On Saturday morning CK and I left the girls at home with Grandma and flew into Reno, Nevada where we got into a rental car and drove to Stateline, NV on the southern-most point of Lake Tahoe. It was rainy in Reno and we decided to drive the scenic route by going over the mountains and having lunch in Incline Village, CA before driving around the west coast of the lake. As we drove into the mountains the rain turned to snow and it became very windy and white. On our way up the mountain, we passed Mt. Rose, which is where I first learned to ski with my brother Pancho. Seems like a lifetime ago. On the drive down the mountain it was a little scary with the snow and wind, but CK drove really slowly and we made it to Incline Village, where it was low enough elevation that it was raining instead of snowing. Once in Incline Village we ate at a great little restaurant called Wild Alaskan which had excellent wraps, soups and salads with an asian twist. After lunch, we started driving, in the low clouds and rain, around the lake. If we'd had clear skies, the drive would have been breathtaking. As it was, we caught glimpses of the lake through the clouds and rain and enjoyed driving through the little lake towns that evoked a bygone era.
As we drove, we got a call from Connie telling us that the girls and her were at Scott and Brenda's house for dinner and Olivia had fallen back and hit her head on the fireplace. She explained that she bled but it had stopped and the cut wasn't very deep. She said Oliver and Sofia were far more upset by Olivia's injury than Olivia was. As we tried to understand what happened and give advice on what to do, my phone service was very spotty. Finally, after talking with our neighbor Marco who is a doctor, Connie decided to bandage her head up with a makeshift butterfly bandage and take Olivia to her pediatrician on Monday.
We arrived in Stateline and checked into our hotel. CK's conference would start Sunday afternoon, so we decided to go see a movie and grab dinner. It was a nice, relaxing afternoon. On Sunday, we slept in then walked around the shops at the base of Heavenly. The Heavenly gondola was shut down because of high winds which CK hoped would be over by Monday so he could ski. On Sunday evening we went to the conference reception and met some new Texas bankers and enjoyed the dinner.
On Monday, CK headed off early to his conference while I slept in, watched the Olympics and hung out without kiddos needing me. After his conference session was over around 11am, he headed up on the gondola to ski since the mountain got several inches of fresh snow Sunday night and the winds had died down. I headed up on the gondola around 12:30 to meet him and his colleague Sandy for lunch at the lodge. On the way up, I stopped at the lookout deck and the snow was incredible! The trees were completely wrapped in a beautiful blanket of snow and the view of the lake through the passing clouds was amazing! I continued up on the gondola and met CK and Sandy for lunch before CK and I headed back down the mountain. That night, we had another dinner with the conference attendees and had a really fun evening with great food.
On Tuesday, CK went to his conference and then returned to our room after so we could go watch another movie. Although the snow was perfect, CK wasn't up for skiing because his stomach wasn't feeling great. We had fun at the movies and enjoyed the down time. Although we enjoyed some kid-free time, I was ready to see our girls. Although we called every day to talk to Connie and would usually talk to both girls or at least one, I missed seeing them and hearing about their day.
On Wednesday morning, we woke up and headed back to Reno and our flight home. The flight was uneventful and we arrived home around 5pm. We were so excited to see the girls and they were happy to have us home again. One "secret" Grandma and Sofia kept from us during our trip was that Sofia's second tooth fell out on Monday night! She had her tooth in a little plastic bag and told us she wanted to keep it instead of giving it to the tooth fairy...guess she doesn't plan on giving any of her teeth to the tooth fairy! It was a fun few days in a beautiful place, but it's great to be home.
Looking up the mountain toward Heavenly
Going up in the Gondola
It's hard to tell from the photo, but it's very steep!
Love the snow-covered trees!
Looking toward the lake
More trees!
Me at the lookout
The ski runs at the top of the gondola
After eating lunch -the view from the lodge
CK and me
The skier
Amazing views!
Tuesday morning from our hotel window....so beautiful!
