Browse Author: beakatude

Family Tahoe Trip: Day One

I’m back from Tahoe and went back to work with only 3 days until the weekend again.  Wooo!  Mommy came up on Thursday night and the sibs came Friday night.  On Saturday, we left the house by 8 and made it there by noon with a 30-minute pee and gas break at the Costco in Rancho Cordova.  I don’t usually drive to Tahoe so I was a little nervous about putting chains on and driving in icy conditions but we lucked out with dry roads and no traffic.  Phew.

Once we arrived in South Lake Tahoe, we had a buffet lunch at Harrah’s with a sweeping view of the mountains and lake.  After losing a dollar to the penny slots, we checked in at the Best Western that was super close to the casinos and Heavenly Village.

We took a walk to the lake nearby and found a beach that was half-covered with snow.  It was freezing cold out there but we got a whiff of the fresh air.

We also went for a walk around town before dinner and did a little window shopping. I still love the wood-carved bears all over town.

For dinner we went to Naked Fish Sushi and scored a spot at the bar.  It was the first time my mom had ever sat at a sushi bar and I think she had a good time.

On our way back to the hotel, it started to snow and we were all giddy.  Mommy even tried to eat the snow.  Funny Mommy.

Here is the first set of photos.

The week is practically over now.

Today is Thursday and my Mommy is flying up tonight.  Brother and Joy are flying up tomorrow night and we’re driving to Tahoe on Saturday morning.  Woooo!!  Although this was originally a trip to Utah, I’m feeling pretty good about the snow accumulation at Kirkwood.  It’s always one of the top 2 or 3 on my iPhone app compared to the snow fall reports of Park City and Snowbird.  California is just getting a lot of good rainfall and snow and I’m finally going to get to play!  Just two more work days and I’ll be off for a 4-day weekend.  Aaaaah…  Hopefully there won’t be too much snow on the roads.  Jes is staying behind with the dog this time and I will have to put the chains on.  Yikes!

Hot Pot Sunday

We had Sunday Supper at the Bangs’ for Chinese New Year and it was super tasty.  Vyl (as usual) went all out with the thinly sliced beef and pork, fish and beef balls, tons of different mushrooms, and everything else you can think of. I made almond jello and boxed brownies for dessert.

Jack had his Superman outfit on and boy has he started talking!  At one point in the car on the ride over, Jes said “When did you get so noisy?”  Jack can identify the different people in the room now and he has an Uncle Bang AND and Uncle Bong (Phuong).  Hilarious.  Thanks again for all the prep you did, Vyl!

Nice guys finish last…

Jes went on his first sailing race today and had a fun time out on the water.

Yesterday we stopped at the sailing suppy store (yes, it does exist) to buy him a pair of pants and a personal flotation device (life jacket).  We decided on the less-expensive items this time around since he’s just a nublet (a cute word for newbie).  Jes completed his certification in Basic Coastal Cruising a few weeks ago and got on a “crew list” that allows an owner of a sailboat to email you for help on his boat.  Basically, if you’re a guy that has a boat and wants to race, you need a crew of guys to help you race it.  A guy contacted Jes the other day and they went out today for a little race against 6 other teams in the Bay off the Berkeley Marina.

There was nice wind and Jes worked the jib sheets and sat on the rail all day and in the end came in last…actually, he’s not sure but it was close.  I guess it doesn’t really matter because the had a great time.

Sunset at Fort Funston

On a whim, we took Koa to Fort Funston yesterday and got there just before sunset.  We’d never been there so late in the day it was a nice treat for all of us.  Koa got to run free and seemed so happy.

I got to watch the sun set over the Pacific Ocean and the waves were pretty crazy that afternoon.  Perhaps it was a result of the earthquake in Chile?!

Instead of going down to the beach, we stayed up on the cliff.  I think it’s one of my favorite spots because of the pretty green rolling hills and has sweeping views.  This warning sign is kinda funny.

This afternoon, I took Koa to the bathhouse for his pending doom…a bath.  Thankfully it didn’t last long because he put up quite a fight and screamed his head off again in the store.  The employees there know him and they had their dog there who came by to check on Koa during the bath.  Ugh…such drama every time.

After the bath, Koa got his treat, clutched it in his mouth, and dragged me all the way back home.

McWineFest

Last night the PediRehab girls and I had an evening of Chicken McNuggets and wine on the roof of my building.  It was a calm evening in the break of two rainstorms so it was perfect for our plans.

Ordering food for the 5 of us and Jesse was ridiculous.  We ordered 30 McNuggets, 2 McWraps, 3 large fries, a McChicken sandwich.  On top of that, Jes warmed up Patty’s tofu nuggets in our oven since she had given up meat for Lent.

To make things more interesting, we ate by the light of a mini MagLight.  Everyone brought a bottle of wine, Patty brought the cups, and rooftop Happy Hour was complete!  Jes actually joined us for the first time and then a husband and a boyfriend showed up a little later.

To top off the night, we played McNugget Buddies Bingo – yep, you read it…McNugget Buddies Bingo does exist.  I happened to open the cabinet in one of our smaller treatment rooms at the hospital the other day and found this awesome awesome game.

It was a gorgeous night in the city and we had a lot of good laughs and a happy happy time.