SkYEEing

We headed up to Reno again to check out the snow once a year. You never know what you see regarding the weather... it's so unpredictable...

We headed to our usual resort, Mt Rose, to our usual spot in the lodge and snow play area. 

This was 2 years ago December...

This was 1 year ago December...

This was 10 months ago April...

This was a few weeks ago in February...

What a huge difference isn't it? We never know what we get until we get there! But we still had a great time!

This time we went up with our friends, Michael & Angela, and their kids Jessie, Brian & Rachel. We stayed one night at the Hampton Inn & Suites.

Now I try to travel 'light' but I admit, I do tend to overpack. I try to be prepared for any circumstance from a change in weather to swimming in the hotel pool to having to stay an extra night.  It's that Type A in me.

Our friends usually travel light... very light! One time Angela and Rachel shared a carry-on suitcase for a 5 day trip to the Grand Canyon! (My toiletries and necessities would fit a carry-on suitcase alone!) So I was afraid to be embarrassed by our one huge suitcase just for 'one' night but of course it did have everything for our whole family of four in it plus our ski clothing.

To my utmost surprise, our friends brought a little bit more than I had thought!

In their defense, they say they pack 'light' whenever they have to fly! But when they drive, they just dump their house into the car!

The weather was clear and warm even without the sun. But if you stand outside long enough, it gets quite cold!

Hannah opted out on skiing (did not want to take a lesson by herself) so she hung out at the lodge with me and Angela...

...while Emily skiied with her Daddy and...

.... Rachel

Jessie and Brian snowboarded... and Michael skiied

Mt Rose attracts many Asians (as you can see from this sign on each of the tables in the lodge). During the holiday season, many come and bring their own food.. cup of noodles, sandwiches, hot pots and rice cookers. Yep. I saw someone bring a rice cooker once!

After a full day in the snow, we headed to a new japanese restaurant that we had not tried yet...

They had an all-you-can-eat option for $24.99. Our Jessie, our honor-student-track-runner-health-conscious-senior, surprisingly decided to go for the all-you-can-eat-option (to the definite surprise of her mother). It wasn't the amount of food that she wanted to consume but the cost of it. She had calculated that it was more cost efficient to take advantage of the all-you-can-eat than to order a la carte the items she wanted to eat.

So she ate...

...and ate...

...and ate! She ate a total of 3 appetizers and 6 rolls! All coming out to $62!!! For only $24.99! What a great deal!

The restaurant has this cool 'call button' on the table that you press whenever you want to order more food.

Afterwards we headed down a few shops to get some yogurt... you got to have dessert on vacation right?

This cool yogurt place had a wall full of flavors plus on the other side was a wall full of toppings.

We rolled out of Reno quite full and happy the next morning!