Easily one of my most favorite side trips on this vacation was visiting Lake Tahoe. Or as us locals call it, "TaHome". It's been over a decade since I've lived there but it will always be home to me. The slow paced beach and ski life, and living on "Tahoe Time".
These trips up north can get pretty exhausting bouncing from one place to another, trying to visit as many people as we can. Now don't get me wrong, we LOVE seeing all the people. My heart hurts when we have to leave them. But, it can get tiring. Rarely is there a moment to relax, rarely does it feel like a vacation. So this time around, we decided to book a room and spend a full 24 hours in one of the most beautiful places on Earth, Lake Tahoe. The plan was to see no one. But we did run into people. And as much as that wasn't the plan, I'm so happy we saw who we did.
Part 2 - TaHome
Where I Grew Up - As mentioned in Part One, Kenley has been very interested in John and I's past. Curious who we were before we were Mommy and Daddy. And as a lover of Lake Tahoe (Miss Lake Tahoe 2001 and Most School Spirited), I had no problem showing her my old elementary school, high school, dance studio, and childhood home.
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| ZCES! Go Fighting Cubs! Which they later changed to Mighty Cubs because well, fighting. |
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| "W-H-I-T-T-E-L-L. W-A-R-R-I-O-R-S! Whittell Warriors are the best, we'll go down in history with all the rest!" |
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| My view playing soccer for all the years. |
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| Peeking into my old dance studio! Forever Dance fka Dance Visions. |
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| Just a little arabesque in their mini room. |
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| Bevel in the red room. As seen on "Dance Moms". |
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| My old teacher Miss Joan! Now owner of Forever Dance! Thanks for the tour and all the dance memories! |
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| My childhood home! Other than the door, looks the same! |
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| When I was her age I learned to ride a bike here, pee on rocks, bury and unbury dead fish, put on 80's fashion shows, and camp in the yard with the bears. |
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| O.M.G.! It's Connie! My old neighbor! Mother of Nicole (and JJ, Christine, and Charlie). If only she knew all the mischief Nicole and I got into in this neighborhood. |
Beach Day Night - You don't go to Tahoe in the summer without going to the beach. You just don't. Unfortunately, we weren't able to check into our hotel until 5pm (don't get me started), so our beach day turned into a cold and windy beach night! I was certain my sunny California kids would freeze their little booties off but, nope! They didn't care one bit. Watching my babies play in the same lake I did for so many years just made my heart melt. All the happy tears!
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| You sure you're not cold K? |
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| Beach hair. |
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| My heart. I die. Mount Tallac in the background. |
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| Who needs beach toys? Lake Tahoe beaches are fun on their own! |
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| Taking it all in. |
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| Peeing in Tahoe. Fun fact: Tahoe kids like to take those bumper stickers "Keep Tahoe Blue" and turn them into silly, sometimes inappropriate, stickers. I once had one that said "Pee In Tahoe". |
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| I wouldn't hate it if we packed up and moved here. |
Tahoe Grub - 4 words. The Red Hut Cafe. There is no other restaurant in all of the country that makes an omelet better than them. None. For reals, the Gardner family knows what's up. And you do not leave Tahoe without dropping in for an omelet, or a waffle, or my dad's favorite, "The Usual". Also, sushi and pizza!
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| His favorite is his kids and sushi. |
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| Her favorite is edamame. |
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| Blue Dog Pizza! Family friendly, tasty, and cheap! |
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| She can't even pause for a photo it's so good. |
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| Our waiter B-RAD. He was SO Tahoe. |
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| Worth the 40 minute wait! |
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| We cannot even believe this is E's first time here! |
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| She woke up sick but you're never too sick for Red Hut pancakes. |
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| Alright Gardner family, time to open one up in LA! We love you so. |
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| Bang-a-rang! Belly so full. |
Missing you already Tahoe!
Stay Tuned for Part 3!
