Big Bear Mayans Family Vacation

Weebly (my blog host site) is on my shiz list right now. There are multiple posts I have written almost to completion and then they suddenly disappear. I've also had problems with pictures not pulling up on the correct posts.  Unfortunately, this post about our trip to Big Bear is one that was erased...so now, a few weeks after the fact, I am going to try and recreate memory to the best of my abilities.

Old Memories and New

My parents are super generous and rented a cabin in the mountains this year for a family vacation. It was Andrew's first time visiting Big Bear, but for me and my brothers it was a nostalgic trip. Growing up, my Nama and Granddaddy owned a cabin in Big Bear. I have memories of driving up the windy roads, getting carsick almost every time, and feeling the relief of seeing the driveway and finally escaping the car. Then our time would be spent skiing, playing in the snow, and drinking hot chocolate in the winter. During the summer, we'd take walks around the neighborhood, float in a canoe on the lake, and laze around outside. Big Bear trips always included a visit to the Bowling Barn, the local zoo, and some attempts at hitting golf balls at the driving range. 

So it was fun to bring my little family up to Big Bear and mix the old memories with a new generation. I loved seeing the kids playing together as cousins. 

Some of our adventures included:

• a trip to the zoo (which has been moved and updated) and a family picture with our matching vacation shirts
• walking around the little town and getting ice cream
• celebrating my nephew, Jepson's, 4th birthday with a Spiderman themed party
• Andrew and Grace (and the rest of the family, minus Madelyn and me) had a day riding the Alpine slide and the mountain coaster.
• a sick day. This is why I stayed home with my sweet Maddy while the rest of the family went to the alpine slide. Luckily, it was a short-lived 24-hour cold. No big deal, just extra cuddles and rest.
• walks to the park (where my dad, who is 58, randomly ran into his old high school cross country coach...crazy!)
• kids playing around with the Pac Man game at the cabin
• renting a pontoon and cruising around Big Bear lake
• late night games, conversations, and movies
• a first time bowling experience for most of the kids at the Bowling Barn
• a "beach" day at the lake shore.