cabin fever

Sorry for the lame title. Couldn't think of anything else quite as catchy. Actually, we didn't have cabin fever as we wanted to stay inside and just relax. The hubs and I got to spend the weekend in beautiful, cold Big Bear. His work provides free cabins for all employees. FREE!!! All he has to do is put in a request for the dates he wants, the number of people, and bam! FREE cabin!! It was absolutely gorgeous up there. Clear, blue skies and mostly white snow on the ground. Our cabin was on the beach. Neither of us had been there before so we enjoyed every single kid-free second of it.

Big Bear in the distance

the standard driving shot....couldn't put mine up, it was hideous

we're getting closer!!

we made it! this is our view from the porch...it was COLD...don't mind the dirty snow, at least it wasn't yellow

our home away from home for the weekend...there are several cabins/rooms...one section looks like a motel and the rest are cabins...they even have a 5 bedroom cabin! you can see our picnic table covered in snow

the massive bedroom...it had a big tub, fireplace, TV & DVD player

the tub...felt great after a day in the cold

the little kitchen...came stocked with pots and pans and dishes

living room....the set up was a little awkward but we didn't spend a lot of time watching tv

the duck whisperer

checking out the water...it was FREEZING

our neighbors...this cabin is huge! must be someone's vacation home

there's ice to the left of the dock

don't we look relaxed already??

there's a stream between the set of cabins and motel-like rooms

After we got settled into our room and walked around the grounds for a bit we went to the grocery store for more supplies. I had gone grocery shopping before we left but I forgot a couple things, plus we needed to get some Duraflame logs since we couldn't burn firewood. I didn't take any pics on our drive to the store. The entire time we kept looking at each other saying, "I can't believe we're here! I can't believe this is free!" We got our supplies then headed back to grill some steaks I had picked up earlier.

yes, we grilled in the snow...our BBQ was sitting in a mountain of snow so we used another one...most of the cabins had their own BBQ and picnic table but the one we used had several and a horseshoe pit nearby...we didn't play, it was too freaking cold!!

the same shot using the night setting...it was probably around 530-6 at this point

talking to the kiddies while grilling....I went back and forth getting the rest of the meal together....we are a great grilling team

ready to dig in!!

yummy steaks, broccoli, potato and salad...oh and sauteed mushrooms for me!

the next day after a yummy breakfast we walked to the Village...totally cute, by the way...lots of cute shops, restaurants and even a Jack in the Box!

there were a lot of Christmasy type decorations up still including this ginormous tree...it's ok since we were in the mountains....luckily I didn't have to whip out my Christmas police badge (I hate when people leave their decorations up after the first week in Jan)

We did a little shopping at a souvenir shop after our tour of the Village. We've been trying to collect magnets and/or Christmas ornaments from our trips. Super dorky but it that's how we roll. We got some yummy candied apples at the North Pole Fudge & Ice Cream shop. They had a zillion kinds of fudge and so many apples to choose from. I should have taken a pic inside the store but it was super busy. We shared an apple before we stopped for lunch at some foo-foo gourmet shop. This place sold caviar, wine, a bunch of different types of vinegar and cheeses. Don't know why us ghetto folks chose this place but our sandwiches were really good. We tried to make this trip as cheap as possible since the cabin was free but we didn't want to cook the entire trip. We decided we would go out to dinner and see a movie. We ate dinner at El Jacalito, a local mexican restaurant. Think everyone was there that night. After our yummy dinner we headed off to the theater for Sherlock Holmes. Dinner and a movie was good, the company was better. The movie got out after 9 so we had to walk back to the cabin in the frigid weather. Seriously, it was cold. I had on a tank top, shirt, sweatshirt, jacket, scarf and gloves and I was still cold. My legs and butt were ice cold to the touch!!

more pictures from a walk we took

our cabin from the other side of the lake

our last breakfast before we head home...we had to make one more stop at the fudge shop for a treat to take back to Gawa for babysitting...oh, and another treat for the hubby to take to work

these shots were taken on our way home...we were sad to leave

surprised he posed for this since he was afraid to get to close to the edge...he told me if I fell he wasn't coming down to get me!!

We are already making plans for our next trip with the kids! Thankfully, we left the mountains in time before the huge storm hit. The entire next week it snowed up there and drenched us down the mountain. I was kinda hoping it would snow while we were there, but not enough to trap us in or make it difficult to get home. Just enough to watch from the window with a fire going and sip on some hot chocolate. Sigh...I wanna go back!!