A White Christmas

Mike and I had an excellent Christmas.  It would have been even better if we were able to spend it with family but, we were very fortunate to have a white Tahoe Christmas.  It started snowing on Christmas eve.  It was very windy and cold so the snow blew around and created big snow drifts.  Mike and I stayed home all day.  We lounged on the couch and watched the snow fall from our window.  The total accumulation at our house was probably 3-4 inches but because of the wind, some places had deeper snow and some places had very little.  We were able to attend a lovely Christmas Eve service which definitely made it feel a lot more like Christmas (quick disclaimer though: no church service will ever be able to compare to Wendell Christian Church's Christmas Eve service).

We exchanged Christmas presents on Christmas eve since Mike wanted to get up EARLY Christmas day to go skiing.  He was very generous this year.  I got remote start for my car and a new pancake griddle... and then I was lovingly woken up on Christmas morning by my sweet husband requesting blueberry pancakes before he left for skiing... at 6:00 am.

 I couldn't decide what to get Mike but I had a few ideas.. so... I wrapped little objects or pictures that represented the gifts, and then told him he could pick one.  For example: I gave him a ring pop to symbolize a new wedding ring (his is too big and can't be resized because it's titanium).  I gave him a small wooden anchor to represent a cruise around San Francisco bay on a sailboat.  And the last option was a bike rack from REI.

Christmas day we woke up early... me to make pancakes... Mike to go skiing.  I stayed in my pjs all morning watching movies and while the snow flurries fell outside!  Later that day I cooked a ham, stuffing/gravy, green beans, rolls, sweet potato casserole and our friends brought corn pudding, apple pie and ice cream.  We had sweet tea and wine and it was all yummy.  I was able to get lots of sweet snuggles from their beautiful newborn daughter.  It was a really fantastic day.

Saturday, we went out for a little backcountry skiing.  The snow was good in some spots, but in others it was really crusty/icy.  Nevertheless, we got a great workout... saw some beautiful views... and got in a few turns.

Whew... finally made it to the ridge... just a little more uphill at this point. 

Me and our friend Landon... also from North Carolina... small world. 

The boys on the ridge. 

Looking down on Kirkwood Valley. 

An old lift shack at the top. 

Mike was pointing out other lines he wants to ski. 

Snack time before we ski down. 

Blair making some turns.

This is Landon skiing... Mike was always the one taking the pictures!

 After a short ski down the backside of the ridge, we put the skins back on our skis and hiked back to the top of the ridge.  This was my first time in the backcountry since last winter and it made me realize just how out of shape I've gotten.  It's really hard work. 

Once we hiked back up to the ridge, we skied down the front side to get back to the car.  About half way down, we decided to do a little beacon training.  Mike buried his back pack with his beacon in it, and Landon and I used our beacons to find it, probe it, and shovel it out... just as if Mike had been buried in an avalanche.  

I was SOOO glad we did this.  It was totally eye opening for me.  We have done some beacon training in the past, but never when I've had all my stuff (like my skis and poles, etc).  I have a new beacon, so just learning how to read it/use it was helpful.  I've reviewed the steps of searching for someone in an avalanche, but it's totally different practicing.  I realized that it's really hard for me to ski, carry my poles, and read my beacon at the same time.  Also, once I got close, I was too preoccupied with getting my probe out and I forgot to clip out of my skis. Anyway, long story short, this practice scenario made me realize how inefficient I am.   

Luckily, Landon found Mike's beacon in just a matter of minutes!  That makes me feel much better about them skiing together in the backcountry.  I will definitely be practicing more.  I've read books and watched videos, but nothing is as helpful as actually practicing.  I pray that I NEVER have to use these skills in a real scenario, but I still want to be prepared.  

Thanks again boys for letting this girl tag along! 

They are calling for COLD weather in the next few days (highs in the teens).  We will probably keep things pretty low key.  We'll clean up/take down Christmas decorations, etc. 

I hope everyone reading this had a wonderful Christmas holiday.  

2014 has been pretty fantastic and we can't wait to see what 2015 has in store for us.

This video has been posted on facebook, but I made it for Mike and I as a reflection on all the adventures we had in 2014.  We really try to be aware of all the blessings in our lives and making this video was a good way to reflect on those blessings. We wish you all a VERY happy and healthy 2015!!!! 

  

4 years later...

... I couldn't be any happier.  When I look back at our wedding, I realize how truly awesome that day was.  It really was the best day of my life.  We had a small wedding.  A very laid back and low budget wedding.  It was truly about our marriage... not the party.  I remember being so happy that everyone we knew and loved was together in one room to watch us vow to be best friends forever.  That's amazing.

I know some people look back on their weddings and remember the stress and work involved.  I've heard people say, "If I had to do it again, I'd elope."  Our wedding was very low stress and if I had to do it all over again, I'd do it exactly the same way.  We still feel so grateful that so many people traveled from near and far (and very far) to be there with us.  We felt so loved on that day.  I felt welcomed into Mike's family and he felt welcomed into mine.

And here we are... 4 years later... way out west and living out our dreams.  I'm so thankful for this partner I found in life.  And I'm eternally grateful for the support systems we have at home.  To all of you who attended our wedding 4 years ago... thank you.  Thanks for believing in us.  Thanks for being there for us in 2010 and today!  So much love to all of you!

#100

This is my 100th post to this blog.  That's kind of exciting I guess.

Anyway...

Last weekend Mike and I skied with some friends at Northstar.  It was crowded... and warm... which made for spring like skiing.  We skied half the day on Saturday, ate some awesome fish tacos at the lodge, then headed home since Mike had to work.

This past week was pretty exciting!  Mike had a friend from college come to visit and ALL week long they've been predicting a "severe" winter storm to hit our area.  Days before the storm the confidence was growing that we would have approximately a foot of snow above 7,000 ft (our house is at 7,400 ft above sea level).

The winds blew in on Thursday.  Gusts were as high as 70 mph at our house... up to 100 mph at the mountain peaks.  My car got sandblasted while I was driving around in the valley.  Street signs, trees, and power poles blew over.  There were lots of power outages. LOTS of trees came down.  Small boulders were falling down the side of the mountain.  The whole house shook with each gust of wind.  It was pretty brutal.  I went to "book club" (aka "drink wine and exchange Christmas presents club") and I was nervous that I was going to be driving home in a blizzard.  I decided I was going to leave as SOON as it started snowing.

I waited... and waited... and WAITED SOME MORE!  When I got home, it still wasn't snowing... not even a single flake... when I went to bed it STILL WAS NOT SNOWING!!!!  It's a good thing South Lake Tahoe closed schools for such a "severe storm." <<< Please note the sarcasm.

We. got. shafted.

There just wasn't enough wind out of the west to push the storm over the crest and into the Tahoe basin.  So, instead of a foot, we got an inch (maybe... that might be stretching it a bit).  It was certainly disappointing and at times I felt like a 2 year old about to have a temper tantrum (or an "episode" as my husband lovingly refers to them).  Anyway, instead of pouting I put on my big girl britches and went to work like the responsible adult that I am. LAME!

Anyway, Mike got some good pictures and videos of the windstorm on the lake.  Lake Tahoe was actually featured on Surfer Magazine's Website.  There were swells as big as 7 ft.  

Here it comes! 

Those are some pretty legitimate waves down there!!! 

That sucks. 

The storm actually did bring about 20 inches of fresh snow to Kirkwood, so the boys did get to ski some fresh powder on Friday.  I joined them on Saturday and had an awesome ski day.  Heavenly was closed due to power issues so there were lots of people at Kirkwood on Saturday.  As a result, we had lots of friends there to ski with!

Here are some pics the guys took on Friday...

Saturday night we headed down to the village for Base Camp Pizza (one of our favorite places).  We sat outside by the heaters, drank adult beverages, and stuffed our faces with delicious pizza while listening to live music.  It doesn't get much better than that... or does it???  

After dinner, just a few short steps away, Heavenly Ski Resort put on a free concert by the band Young the Giant.  It. was. awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!  

After the concert we drove to Sacramento to drop Adam off.  We left South Lake around 9:30ish... got to the airport around 11:45ish... said our goodbye's and then Mike and I started the drive back home.  In order to stay awake, we stopped for "nourishments" including soda... salt & vinegar chips... gummy worms... starbursts... and chocolate!  A little more soda and 20 chicken McNuggets later, we were STILL sleepy and felt like crap!!!  Anyway, we made it back home around 2:30ish and crashed.
 
We are so happy Adam was able to come... and even happier that he brought some snow with him! Come back ANY time Adam!  We had a wonderful week and weekend.  Even though we were all frustrated at the beginning of the weekend due to the lack of snow, the awesome skiing and amazing free concert had us LOVING Tahoe again (not that we ever really stopped loving it here)!  That's all from Tahoe.

11 days 'til Christmas!!!    

Missin' all you East Coasters!