We spent another 4 days in Big Bear. This was our second trip up there, last year we went mid April. There wasn't much snow that trip, but it was a peaceful & fun-filled and had us eager to return. This time we really wanted to go when the mountains were snow filled so that the kids could really have a chance to *know* snow. It ended up working out that we were able to go the weekend before my birthday- not a bad present! We were able to leave Friday afternoon, however it was not quite early enough to miss LA traffic. It got dark before we got to the bottom of the mountain, so we opted to just spend the night in San Bernadino, there were a few sections of 18 that had snow showers, and being non snow drivers it just seemed like a good idea. The kids are always up for a hotel sleep over so they were happy to stop. We had dinner at Denny's and were seated next to two nuns. My kids love to eat, so restaurants are not much of a chore for us. They are well behaved more often than not which is nice. As we were leaving the nuns stopped me and complemented our family. It really just made my day. (After 4 hours of driving in LA traffic with them- well- sometimes it is nice to see them through the eyes of others!)
Saturday morning we hit up IHOP for breakfast then hit the road. Olivia tends to get a little green after a while if the road is too curvy.
She asked for some sunglasses as we got further up the mountain. I couldn't resist taking a picture of her. Not too long after this shot we put the headphones on her and she fell asleep, thereby skipping out on motion sickness. (FYI if you didn't know, listing to music on headphones can help out).
We had the privilege and honor of using my friend's family cabin for our stay, it was home away from home without a doubt. More on that in a bit. We got our stuff in the house, shoveled the icy snow off the driveway and had some lunch. After lunch we went on a mission to find someplace to do some sledding. We found a little spot with some little hills and had some fun. The snow was soft enough to make some snowballs (if you look close at the photo in the top right corner of the collage you can see Owen throwing a snowball- Daddy and boys had a grand time having snowball fights!)
Evan 's primary objective was trying to fall or crash, he is such a ham! Olivia loved the sledding, as evident by the look on her face. Emma made friends with a mom on the same little hill as us. She is the owner of the green and yellow inflatable Evan was using and the snowball makers that Emma is using. She spent quite a bit of time making the snowballs, but she didn't throw any of them, she just wanted to make them! All and all the kids had a blast and could hardly wait to go to the "big" hills for some snow tubing! Saturday night we ordered some pizza to be delivered and just had a quiet night in.
Sunday we had breakfast at the house then went to Church. It was a beautiful, beautiful church, really lovely. The service, however, left us missing our home parish! By the time Mass was over it was lunch time and my parents had arrived for the day. We had some lunch with them then Ben & I went and got some stuff we needed from the store while the kids hung out with Gramma & Poppa. My Mom had also brought a dinner for us all so we got to enjoy another nice evening in.
Monday we took the kids to "Snow Play". It was next to empty which was awesome! The kids had an absolute blast on the hills. Evan and Olivia were required to ride with Ben or me, but they were ok with that and were just fearless. We were there for 2-3 hours I'd say. Even though they have that "magic carpet" lift it was still a lot of work! The kids were hoping to go back Tuesday, but that was our departure day so it was just not in the cards for them. I can't wait to have them try skiing or snow boarding! It has been years since I have done either and I look forward to getting a chance to go again.
I put squirrel food out the very first day we arrived, but it took the squirrels a couple of days to figure it out. The blue jay's found the peanuts right off though! This little squirrel cracked me up, he finished off the seed in the other feeder first, one that didn't require him to put his head all the way in. The kids got a real kick out of him sticking his head inside the bird feeder to pilfer food. It was too cute and so much fun to watch.
The Home. There is just not enough that I can say about the home we stayed at. A few years ago my friend had mentioned that her family had a cabin in Big Bear and that should we ever want to use it to let her know. I knew that a few other friends had used it and just raved, so when we had decided to use Ben's days off to go play in the snow I contacted my friend and as luck would have it the cabin was available. The family does not rent the cabin out, it is just for family and friends of the family. I can not tell you how honored I am to be included in her circle of friends. When we arrived the kids were thrilled to find a few sleds in the garage and a small pile of snow on the side of the driveway to slide down. Let me just tell you about my favorite things. First I have to say, it felt like we left our home only to come home. There are knick knacks and photos, personal touches that clearly let you know you are in a loved place. In the above photos are some of my very favorite things. Cross stitch samplers done by my friend's mom. The village that overlooks the kitchen, and of that my very favorite were the nuns coming out of the photography studio! The picture that was above the TV (bottom right corner). That picture just made me smile every time I looked at it. I also just loved the arrangement of crosses that greeted you as you came up the stairs into the family room/dining room. My favorite cross is the one singled out above. I loved lighting all the candles each night, I don't do it enough at home and I now want to figure out just where I can put lots of candles to enjoy. There were so many little details in the decor that just made the house so special, such a home. Best of all, rather than take any payment to offset any costs to the family, they ask that if you have enjoyed your time that perhaps you'd like to like to make a donation to Habitat for Humanity. We had the opportunity to spend time together in this amazing home and we get to help others achieve the dream of owning a home. Nothing short of inspiring. We have dreams of owning a cabin in Big Bear someday and I am more inspired now than ever. What they have done, what they are doing is exactly what I would love to be able to do as well.
And finally my birthday. We left Big Bear on my birthday. Kind of sad in a way, but it was nice to come home to family. I'm not really a cake fan, however I do love angel food cake with strawberries. So that is what Ben got for me. The gift of spending 3 days with my family in such an inspiring and beautiful place was the very best gift I could have received. I am blessed with 4 beautiful children who inspire me to be a better person every day. My husband is my best friend, I don't know how I got so lucky. I have a circle of friends that grows continuously. One thing Facebook has shown me is that good friends are always there- even if nearly 20 years has gone by since we last connected. I love that.
