The LeBlanc Family: Tahoe- Pre wedding

As most of you already know, because I am so behind, Jay got married July 7th in Tahoe (they are also expecting, but I will save that wonderful information for another day). We decided to go up early and hang out for a few days and I am so glad we did. Tahoe is AMAZING!! It was so beautiful and the weather was PERFECT!! We arrived on the 4th of July and got to celebrate with Jay and Cari and a few of their friends. We had a yummy brisket dinner and drove down the mountain to watch the fireworks over the lake. I was actually struggling to stay awake by that time since we were up at 5:30am Houston time to catch our flight and the fireworks did not start until 11:30 pm Houston time (9:30pm Tahoe time). I am so happy I made it. They were worth every minute.

Lake Tahoe from the car

A cove on Lake Tahoe

Katelyn loved playing on the rocks at the rental house

Painting rocks (and drinking apparently)

Our rental house....thanks Dad.

This house was down the street from where we stayed. Nice huh?

So pretty!

The next day, the whole group headed into Stateline, NV to check out the sights. Appropriately named, Stateline is the town that straddles the Nevada/California border. It was kinda cool to think while walking for the outdoor craft fair to the shops, we walked from one state to another. They was alot of construction, so I could not get my picture in both states at one time, but trust me...I was in NV and CA at the same time...aren't you jealous? After shopping for a bit, we enjoyed an amazing lunch at the Stateline Brewery. It was yummy...even Katelyn scarfed down her lunch which was shockinly not mac-n-cheese. Once home, Katelyn went down for a much needed nap and mom prompty kicked Chris and I out of the house, so off the beach we went. Holy moly was it relaxing. The water was freezing, but the sights were beautiful and screen. We enjoyed some quite time after a rough month and even though we only spent a short time there, I felt completely refreshed when we left. After a brief stop at the house for dinner, we headed back out to the casinos with Jay and his buddy Karl (who is like a brother to me). We have not see Karl in years, so it was wonderful to catch up and hang out again. Although we were unsuccessful at the Casino's, it was nice to spend some time with Jay before his big day.

In the midst of trying to find a place to park, my dad managed to get pulled over. We were sitting across the street laughing like crazy! Apparently he did not yeild to a pedestrian and was pulled over for trying to run someone over. No worries, they let him off with a warning and no one was hurt.

Gondola area in Stateline, NV

Lake Tahoe beach

The ducks were not as skiddish as most. Guess being on that beautiful lake is relaxing for them as well.

Friday was spent preparing for the big day. Mom, Chris and I did all of the cooking and baking (yours truly made their Nightmare Before Christmas themed wedding cake) for the weekend and wedding. Cari really wanted Mexican food after the wedding and we were more than happy to make that happen. Mom and I decided we wanted to get as much done on Friday as possible so that we could enjoy the day on Saturday. Boy did we get alot accomplished. Too bad it too most of the day. Dad and Lisa were big helps taking Katelyn to the play ground and exploring and even to the beach for a little bit. Later in the day, Chris and Katelyn got some bonding time and found an awesome waterfall in the process. Cari's family arrived that day, so we invited them over for dinner so we could all get to know each other. Cari has an amazing family and Jay is as lucky to now be apart of that family as we are to have Cari part of our family. Everyone enjoyed the arcade games and great food (thanks Chris and Mom). By the end of the day, I was exhausted, but happy to see how much got done...including the wedding cake which turned out great!