December 15, 2015

Tanya's Daily Scoop
NEXT TRIP DEPARTS IN: 24 DAYS

Ski Resorts GALORE!

Hello there!

Only 10 more days until Christmas!!
&
Only one more weekend before Christmas!

I must admit that I'm sitting pretty comfortable in terms of my very LONG shopping list.

But what still needs to be done is:

Buying a Tree
Decorating the Tree
Fixing the Oven
Wrapping the gifts

I'll mention to you all the festive events that we will still be attending in tomorrow's W2GW blog.

Have you noticed the weird and wonky weather?
I live on the west coast and Elisa on the east coast and it's almost as though the weather has swapped..

LOOK at this: The NY low temp is higher than the Anaheim high temp!

We have been consistently experiencing lower temperatures than my friends/family back east!
​
I'm not sure if El Nino has anything to do with it, but I am signed up for the local Snow Reports and my phone has been buzzing just about every day as the Tahoe Mountain resorts are being pummeled with snow storm after snow storm.  
Which makes this skier girl right here a very happy camper!!

TODAY is TRAVELIN' TUESDAY
And talking about skiing - one of my very favorite sports and one that I fill our winters with.
(Our next trip in 24 days, is not a ski trip - it is a trip to Death Valley National Park)
Our ski trips will begin next month - in 30 days to be exact! 

RESORTS THAT WE WILL BE SKIING AT THIS SEASON INCLUDE:

VAIL (Vail, Colorado)
Coveted as one of the largest ski resorts in the world, Vail has been an extraordinary winter vacation destination for passionate skiers and snowboarders for more than 50 years.

BEAVER CREEK (Avon, Colorado)
A place where immaculate grooming and world-class skiing give way to warm après-ski cookies and five-star cuisine.

KEYSTONE (Keystone, Colorado)
With three unbelievable mountains, tons of outdoor adventures, lodging and dining all in two unique villages, it’s clear that Keystone is the best place to experience the best of the Rocky Mountains. The fun and excitement is all in one convenient location.

ARAPAHOE BASIN (Keystone, Colorado)
Set at the base of the Continental Divide on Loveland Pass, A-Basin offers over 100 expertly carved trails, boasting above-timberline bowls and deep powder stashes. Whether you're interested in groomed cruiser runs or if chutes and glades are more your style, the Basin has it! 

BRECKENRIDGE (Breckenridge, Colorado)
These peaks are nestled among a host of Colorado’s famous “fourteeners". Breckenridge Ski Resort is just west of the Continental Divide and is perennially one of the most visited ski resorts in the western hemisphere. ​

PARK CITY (Park City, Utah)
Park City is now the largest ski area in the United States. A world-class mountain destination located in an authentic & historic western town.

HEAVENLY (Lake Tahoe, CA)
Heavenly boasts Tahoe’s highest resort peak, a formidable 360 inches of snowfall a year and a vertical rise unmatched on the West Coast. Add 34 miles of wide-open, groomed cruisers, double-black canyons with 1,600-foot plunges, four terrain parks and acres upon acres of powder-filled glades.

KIRKWOOD (Kirkwood, CA)
Kirkwood's 2,300 acres offer vast, open bowls, double diamond steeps, cliffs, chutes and miles of cornice. When you get lift tickets to Kirkwood they come with legitimate bragging rights, as you rip alongside California’s skiing elite.

MONT SAINTE-ANNE (Beaupré, QC)
Only 30 minutes from Québec City, Mont-Sainte-Anne offers incredible ski conditions for its 71 runs and 3 snow parks, with a 2,050ft vertical drop, 19 illuminated runs. Not only is the station renowned for its snow quality and the daily grooming of the slopes, it has one of the province's longest ski seasons. And the cable car affords a breathtaking view of the St. Lawrence River.

LE RELAIS (Lac-Beauport, QC)
This ski resort is only 15 minutes from Québec City. Le Relais is known for its top-notch ski conditions and infrastructure. There are 31 groomed runs, 25 of which are lit for night skiing, 3 snow parks with jumps and modules for freestyle snowboarders. 

So with all of these wonderful places to go, mountains to ski and villages to enjoy, I'll certainly be busy carving the slopes with my kiddos this winter!
Btw - WINTER officially begins in 7 Days!

As for today, aside from a few errands, we'll be heading back to the stables, and then later on tonight to Dominic's classes.

Enjoy a few photos from our visit to the stables yesterday: 

What 4 year olds decide to wear to the stables!

That's all folks - see ya back here tomorrow for W2GW (where to go Wednesday)!
-T

Elisa's Daily Scoop
NEXT TRIP DEPARTS IN: 3 DAYS

Be Open Minded When Booking Your Trip!

HELLO!

Well, with a little more than a week to go before Christmas, things are pretty busy on this end with school functions and getting things done before I go see Mom and Dad.

Today was a crazy day, with all I completed between dropping the kids off, till noon.

First, I had to make a stop at the post office.  Then, a quick run into Starbucks for my hot chocolate.  From there, I headed to the car wash to get the horse smell and dirt out of my car from our weekend at the barn.

Staples was my next destination, where I needed to get a few home office items, that the girls have been bugging me about.

For the last month, our computer mouse has been on the fritz so I finally made my way over to the mall to the Apple Store to see what was wrong.

I was hoping I wouldn't have to buy a new one and in the end, I didn't!!  Apparently, the battery exploded and the inside of the battery compartment was gunked up.

After a quick visit to the Genius Bar, it was fixed and I was on my way. 

Next was the bank; and from there, I made my way to the gas station to fill the old tank.  Whew!  I was tired!

Back to last night...
Last night was Gianna's band concert and the kids did such a wonderful job of playing!

As a fourth year member of the school band, Gianna has progressed into a terrific clarinet player.

The rest of the week has more holiday school functions.  Tomorrow is Kelsey's Christmas concert and then Thursday night is Gianna's Christmas show.   Lot's happening!

Travelin' Talk...
I wanted to share some flight information with you today for your future travels.

I'm generally, I tend to be a creature of habit and as such, that applies to my travel routines.

For the past 10 years, I've been consistent with flying either Jet Blue or Delta to Florida - specifically into West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Orlando.

When booking my upcoming trip to Boca Raton for Christmas, I opted to fly into West Palm Beach via Jet Blue.

If you are flying from New York to South Florida, you may want to think seriously about flying Southwest.  Now, I have flown Southwest to other destinations - namely, New Mexico, last year with my girls.  

I was very happy with the service and the flight and the fare was the most reasonable at the time for this route. I even have a frequent flyer account.

Even as a travel blogger, I had the blinders on a bit, and was focused on flights on the two carriers mentioned above.

Had I expanded my mind a bit, (and in turn, my flight searches), I would have seen that Southwest would probably have been the better airline to fly.  

In general, their policies are better - they have NO Change fees and they DO NOT charge for baggage.  Not a bad deal, considering that in general, most airlines charge about the same for similar routes, so every little bit of savings and convenience helps!!

Well, I hope that little tidbit for today is helpful to you!  Regional carriers can prove to be better in the long run for savings.

Off to do a few more errands before the kiddies get home.  They have wiped me out of snacks this week and we till have three more days of school lunches and after-school snacks, so a quick stop at the grocery store is on my agenda next.

Then, I will do some quick shopping for teachers' gifts.

Catch ya back here tomorrow!
-E
xoxo