Snow Weekend

On Friday we drove up to the cabin that my family had rented in Tahoe Vista, and got there in no time. By the time we arrived my dad was making dinner and people were getting started with the vino too. As soon as we got there we announced our engagement, and toasted with some champagne with everyone! The rest of the nice included a nice dinner that my dad made, some Scrabble, and lots of wine! We were very happy to be there.
Saturday morning we woke up and Rob told me that he and my sister and brother-in-law were going skiing at Diamond Peak. I was on the fence: go snow shoeing with my dad, relax at the cabin with my stepmom and niece, or ski with Rob, Sam & Jorge? I couldn't make up my mind, but finally decided to go skiing because I am making an effort to have more fun and be more adventurous, even when I am afraid! Why would I be afraid of a day of skiing? Well, I hadn't skiied in 20 years or so, for one thing. For two, I am not much of a risk taker and afraid of heights and steep hills. And last but not least, I am not the most coordinated person to say the least, and I was imagining myself falling down, crashing into people, and smashing into trees....but none of that happened! Somehow, miraculously, I did great! Well, great for a beginner. It was almost like riding a bike. Even though it had been 20 years, I remembered how to ski like no time had passed at all. Rob and I took a break and drank some Heinekens and ate some lunch along with Sam & Jorge. We had a really good time.
Saturday night it was our turn to cook and Rob made his famous Pollo Arvejado. Everyone loved it. I was tired from skiing, so after dinner and some charades, I went to bed. But not Rob! He and Jorge were just getting started. After dinner they took a hot tub and got ready for the casinos, and were out at the casinos drinking, gambling, and listening to some blues until 3 am.
On Sunday I wanted to go snowshoeing but Rob was tuckered out after his never-ending Saturday night, so we just relaxed, hung out with family, and watched movies. In the end I'm glad we got that day at the cabin because we got to spend some real quality time with my adorable little niece, Maya, who I don't get to see often enough! She's 10 1/2 months old, and I hadn't spent much time with her since Summer since school was so intense during the Fall semester. So playing with Maya was great, and also it really started to snow on Saturday! It was beautiful. Honestly, it's been years since I've been in the snow. And forever since I was in the snow and actually got to watch the snow falling. It was really lovely. I caught a glimpse of Rob and he was staring so intently out the window at the snow, so enchanted. I know he'd really love to live there. Maybe at some point we will. After the movies we took a nice walk with my dad and sisters. It was nice to get outside since there were a lot of us in a little cabin we were getting a little bit of cabin fever. After dinner and another movie, everyone went to bed. Everyone was tired early.
This morning Rob made breakfast and we had to rush to get out of the cabin, because the snowstorm was quickly getting worse, and we wanted to cross Donner Pass before it got too bad. It still took 4 or 5 hours to drive a distance that shouldn't have taken more than 2 hours, but in the end we're just happy to be home safe and sound. I'd forgotten how magical falling snow was, and how much fun it was to ski. I'm grateful for these rich experiences. It's not the years in the life, but the life in the years, right?