7 Year Anniversary AND a 1 Year "Birthmas"

Lately, I've been trying really hard to exercise myself and the dog every day.  Mike gets plenty of exercise at work but I struggle to stay consistent with exercise (especially when the days are so short which is really just an excuse).  My goal has been to do something active with the dog as soon as I get home everyday so that he and I both get to stretch our legs. 

We've done lots of evening walks/jogs to the beach.

SWIMMING?  REALLY??? 

BEAUTIFUL EVENING 

WHY DO YOU KEEP TAKING MY PICTURE??? 

SO PEACEFUL.

WE FEEL SO BLESSED TO LIVE HERE. 
YOU CAN SEE THE SLOPES OF HEAVENLY... WHERE MIKE IS
FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO WORK EVERYDAY. 

 I've also tried to ski every weekend for exercise.  

NEW SKIS!  

 And we haven't let the snow stop us from hitting the trails to do some hiking: 

HIKING THE RIM TRAIL

AND PRACTICING OUR "COME" COMMAND.
HE'S DOING GREAT WITH THIS! 
HE COMES PRETTY CONSISTENTLY WHEN
CALLED... UNLESS THERE IS ANOTHER DOG
OR A SMALL CHILD AROUND... THEN HE HAS
SELECTIVE HEARING. 

 On December 18th, Mike and I celebrated our 7 year wedding anniversary.  Since that fell on a Monday this year, and Mike was scheduled to be off, I decided to take a personal day from work and we headed out to Kirkwood for some skiing... with doggie in tow.  

"I WILL DRIVE US TO KIRKWOOD." - Zephyr

WE LET THE DOG STRETCH HIS LEGS IN THE SNOW
BEFORE WE HIT THE SLOPES... 

 It was a beautiful day at Kirkwood.  I was WAY overdressed.  It was much warmer than I was anticipating.  And while they had LOTS of terrain open... the snow was ridiculously thin in some places.  You could see the grass underneath the snow and you had to watch where you were going to avoid small rocks.  It's a LOT different than last year.  We definitely need snow. 

But, at the end of the day, we were all tuckered out.   

SWEET, SLEEPY FACE

On December 22, Zephyr turned ONE!  We now lovingly refer to this time of year as his "birthmas" because honestly, the gifts all came at one time.  We bought him some things for his birthday... and we bought him some things for Christmas... and we pretty much just gave him a steady stream of presents everyday from the 22nd thru Christmas day.   

 One of the things he got for "birthmas" was a new ball which we promptly tried out at the beach: 

ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL DAY.
WE'VE DECIDED SOMEONE REALLY SHOULD DECORATE THAT
LONELY TREE FOR CHRISTMAS.  

PURE JOY. 

 We came home and I made Christmas cookies for friends/neighbors.

HOMEMADE DOUGH THAT TURNED OUT
GREAT!!!  THE COOKIES KEPT THEIR SHAPE! 

 And on Christmas eve, after a muddy run through melted snow, Zephyr got a bath which was promptly followed by a nap on the couch.  

We had a sleeping dog.  A Christmas movie on.  All the Christmas lights were on.  And snow flurries were falling outside.  I couldn't have planned it ANY better.  

CHRISTMAS EVE PERFECTION! 

We cooked our traditional steak dinner on Christmas eve and washed it all down with apple pie and ice cream.  Thoroughly in a food coma, we headed off to the Christmas Eve service at church and then home to our cozy bed.  Zephyr hopped up on our bed and he was too cute to move so the three of us shared our tiny bed all night and SLEPT IN TIL 8AM!!!  It was fantastic.  

Mike was actually off on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day this year!!!  What a miracle?!?!  So we have had a super relaxing day of lounging, eating, and opening presents.  Although we miss our time with family back home, we have also enjoyed the relaxing and restful holiday. 

Speaking of home, I'm headed to NC in 2 days!!!  Excited to see as many friends and family as possible!!!  

Well, Merry Christmas from Tahoe!  

XOXO

Gettin' In The Christmas Spirit

I started listening to Christmas music pretty early this year (aka the day after Halloween).  To be fair though, that's when it started snowing here in Tahoe so... I think that justifies things.  Anyway, I would think about all of the Christmas gifts I wanted to get for friends and family while I drove to and from work, blaring my Christmas jams.  

Then, I kinda lost the spirit.  Once the decorations were up... things felt a little more tedious.  Instead of thinking "Oh, so-and-so would LOVE that as a gift," I was thinking "I still gotta buy this... and I still gotta buy that... and I still gotta get Christmas cards, etc."  

I disliked my Scrooge attitude but wasn't sure what to do about it.  I realized that I do still get pretty sad around Christmas time because that's when our beloved Zater started getting sick.  So, to squash any puppy related sadness I was feeling, I resolved to spend more time with this guy: 

LOOK AT THAT FACE! 

We've been trying to stay active every day... going for hikes in this AMAZING place that we get to call home for a while.  And it has truly been helping. 

RUNNING LAPS IN THE SNOW

RUN RUN RUN... THEN TURN AROUND AND
RUN BACK. 

OVER AND OVER.... 

... AND OVER AGAIN. 

LOOK AT MY HANDSOME BOY

WE'VE TAKEN LONG WALKS IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD...
ON THE TRAILS NEAR OUR HOUSE...
AND THROUGH FROSTY MEADOWS TO THE BEACH. 

 Our sweet Zater will always be loved and missed.  But our sweet Zephyr is here now and he deserves our love and attention.  

Even when he does this... 

SO REALLY THIS IS ACTUALLY MY FAULT.
HE DIDN'T GET IN THE TRASH...
I LEFT SOME TRASH ON THE FLOOR NEXT
TO THE TRASHCAN. 
THAT'S FAIR GAME FOR HIM. 
SO I KINDA DESERVED TO COME HOME TO THIS. 

SERIOUSLY.  WOULD YOU LOOK AT THIS
SWEET DOG? 

EVENING WALKS WITH ZEPHYR. 

THIS IS RIGHT UP THE STREET FROM OUR HOUSE.
THE LOT IS FOR SALE IF ANY OF OUR READERS
ARE INTERESTED...
IT'S A STEAL AT 1.6 MILLION. 
(I SECRETLY HOPE THEY NEVER SELL IT SO WE
CAN CONTINUE ENJOYING THE VIEW). 

The ski resorts are all open.  Mike is back at work as a patroller.  It has been PLENTY cold to make it feel like Christmas. 

We've been doing Christmas-y things.  We had dinner last night with some friends from So Cal.  Our pups got together and played a bit.  It was so nice to catch up and enjoy a delicious meal (and a few adult beverages... and the best part is they are our neighbors so we can walk home).  

SWEET TALLY AND ZEPHYR

And today, FINALLY, I found myself back in the Christmas spirit.  I got our cards in the mail.  We received our first cards from friends/family in the mail.  I went shopping for gifts for loved ones and found gifts I'm super excited about!  It didn't feel like a chore anymore!  YAY!  And Mike had the day off and we spent it as a family at the beach: 

PEACEFUL, CALM WATERS

WE CAN'T KEEP HIM OUT OF THE WATER.
IT'S NOT POSSIBLE. 

RIDICULOUSLY BLESSED TO LIVE IN THIS BEAUTIFUL PLACE. 

NOT A GREAT PANO BUT YOU GET THE IDEA. 

Well folks, that's the latest from Tahoe.  We are getting in the spirit and we hope you are too.  I've already mentioned this to most of you but I'm headed to NC in a couple of weeks and I can't wait to see everyone.  The only thing that would make Tahoe better is if all of you lived here too!  Until I see you all in a few weeks... MUCH LOVE FROM TAHOE.  XOXO. 

Thankful for New Things

It's Black Friday.  Some of you may be out shopping for new things.  Me?  I'm blogging about all the things I'm STILL thankful for.  Thanksgiving was yesterday and it's an easy day to reflect on all that you have and all that you're grateful for.  But, Black Friday???  Well, that's pretty much the opposite. 

This year, we did Thanksgiving on Wednesday night.  We had some friends over.  I cooked a turkey and all the sides.  We drank.  We talked.  We ate.  It was lovely.  Mike had to work on Thanksgiving day and I woke up with a cold so I stayed home all day eating leftovers, relaxing, watching the parade, and leisurely putting up our Christmas tree.  It was really great.

So, my blog title is "Thankful for New Things" because lately we've been doing some new things around here. 

1) I tried a new coffee shop in the valley.  I met a friend who I haven't seen in a while and we were able to catch up over a unique, spicy mocha coffee. 

2) Mike and I built a new dining table which we were able to break in a little bit while my mom was here, but we REALLY broke it in on Thanksgiving. 

THE TOP IS ALL RECLAIMED CEDAR BOARDS. 

WE REFINISHED THE CHAIRS BUT THEY WERE FREE FROM A
RESTAURANT IN THE VILLAGE!  I LIKE FREE! 

3) We mountain biked a new trail to Angora Lakes.  And I liked it so much that I hiked it the following weekend with a friend and her pup. 

ANGORA LAKES

SNOW COVERED MT. TALLAC

REFLECTIONS IN FALLEN LEAF LAKE

LOOKING OUT TOWARD LAKE TAHOE

WHEN I HIKED IT WITH MY FRIEND, THERE WAS A LOT MORE
SNOW ON THE TRAIL AND THE LAKES WERE FROZEN. 
NO SWIMMING FOR THE PUPS. 

4) We got a new Christmas tree this year.  And... it's artificial.  I kinda can't believe it.  We've always had a real tree.  Always. 

But, our pup really likes this small fir tree in our back yard (he likes to chew on it's branches etc) so I took that as fair warning that if we brought a real tree into the house, it would be fair game for him to chew on.  

Plus, I started reading how bad real trees can be for your puppy!  They have toxins that can be really bad for the dog.  So... we bit the bullet and we're doin' the "fake" tree this year.  

It has been nice to explore new trails in this place that we love.  I have so much to be thankful for this year.  I'm always thankful for my friends and family.  I'm grateful for my home and job.  I'm thankful for this amazing place that we get to call home.  My list goes on and on.  I hope you all had a wonderful feast for Thanksgiving.  We hate that we missed spending Thanksgiving with family but, we love you all and we are incredibly blessed and thankful for you!