Weekend Winter Wonderland

This weekend, Derek and I packed up our car, and the pups and drove 4 hours up and out to Pinetop-Lakeside, AZ. This is a place that I have never been before. Derek has previously lived in Eager and Springerville, both of which are very close to Pinetop-Lakeside.

I drove the whole way there! I was absolutely terrified. We left around 2:30pm, and when I saw my first signs of snow on the sides of the road I started crying and panicking...I've never driven in snow before, or ice....and Derek had already psyched me up about the Salt River Canyon and how dangerous it is...I know I'm not the best driver in the world....I thought we were done for with me as the driver.

The panic got worse as we were driving through the winding route of the Salt River Canyon. The roads were dry and free of ice and snow, but it was getting dark, and also a tad misty, and my windshield wipers decided to not be efficient anymore.

Further in we traveled and Derek kept saying "Look at this" or "Look at that". But there was no way I was taking my eyes off the road, which was now covered in a thin layer of new snowfall and icy sides...I white-knuckled it the rest of the way.

Then we made it to where the lady said the place was.....and...where is it?! Drive further and loop around....look again.....There's the sign, but how do you get in? So I pull into the gas station across the street....or I attempt to. I drove right onto a large slab of ice in the parking lot, and there we were....stuck. Well, Derek is my knight in shining armor. He pulled out the tire chains and put them on, and he drove us safely off the ice to the pumps.

We called the desk of the cabins, and found out that we couldn't find the entrance because there currently wasn't one! The snow plows for the main road piled the snow up so high that the entrance was completely blocked. They called in a private snow plow, and 30 minutes later Derek had us safely and soundly parked in our spot for our cabin.
You guys wanna go for a car ride?!

I unpacked the car and got everything inside. Took the dogs for a potty break and we decided to go buy some groceries for our little kitchen. Right before we left, we lost power....and we had no power until about 3am. Poor Jackson and Alex....locked in their crates, in a strange place, pitch black, all alone. When we got back 45 minutes later, their little voices were hoarse from barking so much. But we bought flashlights and candles to light up the place a little bit. In the frenzy of everything I didn't take any pictures at all that first night. We all snuggled up close together for warmth and dozed off dreaming of the winter wonderland we'd be waking up to.
I highly recommend Hidden Rest Spa Cabins to anyone that wants a fantastic winter vacation! They were so accommodating to us, and our dogs! We will definitely be coming back next year...but next time, for a week!We stayed in Cabin #7. One of the larger cabins.
Our living room, complete with cable tv.
Our living room also had a very luxurious 2-person spa.We had a full kitchen...which got alot of use in 2 days.We stocked our cupboards fullAnd the fridgeHere's our impromptu freezer
Nice comfy bed with lots of blankets and layers. And a great bathroom with it's own heater, and fantastic water pressure and awesome hot water!This was my car the next morning....and after a few hours of melt.Wanted to showcase the tire chains that Derek put on!

Here's some pictures of us with our babies!


The first morning I decided to make us a big breakfast!So yummyDerek approves tooNothing like eating a steaming hot breakfast next to a real life Thomas Kinkaide landscape.Derek is lighting the fireplace like any nerdy pyromaniac would....2-Handed
What did I tell you?Derek made me some finely crafted marshmallow roasting toolsSuch craftsmanship!Using Derek's artisan toolPerfectly roasted...crispy on the outside...gushy on the inside!Nom nom nomYeah, I love marshmallowsI also love my handsome Jackson boyHere's some of our winter gear. That cat hat is new for this trip. The orange scarf was a gift from Derek 2 years ago.I would not expect anything less from my husband than sitting on his laptop while on vacation.Derek had never used a manual can opener on a multi-tool before...so he had to try it!And I was there to document and witness his success!


Lots of snow and dog pictures:

Jackson and Alex never got their tongues stuck to anything the whole trip!Jackson REALLY loves snowI think he underestimated how deep this patch of snow was, WIPEOUT!Trying to brake, but keeps slidingDerek making a small snowball to play catch with Jackson.Look how high he's airborne!And landing...and promptly eating the snowball.This snowball is a little bit biggerAnd Jackson is really excited about it!Catch!Almost!Crunch!OK, now this is getting a little ridiculous.Poor unsuspecting Jackson.Run Jackson Run!He made it!He's such a cutieThis could be an ad for Ruffwear Booties.I love my Ju-Ju
#1. I told him to throw a snowball at me
#2. He said he didn't trust his aim
#3. He was aiming for my stomach
#4. My eyebrow still hurts
Getting all cozy warm insideWhat winter trip is complete without the heartiest staple meal:BEEF STEW!!

Alex didn't get to spend alot of time outside...most of her short trips outside were attempts to get her to go potty...she held it till the morning we left. But because of that she didn't get alot of playtime, and I didn't get many pictures. Hopefully someday in the future when we go up again she'll go potty like normal and be able to actually enjoy herself more.

That's my girlIt was her first time ever seeing snow, and she loved it!She climbed all over it, and under it, and in it.Jackson's booties didn't fit her as well. One by one they all fell off (I found all of them)Such a beautiful girl!
A flock of geese traveling overhead...I heard them before I saw them.Both pups getting warmed up by the fire!


Family pictures taken by the cabin owner, Carol.My favoriteI love my little hatWe didn't have icicles the day we got thereBy the time we left we had some icicles almost 30" long!This was our backyard.I know that this picture makes Derek look like he ate a 400 lb fat dude...but I assure you it's just the angle...and I know that the fact he's ordering fast food at the time does not help this photo.The previous photo was in reference to this photo...this place makes THE BEST bean and cheese burritos ever!They were delicious!


The remaining pictures are the views on our way home: Enjoy!
What a wonderful trip!