Oh, hi there. It’s been over 3 months since I’ve posted anything here. Since I mostly maintain posting to remember more details about the day to day, I’ll do a quick check in before diving in for our annual Tahoe anniversary post!
Since Hawaii back in January, we’ve celebrated Cam’s 4th birthday! Instead of throwing a classic party, we opted to go to Safari West with family and close friends who have a little one too. We stayed in an airbnb too, so it felt like a nice weekend getaway.
Mike and I spent ~24 hours in Vegas to surprise a friend celebrating his birthday. Highlights included staying at the Bellagio, seeing a zombie burlesque, and drinks at a dueling piano bar. This was the first time we’ve spent a night away from Cam that involved a flight so that felt like a milestone.
Another trip was a weekend up to Reno to visit my grandparents and celebrate my grandma’s birthday! We spent the day visiting a farm that had tractor rides, bounce houses, food trucks, and tulips to pick.
Now it’s May and we are just back from Tahoe, spending the weekend celebrating 5 years of marriage in our longtime spot (and recently rebranded), Everline Resort & Spa. Per usu, right after we arrived we had a takeout dinner from Sandy’s Pub on the big, open grass area. There are a ton of lawn games there, which means entertainment for both Cam and Mike. 🙂
We love visiting this resort in May because it isn’t as busy as peak snow sport season or the hot days of summer. The only downside is the weather is a bit unpredictable. Last year was colder than we’ve experienced, with enough snow to still go sledding. This year was pleasantly warm! After dinner we went to the pool to soak in the mountain view and test out the water temp. Luckily it wasn’t too chilly and we spent the evening dipping our toes in and prepping for the weekend ahead of lots of pool time!
The next day was our actual anniversary. That day 5 years ago we were surrounded by our family and friends, having the best time celebrating under the stars. Flash to present day, we decided to try something new in Tahoe and drove to Meek’s Bay. When we first arrived, the parking attendant ($12/day to park there) told us the property was rundown with unreliable bathrooms (not a great sell) but we were free to go next door and utilize that beach instead.
He didn’t have to tell us twice. We didn’t even bother checking out that beach, opting to drive straight next door where there was a snack shack and clean, working bathrooms. The views were incredible and I love the photos we have here. But we all know pictures don’t paint the whole… well, picture. The sand was really rocky and hard for Cam to walk on. There were a lot of bugs. And the water was freezing, although that part is expected. Nonetheless, we spent a few hours huddled on our beach blanket (that I snagged in Spain – I love getting very functional things on vacations like beach blankets, hand soap, etc. so I have little reminders of our travels often). Cam of course loved throwing rocks and sticks in the lake while Mike and I enjoyed cheese, crackers, and kombucha on the beach.
That night, my grandparents – who live ~45 minutes away – offered to come to the resort to watch Cam while we went to dinner. So, after some afternoon pool play, Cam had quesadillas and played dinosaurs with his great grandparents. Mike and I got some 1:1 time and celebrated with salad, steaks, and a s’mores desserts. A great time for everyone!
Mike hit the slopes early the next morning so Cam and I spent a lazy morning getting ready and exploring the resort before taking the shuttle to meet daddy for lunch. Cam loves riding shuttle buses (adorably reminding us to “put our buckle seats on” each time) and this particular one had lollipops onboard for kids. Lucky ride! We ate at Tremigo, just like last year, expect this year the food wasn’t as good. Waah, I hate it when your expectation for something doesn’t match reality.
A new treat was the ice cream truck located across the way, which was great for Cam. They offered $3 mini scoops – I haven’t seen this anywhere else but loved it. Perfect size, good price. Mike did some sale shopping after while Cam and I chilled out and listened to a bit of live music in the middle of the village. Doesn’t live music make every experience just that much better? And then we were back to the resort for more pool time, of course. This is also when I was able to crack open a new book. The best.
After a long day and lots of sun, we were all tired. Cam went to sleep hard and fast after his bath BUT 30 minutes before his usual bedtime. Which we found out later might have been a mistake…
Mike and I ordered Reubens and Caesar salads to-go and watched House Hunters, trying desperately to make it at least until 9pm before falling asleep. Then, around 8/8:30pm, Cam woke up and we knew his bedtime had been too early. Because we were on vacation (or, more likely, because we were tired ourselves) we let him watch a show on the iPad when he requested one. He still couldn’t fall asleep after so we caved again and decided to have an official sleepover, moving our House Hunters to the bedroom we were all sharing to fall asleep together after one last episode. Maybe some people will think this is terrible parenting but looking back, I actually love this memory. I hope Cam does too.
On our final morning, we took one last lollipop shuttle ride over to the village for coffee and fresh pastries with a beautiful mountain view. Then it was back to pack and hit the road home with another great anniversary trip in the books blog! See you next time!
VEG VIBES 