Turned 41 and Went to the Mountains!

School got out, and then we got busy!!  Last Monday was my birthday which the girls and Ken made extra special for me. I was served breakfast and coffee, and then I got to open my gifts.  It was really cool for me because I knew everything I was getting since Ken had been busy out of town. He did surprise me with a gift certificate to Amazon, which allowed me to purchase a lot of really fun stuff.

I received the Freedom Ginghers that I had been wanting as well as a ton of cool stationery.  I have been reading a ton of history novels: Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, etc., so I figured I would try my hand with a quill and ink. It should be interesting.

After all of the celebrating, we got busy getting the truck loaded up, and we headed to the Big Bear cabins.  I am still trying to get a reservation for the Beach, but so far, it's not working out.  We found ourselves in the cabin nearest the playground which was a really nice: the girls could go play, and we could hear them easily from the cabin.

Brian did not care for helping out. He felt that loading and unloading was apparently beneath him, but he managed to follow the directions he was given in order to participate in the family getaway. I'm sure it didn't help that the girls gave him a hard time for not taking the heavy items, and then they hauled things while showing him that girls were stronger than boys. 

After we were unpacked, Ken took me to The Log Cabin restaurant so I could have a German supper as a special birthday meal. I was so happy to have Veal Schnitzel!! It was very good, and there was way more than I could eat.

We went to Stater Bros to get the perishables for our trip, and Ken even bought me a Black Forest Cake. They sang to me back in the cabin, and we enjoyed some birthday cake.

Most of the week was spent relaxing. It was great not to stick to a schedule, and to just relax and enjoy life. We did spend a little time in the Village shopping and enjoying gelato and coffee. Brian even bought himself a sword that he wanted.  

The girls and I did go to the Mill Creek Manor for our annual Afternoon Tea. Mandy still refused to wear one of the hats, but she was all smiles.  Jordan tried on every hat in the place, and Taylor just took it all in. The girls have decided that they each want their own tea cup and saucer. I told them that it's a great possibility for them as a gift for their first apartment or house. They each kept talking about how much they love the annual tea ritual, so I made them promise that they find one day each year we can always meet in Big Bear for tea, and I'll take care of it through Jordan's senior year.  So far, we have a deal!

The last full day of Big Bear was spent on the lake itself. We rented a pontoon boat for the day, sprayed ourselves with sunscreen and off we went. Ken made sure to get the tube to town and drag the kids around on the lake which was totally enjoyed by everyone.  Sean and his friend, Shandon, joined us for the lake as well.

All of the kids took a turn on the tube, and Ken and I even had a pull. Jordan was initially scared to death of the tube, but then she couldn't get enough of it.  It was awesome to watch her scream her lungs out with excitement. Mandy went on the tube, but she didn't care for it. She preferred to sit with Ken or me in the captain's seat and help steer the boat.  While we were pulling Ken on the tube, I stepped away and took a picture of Mandy while she was "Captain."  Since she didn't enjoy the tube, I wanted to be sure that she enjoyed her day. Helping out with steering seemed to be the trick for her. 

The houses on the lake were intense!! I could not believe the sheer size of some of them!!

By the end of the day, we realized that the sunscreen we kept slathering on didn't work. Each of us was crispy, and we were all in pain by the evening. Shandon was complaining about his sunburned nipples which I honestly can't imagine.  HAHA!!!  

Sean and Shandon stayed the night and then helped us to pack up the next morning. It was a great trip, and I was really happy that we were finally able to take our Big Bear trip. Since we usually go during Spring Break, it was very different to plan summer activities rather than sledding in the snow, etc., but it was a nice change.