Annual Vacation - Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!

The highlight of the trip.... driving all the way down to Palm Spring... so we can take a 10 minute tram ride up the mountain for the kids to play in snow.  They've been looking forward to it all winter long.  Last night... during "Family Time", Nn even shared she was happy TODAY because she'll get to see snow TOMORROW. 

That morning... we left extra early to beat the crowd.  Don't want a repeat of last year where we dragged a boatload of stuff... ran up the stairs... only to miss our tram.

Unlike last year... we got there and parked at the closest parking lot.  So it was just a short walk to the ticket counter.  We got dressed in our snow bibs.... put on all our snow gear.... grabbed the saucer and sled.... and started towards the ticket counter.

And after I buy the tickets.... out of the corner of my eye, I see the sign that said, "Weather at Peak: 27 deg.  No Snow."  Wait.....what?!?? "NO SNOW!??!?!?!"  NO FRIGGIN SNOW!??!?!?!?!   How can there be no snow!?!??!   I drove all the way down here and now you tell me there's no snow!!?!??!?!  (riiiiight... i didn't check the website prior to coming... huda thunk???)

I asked the ticket counter attendant... is there REALLY no snow? I don't care if there isn't enough for sledding... just let my kids grab it and make some snow angels.  "No sir... we haven't had a good snow in months."

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh....................  No wonder every one at the parking lot was looking at us weird.  No wonder we saw people wearing jogging pants and shorts.  No wonder the crowd was so small.

Sh*t.  Now came the time to break the bad news to the kids.  Who was gonna do it? Who was gonna break their little hearts??

"There's no snow today honey.  We can't play with our sled."

"Huh?? Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh....." (the sound that jerks every dad's tears.....)

"Sorry ah Nn....."

But amazingly... she recovered quickly.  SW isn't even sure what's happening.  And Joyce... she's steaming with anger!  HA!

Well.... we paid for the tickets already.  Might as well suffer through the rest of the trip.... hiking in our SNOW CLOTHES!!!!!

Poor Nn.... she hated every minute of it.

"It's hot."
"I'm tired."
"Are we done walking yet?"
"Why are we still walking?"
"My feet hurts."
"Can you carry me, like SW?"

But Joyce... being the Superwoman that she is... turned a bad situation into a wonderful one.  She kept a positive attitude.  Kept both of the kids entertained.  Even carried SW for half the hike.

She collapsed at 7PM tonight out of sheer exhaustion, right after dinner... HAHAHA... but she really came through when the family needed her to.

I guess we have a Tahoe trip coming up.... just to make up for this.

Dinner: We returned to Pizzeria Villagio!!!!  Nn loved it the first night.  The kids loved the spaghetti.  We didn't mind the food.  But this time, food and service wasn't as good.  Had this been our first time... we wouldn't have come back.  Such it is....