Saturday, January 30, 2010

10 feet of fresh snow!!!



Last weekend our family, along with our friends The Climers, headed up to Sierra Summit for some skiing and snowboarding. It had been raining all week prior to our trip so we were all very excited to hear that the storms brought 10 feet of new snow to the mountain.




We left early, about 6am, in hopes that we would be at the mountain by 10. Not so much. We made good time to Fresno but from there it was very slow going. The road was very windy and we had to put our on chains. We followed a very long line of cars that was snaking up the mountain and it took forever to get there. We watched the clock tick by as we went 5-10 miles an hour most of the time.


We finally made it up around noon and the dads were able to get on the mountain at 12:30. The moms, Jenn and myself, checked in to the Inn at Sierra Summit and got the kids signed up for their lessons. Bella would be skiing and the boys, Riley, Lucas and Christopher, would all be snowboarding. It was the first time for all of them! We had a fun first day on the slopes and it was a beautiful, sunny day.


The next day, Sunday, was overcast and it ended up snowing half way through the day, which the kids loved! The kids were signed up for kids camp for the whole day. They would get a 2 hour lesson and then lunch. So, the adults were free for most of the day. I was very leary to ski as I have been having issues with my hip and didn't want to risk making it worse. But, I decided to go for it! Ryan, Jim and I hit the slopes while Jenn got cozy in the lodge and watched the kids do their thing. I only made a few runs before pooping out. But Iwas glad that I tried to ski again and at least got up the mountain once! Ryan and Jim had a great day of runs with lots of fresh powder. The kids all had a blast too and after their day at kids camp was over, they spent time on their own going down the bunny hill to hone their skills. They did pretty good! A snowball fight followed and was lots of fun in the fresh falling snow.


Monday was our day to leave. We stopped at a snow park on the way down the mountain and had a huge snowball fight. We were hoping to get some sledding in but there was no place to do it. But, the kids made due with two snow ball makers and had a blast just running around and playing in the snow. We headed back home, tired, but happy. We all had a great weekend and hopefully will get to do it again next year!


Here are some pics and videos to enjoy of our trip!


Wednesday, January 20, 2010

a fun weekend was had by all!

We had a very fun and busy 3 day weekend!
Saturday we hung out with our friends, the Climers, then went to Chuck E Cheese for a birthday party. The kids had a blast and we were there for about 3 hours!
Sunday Bella had a playdate with one of her friends at the Children's museum here in Paso. It was a lot of fun. We had lunch, ran errands then hung out with Nona for a bit.
Monday Ryan and I braved the rain and wind to drive to LA for an ortho appointment. It was a scary drive down and at times we could only drive 35 miles per hour because the rain was so bad! Luckily we made it there and back safely.
Here are some videos of our fun weekend. Enjoy!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cB2TlDtod9g

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDXTlVCAJHY

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

I LOVE Paso Robles

One of the slogans for Paso Robles is Darn Near Paradise. And I must say that I agree with that whole heartedly. Paso is awesome. I have lived here for over 5 years and love it. Here are some reasons why:

1) Great historic downtown and fabulous downtown city park

2) The world famous Paso Robles Wine Festival every May (coincidentally around my birthday weekend each year)

3) Concerts in the park in the summertime



4) Great family atmosphere and very family friendly

5) A waterpark in our backyard! Perfect for those 100 degree summer days!


6) 100 degree summer days!

7) Snow in the winter (okay, only about once a year but still, it is fun).

8) You can still see real cowboys walking down the street

9) The Mid State Fair


10) The plethora of vineyards and wineries

11... The list really goes on an on.


Paso is a great small town. The people are so friendly, there is always something to do, there are a bunch of great restaurants (namely The Crown Room at Eagle Castle Winery where my husband happens to be the executive chef), the countryside is gorgeous, we are a quick 30 minute drive to the beach, half way between LA and SF, etc, etc, etc.

So, are you ready to move here yet? Or at least come on down for a visit?

Saturday, January 9, 2010

It's been a looong time! But we're back!

Wow, what a long hiatus this blog has had! But, I have been inspired by a few friends to start blogging again. So, here I go!

For those of you who don't know, Bella is a diva. She loves to sing and dance and I firmly believe she will be the next Taylor Swift. Bella sings in the shower, eating her breakfast, getting dressed, doing her homework, watching tv, etc etc etc. She is a star! Here is a video I took the other night of her singing in the shower. Check out how expressive she gets while belting it out.
Enjoy! Thanks for checking in on us, and please leave comments!
~Kate