A Perfect Day at Badger Pass

Tucked between the mountain crests of Yosemite National Park is Badger Pass. This hidden gem boasts of three (functioning) lifts and 8 runs, all of which bear intimidating names such as, Turtle, Beaver, Rabbit, and Chipmunk, which may be a true testament to the level of difficulty of said runs. A serious skier may scoff at our humble local ski resort, but after the countless days I spent there during high school, I feel a certain loyalty to the mountain.

Most days of skiing are good at the very least, but every now and then there's a day that surmounts the rest, usually when the mountain is covered in a blanket of fresh powder. Joel and I were lucky enough to have such a day while we were home for the holidays. There were 8-10 inches of powder, blue skies and practically no crowds. Pure bliss.

Newport Boat Parade

My amazing friend Amanda has connections with a family that lives on the Newport Marina and invited me to view the Christmas Boat Parade with them from their Duffy boat. I love boat rides, and Christmas lights, and Amanda so I was thrilled to accept the invitation. As expected, the parade did not disappoint, nor did the immaculately decorated homes. I've seen the parade in years past, but trolling around the Marina amongst the lights added another layer of awesome to the evening. Thanks Mander!

Private Joel Hendrickson

Joel came home from Fort Knox, KY for the holidays! It was great to see him and crazy how much he's grown up in the last few months! I guess the Army really does turn boys into men.

The Accomplice: Hollywood

This year our office did something a little unconventional for our holiday party. Instead of the typical evening of dinner or bowling, we got tickets for "The Accomplice: Hollywood," something my boss had seen promoted by Niel Patrick Harris on a night show.

Initially, I didn't know what this was, and honestly, even after looking at the intentionally vague website, it was still unclear what exactly what we were signing up for, but I figured that anything that Neil Patrick Harris had his hand was sure to be fun at the very least. We scheduled our "show" for a Saturday in December and were told that we would receive a call the day before the show regarding our meeting place...

I don't want to say too much and give anything away in case any of you decide you want to do this, but I will say that it was great. Even despite the incessant rain and slipping all over the completely tractionless Hollywood sidewalks (Seriously, really poor planning Hollywood.), we all had a great time, had some good laughs, and were introduced to some interesting places.

Running in the Rain

One of my New Year's Resolutions last year (I always have about 20...) was to run in a race of some kind and I am proud to say that as of last weekend I exceeded my goal by completing my second 10k of the year! Jenn, Rhianna and I spent the last two months training for the Santa Monica Christmas Run and we were happy to finish strong last Saturday, despite the torrential rains that so conveniently decided to pour down that morning. The rain didn't phase us, we are far too hard core to let a little water slow us down,  but we were quite the sight in our rain coats and ponchos. 

A Long Time Gone

Over the years I've taken innumerable trips between LA and my hometown, Oakhurst, but I only consider a few of them to be "road trips." Last weekend was one of them. 

Jenn's sisters were hosting a bridal shower in the mountain area so we; Jenn, Eric (her fiancee), Rhianna (a fellow bridesmaid), and myself decided to make a weekend out of it. Our weekend was complete with a 10k training run, an outing to the one of the local bars (dare I call it a "saloon?"), and a quick trip to Yosemite. 

Here's a quick glimpse at our weekend;

This is the view from what used to be my bedroom window. 

The (glorious) Hitching Post

Proof that kids are allowed to run amuck in mountain bars...

Even with pictures it's hard to capture the feel of the evening, there's just something special about a small town bar. We saw a handful of people we knew from earlier phases of our lives, including Jenn's first kindergarten boyfriend, and my older brother's best friend for all his life until they recently lost touch. We kept hoping we'd see an old high school teacher to complete the evening. No luck. 

We also got a taste of Christmas in Oakhurst as we witnessed the annual tree lighting. It's a big community event and Santa always makes his grand entrance in a fire truck. Each of the small trees around the big tree represent one of the mountain area schools and are decorated with ornaments made by the students at each respective school. I made many an ornament in my day, ahh,  memories. 

We ventured up to Yosemite despite predictions of snow. 

Ice Skating in Curry Village was  the main focus of the day. The rink was practically deserted, and with a dusting of snow, some hot cocoa, and half dome towering over us it make for a fabulous afternoon. 

My friends have serious skating skills. 

Merry Merry Jolly Jolly

Ok, guys, the holidays are upon us and we need to take advantage of the festivities! It is a personal holiday requisite of mine to see at least one boat parade each year because they so effectively spread the Holiday Cheer, so expect to be hearing from me, dear readers, to see if you can join me for any of the following parades. :)

Naples (Long Beach): December 19

Newport: December 16-20 with fireworks on the 20th

Venice Canals: December 13 (This one is elusive. Last year the date changed last minute and we went on the wrong night...)

Marina del Rey: December 12 with fireworks