My Dad and Steve Stiefvater have been friends since their days at Cal, 125 years ago. They've also been ski buddies for about that long. They've taught their children, friends, and various boy scout troops to ski. Over the years they have fine tuned their methods, skills and (since I've been gone) their ski day schedules. Since I would be going skiing with them this time (after a long absence) I was given specific instructions on how our day would unfold.
I must say it was executed with impressive precision.
5:00 a.m.: wake up, leave Mill Valley by 5:30.
7:15 a.m. : arrive at the Rocklin Starbucks to meet up with Steve. Transfer ski equipment into one car.
7:30 a.m. : Stop at Safeway (grocery store) to pick up power bars (for the 10 am snack) and sandwiches (for the 12 p.m. lunch). The lady at the deli counter is to make the lunch order to exact specifications: Two roast beef sandwich wraps cut in half and individually wrapped. (The "wrap" is key so that they can stuff one 1/2 in each of their parka's pockets. This is so they don't have to return to the car to get their lunch, at high noon. I, of course, did not know the system and ordered my roast beef on a sandwich roll--too big to stuff in my parka. I guess that decision made me the 3rd stooge) 
7:45 am: Final leg to Tahoe begins. Conversation of politics, stocks, housing crisis and the problems with
education begins. "What do you think are the top 5 problem Obama faces when he takes office?"
The conservative in the front seat asks his audience. 
1. Health care
2. Housing crisis
3. Financial crisis
4. Education reform
5. The war in Iraq/Afghanistan
The moderate, independently-minded but tends -to- lean- conservative
audience in the back seat, responds.
No national problems are solved on this car trip , but we arrive on time to
Sugar Bowl at 8:57 a.m. (ETA 9:00)
The transformation from old business men to expert skiiers begins with the donning
of the ski apparel. Of course, the older these two get the longer it takes for them to get ready.
I realized as I pulled my ski poles out of the car that it'd been a few years since their last use.
I don't know what Steve's excuse was (his boots, last used last year had
as much dust and as many cobwebs as my poles)
Sandwich-wraps and power bars strategically placed in the parka pockets.
Normally on the top of the mountain by 9:30, my presence and my need to
rent my equipment (+ the crowds that day) delayed the start by an hour. 
10:30 a.m.: Finally on the lift. 
10:30 am - 12:00ish: a group effort to help me with my form.
Dig your edges into the hill!
Keep your weight on the bottom ski!
Lean forward!
Fluid movements!
12:00 p.m. Lunch at the lodge.
2:30 p.m. Last run
3:00 p.m. Meet the Dads back at the car. Katie drives home.
4:30 p.m. Christmas gift exchange in parking lot before leaving Steve off at his car. His gift from my Dad? A halitosis detector. (You'd think these two were still in the frat. house)
Mary, Kate: next year you need to come and save me from our fathers. :)
New Tradition: Isabella
I loved Advent calendars as a kid. I don't remember them with chocolates or toys--just good, old-fashioned Cost Plus paper Advent calenders with little pictures hiding behind numbered squares. Isabella's Advent calendar had chocolates hiding behind each numbered square, which I ate faithfully, each day. 
Isabella just ate the calendar.
Family photo card pictures...none of which I used. 
Vintage knit, circa 1974. This was my dress as a baby.
I love how it matches Isabella's eyes.
Early Christmas at Nana and Papa's. 
New tradition: Progressive Dinner with the Wentzels, Stephens and Carrs.
(I should probably inform them of that). 
We did soup and rolls at Brooke and Aaron's, a drive-by of Dave's new place, salad at Heather and Joel's, main course, gingerbread cookies, sweater lint removal and carols at the Wentzels.
And after all that, I took only two pictures. I'll take more next year--when we do it again. :)
Old Tradition: Santa and the Pigwidgen. Years ago, my mom cut out a serial story that appeared in the newspaper called Santa and the Pigwidgen--a little tale about how Santa came to be Santa. She'd pull it out every year at Christmas and read it to me and my brother. I was excited to carry on this tradition with Isabella, but she was more interested in eating it. 
Thank goodness for laminating machines. 
During the hectic holiday season it's nice to have an 8 month old around to
remind you to take time to relax.
Put your feet up...
All you really need in life is a pacifier and a boppy. An elephant t-shirt doesn't hurt either.
Helping me mail the Holiday cards...
My apologies to whoever got this one.
A first Christmas
Isabella's Christmas morning breakfast: Prunes and Oatmeal
Mark and Katie's Christmas morning breakfast: Pecan Sticky Buns
New Tradition (which I may re-think): I had this idea to make some kind of sweet roll on Christmas morning--something Isabella could look forward to every year (because prunes and oatmeal will probably only go over for so long). I started making the pecan sticky rolls at 8am and didn't finish until sometime around 1pm.
At least they were good. 
Last new tradition: Fondue. Actually the idea was to do Fondue on New Year's Eve.
My mom surprised us, though, with a little fondue pot,
so we decided to test in out on Christmas Day. 
Yum.
A little story...
Way back when Mark and I got married, (3 years, 4 months) we honeymooned a couple of months after our wedding in Vermont at a bed and breakfast. www.barrowshouse.com (for any of you East Coasters looking for a fun place to go) It was Christmas time. We loved it. Loved the weather, loved the quiet, loved the town and the snow. (REALLY loved the French Onion soup and the bacon and pancakes). Loved it all so much we spent our following Christmas there.
Moved to California. Had to find a new get-a-way.
I heard about Shinneyboo Creek in Tahoe www.shinneyboocreek.com through friends and decided to check it out. Not quite a bed and breakfast (have to bring your own food, no tv's, no internet) but more than camping (fun little cabin, bathroom-nice!!) Mark and I took off for a couple of nights to celebrate our 3rd honeymoon anniversary (or something like that). We hit weather going up the mountain so Mark had to put chains on the tires (new experience for him!). At 30 mph it took us hours to get there, but we did and had the best time!
Our little cabin #6.
Snowfall from the night.
Shinneyboo. Name comes from an old miner tall tale about an old man who discovered a gold nugget and decided to have it made into gold teeth, which were eventually knocked out and going to be stolen by a bunch of bandits. The toothless old guy, who was cold from hiding in the bushes (to scare away the bandits) was only able to get out the word "boo", which apparently was enough. The bandits ran off telling of a ghost that lived in the river, Ol' Shinneyboo. Get it? SHIVERING man + BOO = shinneyboo. (Something like that. I read the story, but couldn't really follow it) 
Monte Vista Inn in Dutch Flat--about 25 miles down the road. It was the only place that was
open where we could get a good dinner. And it was a GOOD dinner. 
Snowshoeing in fresh snow. 
The fire pits were covered in snow so we decided to do s'mores a la BBQ.
S'more perfection 
Mark and I stayed for 2 nights and on the second night we were the only souls around for miles. Even the Innkeeper guy left to go home. We played board games, watched movies and took pictures of the only thing we could: our cabin and each other. Katie in the loft. 
Mark in the loft.
View from the back porch.
Views from the loft.
Cast iron stove
The loft. 
The wall. With clothes hanging. Are you bored yet?
7:45 am: Final leg to Tahoe begins. Conversation of politics, stocks, housing crisis and the problems with
1. Health care
The transformation from old business men to expert skiiers begins with the donning
I realized as I pulled my ski poles out of the car that it'd been a few years since their last use.
I don't know what Steve's excuse was (his boots, last used last year had
Sandwich-wraps and power bars strategically placed in the parka pockets.
Normally on the top of the mountain by 9:30, my presence and my need to
10:30 a.m.: Finally on the lift. 
10:30 am - 12:00ish: a group effort to help me with my form.
4:30 p.m. Christmas gift exchange in parking lot before leaving Steve off at his car. His gift from my Dad? A halitosis detector. (You'd think these two were still in the frat. house)
