Sisters playing music

Today we had a fun day planned and the rain didn't stop us.  We met a couple of the girls friends at the new Arclight movie theatre in downtown Santa Monica to watch Kung Fu Panda 3.  Then we all had lunch at the new Cheesecake Factory.  Twice a year, a music school give $10 classes to raise money for Boys and Girls of America, so the girls each tried a new instrument.  Lydia chose to try drums and Sophie, though she kind of already tried it since the guitar was too big last time, chose ukelele.

A rare moment

Lydia has a natural musicality

Maybe drums are in her future?

Tiny instrument for tiny hands

Strumming Sophie

Sparring with Master Temple

Lydia taking on Master Temple

Sophie having a go

Adventures in basketball

Sophie (in the back) standing to the tallest player on the team

Special instructions from Coach

Everyone "takes a knee" when a player gets hurt

TGIF

Every so often, my friends Lucy and Ada organize a night out on Friday night and we get a little crazy.  A perfect way to end the week and start the weekend.

Happy hour at Estate

Going Greek

I used to organize a weekly happy hour, but found that it was too difficult for other mothers to meet that often.  Then I reduced the gatherings to just every other week, but now it's pretty much whenever I feel like it.  Dine LA happens two a year with pretty good deals from restaurants, so we had a mom's night at a new Greece restaurant.  Three course meal for $29?  Not too bad despite the overuse of salt.

We had two new people join us too!

Sweet Good-bye

I requested a late check-out, so we wouldn't have to rush to leave the condo.  Albert and Jack needed to get home to their wives, but Sara & Ryan and us tubed a little on the streets.  About an hour after we left, we stopped at a Ghiradelli ice cream shop for some dessert having eaten leftover food in the car just before.  We arrived home around 9 after making yet another stop for dinner in Van Nuys.  It was definitely a wet trip and even though we were glad to have hung out with friends, we decided that Squaw is not one of our favorite skiing places.

  

Tubing time

So much fun!

Peace out

Not the best, but better than nothing

Trekking up

Snowy adventures

Heading home

Snowmen line-up

Everyone got their own dessert...chocolate overload

Cut short

Though we had an early start today, traffic and rain shortened our day.  We did not get to accomplish as much as we wanted to during this ski trip, but at least we got to spend some quality time with old and new friends.

Crazy traffic to Squaw

Home of the Olympics

Thank goodness for these snow blowing machines

Group selfie

Enjoying a warm soup lunch in a very breezy area

Dinner of S's...steak, salad, squash, s'rooms, and s'mores

Alpine & Squaw

Since we arrived super late last night and even got stuck going up a little hill in the minivan rental, we had a late start this morning and decided to take the short 5 minute drive to Alpine Village first.  We only got a couple runs in before it started pouring and poor Jack & Bert were stuck on a ski lift for 20 minutes in the rain.  After lunch, the clouds lifted and we shuttled over to Squaw Valley to ski the rest of the afternoon.

Ringing of the bell at Alpine

Lydia's usual pose

Trung and his co-worker Ryan, who's wife Sara got to see snow for the first time in her life

Patiently waiting for the snowboarders to mount

Uncle Jack could barely keep up with these two on his snowboard

And so it begins...

Basketball season started a couple weeks before winter break, but the first game wasn't until today.  Sophie started on her first basketball game ever and did quite well considering she's the smallest one on the team.  Lydia's team was short one person, but they still managed to win.  It's going to be an interesting season!

Beginning the season as a starter

She may be little, but she be fierce

An assist!

After Sophie's game, we quickly went to Sweet Rose Creamery for a personal tour.  I was quite impressed with how fresh their ingredients are.  We got as many samples as we wanted at the end of the tour and ice cream pops.

Lydia's game

She threw up some good shots

Hot homecoming

After 16 days on the road, we finally headed home.  As much fun as we had skiing and visiting family, nothing beats sleeping in your own bed.  As Trung would say, we had an "epic road trip" and many memories were made.  Until the next one...

We missed you, California!

Hot, Szechuan fish dish for dinner

Sedona

We stayed the night at a much nicer hotel than we had been staying, and let me tell you, we had stayed at some pretty shoddy places.  We got a good night's sleep and woke up ready to enjoy beautiful Sedona.  We visited Red Rock State Park, but were disappointed not to see the famous red rocks, at least not up close.  After a simple lunch, we got ready for sunset and decided on the airport vortex location for the viewing.  There we experienced the magnificent red rocks and simply couldn't get enough.

Cathedral Rock

Heading out of the park

Feeling the vortex

The kids didn't appreciate the view as much as the adults

Taking it all in

Even the clouds are affected by the vortex

Good-bye, Sedona

Ringing in the new year in a "grand" way

We enjoyed a delicious breakfast this New Year's morning at a local cafe and bought lunches to go to enjoy at our next stop...The Grand Canyon!

Sweet breakfast for some sweet kids

The girls and I bought some new accessories

The scenic drive to the canyon

Pictures nor words can describe the beauty of this place

Trung always in educating mode

We made it!

My beautiful older daughter

My man

I fed the deer carrots...don't tell!

Me and the river

Enjoying the sun set on the first day of the year

Happy New Year!