".

Now on to the fun Spring Break stuff!

More Weekend Visitors

 We had more visitors this weekend…David, Wendy, Nolan and Parker!   The girls love these boys and had a great time with them.  We drove up to Santa Rosa Plateau to visit the Vernal Pools.  After our rainstorm, the pools filled up some and are the perfect spot for water snakes.  We saw quite a few in the pools and loved watching them glide through the water.  

 The trails were lined with California Poppies

 and the views were beautiful!

 We were planning on hiking down the the historic adobes, but right as we walked off the pool platforms, we spotted a very large rattlesnake slithering right off of the trail through the tall grass!  Nolan was ready to press on, but the rest of us chickened out and called it quits.

We took a break in the shade, calmed our nerves and then cautiously hiked back to the car.  As if that wasn't enough excitement for one day, our evening got even more exciting.  After dinner at Guadalajara, we were walking to our cars and caught two drunk guys squared up to fight in the parking lot.  With one punch, the guy was knocked out cold!  I called 911 while Matt identified himself and took control of the scene.  2 police cars, an ambulance and fire truck were there in minutes, the suspect fled on foot and our hearts were racing!  Nolan thought it was the best day EVER, but Parker was a little spooked.  Never a dull moment...