Tag Archives: Lake Tahoe

MLK Weekend in Tahoe

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Hello Friends

A few weekends back, I gathered as many friends as I could to enjoy the long weekend up in Tahoe. We have been drenched in the amazing amount of rain we have enjoyed in the last month or two. I love a good rainy day as much as the next gal, but I’m ready for spring and some sun!

But that weekend we had a big dump a few days before and a few days after. It was cold, but with glorious blue skies. Most people didn’t have a sturdy snow care and backed out, so it was a smaller group than expected that made the long drive up there. We relaxed a ton this weekend, eating well, watching movies, sledding and baking! It was a certain someones birthday (Ahem, Joey!!) so we celebrated by baking and eating a delicious cake.

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My dad and I were talking a few days back and apparently Tahoe has gotten a record breaking 24 feet of snow in the month of January alone, which totally makes up for the last two years with basically no snow!

Love,

-S

The Best of 2016

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Hello Friends,

Happy New Years! We spent the evening at our neighborhood party, and then relaxed at our house playing boardgames. It’s very homey with the fire roaring and we drink tons of thai iced tea to last us til midnight. It’s always very festive and fun. How was your New Year’s Eve? Do anything fun?

best-of-2016

Looking back on 2016, it was a very full and exciting year, with many highs and quite a few lows.

From left to right, I had amazing time with A flying to Florida and having the time of my life at Harry Potter World in January.

Relaxing on the beach in Hawaii with A in February was exactly what I needed heading into a busy time prepping my students to submit their AP portfolios. In June I watched my prides and joy (all 45 of them) walk down the aisle and receive their diplomas. I also said goodbye to the school that made me into the teacher that I am today, and hugged & waved goodbye to all my LPS Phoenix’s (and my classroom) for the last time ever.

In July we took a family trip and fulfilled a childhood dream of mine to return to the island where I had spent a glorious summer (#sweet15) in Nantucket. In July we spent some time with my Grandfather in Pennsylvania.

In August, I lounged at an amazing lake house and soaked up every last bit of summer before starting school at my new job. In September we enjoyed glorious weather on many walks in San Francisco. In October A and I cajoled our friends into eating the brunch buffet at the Ritz in Half Moon Bay. I also saw my favorite musician Ingrid Michaelson on her latest musical tour.

In November A and I took a food eating tour through Portland, and I got to explore the beauty of the Northwest (and see Shannon!). For Thanksgiving Week I joined Aaron and Kim and her family on a week-long sunny stay in Cancun, Mexico.

And finally, I’ve been here in Tahoe for the last week and a half, being as lazy as I possibly can before starting back to work on the 3rd. The snow has been kind to us, and I’ve been able to get in 3!! days of skiing in between the hot tub, reading books, watching movies and boardgames.

I’m sure 2017 will keep me just as busy as 2016 did, as I know I already have a few trips planned with A, seeing my first crop of seniors at Notre Dame graduate in May, and adding a few new things to the new pad in Santa Clara (like finally owning a Tv.)

Are you looking forward to 2017? Any fun things you are looking forward to? Thanks so much for reading the blog these last 12 months, I couldn’t do it without you guys!

Love,

-S

 

 

 

A wedding in Lake Tahoe

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Lake Tahoe 2016

Mom and I flew back from NY into Lake Tahoe. Our dear neighbors were kind enough to drop us off and pick us up from our trip to the East Coast. We had a beautiful sunset on our drive over the hill to our house.

I had some friends from the Bay Area driving up to spend the weekend with us while they attended a wedding down near the Lake. They invited me to spend the day with them on Saturday and so we ate at an all you can eat sushi in Reno and had a ton of fun back at the house in the jacuzzi.

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Kim and Aaron and their family left Monday morning, Dad, Cathy & Eduardo drove up to the house Monday afternoon. Mom and I spent most of the week with them, and I drove my little Prius home Thursday as I had to return to normal life and babysit. It was a sleepy week in Tahoe, we played board games a ton with our down the street high school & college neighbors, who are pretty cool kids. I also finally got a chance to use the kayaks with Cathy and Mom out on the lake, which was great and I can’t wait to get back out there on the water again.

I always come back from Tahoe well rested and relaxed and happy.

Do you have a place that you can “turn off” your brain at?

Love,

-S

Mountain Air

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A week before work started back up again, my brother and I went to Tahoe. Now, my brother and I exist on slightly different sleep schedules during summer. I, not using my alarm clock daily, and sleep in until 8 or 9 and stay up later (to the shocking time of 11 or thereabouts). My brother, who is usually roused by his rather large and rather noisy pup at the tune of 5am, has become an early riser.

So, on the weekend we went for Tahoe, my brother stated he would like me to get up and drive to Tahoe round 5am. I tried to negotiate, but I lost. Off we went.

On the plus side, we had a rather nice sunrise during our drive.

Sunrise

We met up with my father in Truckee where I ate what appeared to be the largest bowl of oatmeal.

Oatmeal

We were headed to see our good friends new house just outside of Truckee. They are nestled pretty deeply in the woods, and have a gorgeous backyard and beautiful mountain house.

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We grabbed the pup and took a walk up the hill behind their house. They have a great view of the backside of North Star. The pup promptly found the largest stick he could carry, and proceeded to bang it on every tree and rock on his hike up the mountain. I also got to see their adorable 2-story treehouse!

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After our walk, we drove back to our house on the other side of the mountains. Tahoe is always so relaxing, full of tasty food, extra sleep, and lazy movie time. I’m hoping to get more Tahoe time this school-year, as it didn’t seem to happen often enough last year.

Where is your favorite place to relax and unwind?

Love,

-S

New Years Eve in Tahoe

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My family has a tradition. Typically a day or two after Christmas, we head for Tahoe. A tradition that started many years ago, is now set in stone. We tidy up the house after the Christmas chaos, pack up the car with all of our stuff and a dog, and drive up to our cabin for a gloriously lazy week.

Occasionally, we are lucky enough to get a fresh dump of snow right before we head up, but the last few years the snow has been in scarce supply. We watch tons of movies, jump in the hot tub, cook great meals, and usually have friends that a day or two before moving on to another holiday event.

Some years, its a bigger group for Christmas Eve, like last year we were 21 total (kids and adults!). This year, was a smaller group. With both my brother and I working full-time jobs, we have come to value our weekends and family time. This year, our group in Tahoe was much, much smaller.

We started NYE off at a neighbor’s party, where I promptly put on this great hat. After a while, we wandered back to my house, where we played board games until the wee hours of the night.

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A crackling fire at our backs, fizzy drinks in our hands, good friends by our sides, we rung in the new year.

I’m going up to Tahoe again with friends in a week or so, and I’m looking forward to relaxing, watching movies, and playing in the snow again. Tahoe is one of the few places where we unplug, sleep in, breathe in the mountain air, and relax. I love it there.

Love,

-S

Summer in Tahoe

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I don’t know about you guys, but sometimes it’s hard for me to let myself take a break. I get too caught up in my to-do lists, going to the gym, seeing friends, and all sorts of other random things … Continue reading →

Do you want to build a snowman?

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On Friday, Annie, Adrian and I drove up to my parents cabin in Tahoe. It snowed the whole weekend, which was perfect for us to get some fresh powder. When we had gone up at Christmas, it had looked a little bare and brown.

The new snow transformed everything into a sleepy wonderland. We slept in, made tasty food, and watched the Winter Olympics while it snowed. Later on Saturday, we played in the snow, had snowball fights, sledded down the the hill in the backyard, and built some funny looking snow-women, in our case. Annie and I made Dwight, a two-headed dinosaur woman complete with a spiky tail. Adrian made a handsome Kirby. Huyson joined us later in the day after we rescued him from not one, but two sticky spots on hills.

On Sunday, we got in some time on slopes at North Star, and treated ourselves to a tasty lunch at the Chocolate Bar. Mhmmm.

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All in all, it was a perfect little weekend. Exactly what this girl needed!

Now I just have to make it through till Saturday, when my family and I leave for the Grand Cayman Islands. I am so looking forward to some sunshine, warm air, laying out on the beach with a good book, and those drinks with the little umbrella’s. I can’t wait to feel some sunshine on my face.

It’s almost Friday! How is your week going? Are you as ready as I am for this week to be over?

Love,

-S