Our Snow Angel

The weather here in California has been CRAZY this winter.  After being in a drought for years and getting used to brown mountains and lawns, we have seen more rain than I can ever recall.

This winter has seen not only rain, but we have had our share of cold days.  I've had to break out a credit card to scrape the ice off the windshield frantically when trying to get Kristina to school on time!  With this coldness, we've also had a lot of snow up in the California mountains.  One thing we have wanted to do is to take Kristina to the snow but hadn't...up until recently.  (I don't count when the local YMCA shipped in snow and planted a patch of it on their side lawn....only soon to turn to slush.)

We ventured to Bear Mountain where we signed up Kristina and her friend, Jasmine, for snowboarding lessons.  It was a 5-hour class so we had our fingers crossed that the girls would enjoy it and not ask to quit shortly after starting.  Did they have fun???  You bet!

What about mama?  Well --- let's just say....it was a holiday weekend and 1/2 of Southern California skiers/snowboarders were up there....and everyone drove because there is no public transportation  The crowds and the traffic really put a damper on my fun.  It took 4 hours to get there instead of 2.5, 2.5 hours for Jon and I to park the car and get shuttled up to the mountain [we dropped Kristina/Jasmine and Jasmine's parents off at the mountain so they could get to class...], and then over 5 hours to drive home.  Next year, we will book way in advance and stay overnight somewhere local.

At the end of a very long day - the girls had a blast and Kristina loved snowboarding.  If we didn't know better, we would've thought she had done it before.  But before this day, Kristina hadn't seen "real" snow since her days in Yekaterinburg!

Memories of Big Bear Mountain in Pics

Up at 5:30am and on the road!  (Photo taken a little after 6:30 when we finally had sunshine.)

One of our first glimpses of snow on the mountains!

Our snow angels ready to hit the slopes.

No doubt that the babushkas in the Mother Country would approve how layered Kristina was!  We dropped Kristina and Jasmine off (along with Jasmine's parents) at the entrance to Bear Mountain so the girls could *barely* make the class, thanks to all the traffic.

After 2.5 hours of searching for parking and two shuttles later, Jon and I finally arrived at Bear Mountain.  I just wanted a hot drink by this point.

After much searching, we finally got a glimpse of the girls on the far away slopes.

Taking a break!

Lots of smiles -- they were really having fun!

While the girls were snowboarding, Zoltan, Monalisa, Jon and I enjoyed lunch -- hot dogs and beer.  What else is there on the slopes?  (Note to self:  put the sunglasses ON!) 

Jon and I hadn't been to the slopes together since....the 80's!!!

Two tuckered out girls.

Ready for the looong drive home!

Someone was already falling asleep before Jon and Zoltan picked us up.

All good things come with a price:  the next morning, Kristina had a fever of 104 that lasted all day.  Let's just say I got lots of cuddle time in!