Winter Break...More like Warm Weather Break!

Hey everyone! Now, my Winter Break has been very different than most. Instead of cozying up by a fireplace with a hot chocolate in my hand, I have spent it outdoors in the sun! Yes, the cold weather has evaded Southern California and instead a constant 70 degrees Fahrenheit, around 21 degrees Celsius, changes the potential activity list. However, my family wanted to do something in the winter spirit, so we headed up to Mammoth Mountain for a skiing trip! It was so fun to be able to ski in the snow (even if most of it was artificial because of the warm weather up there too) and spend time with my family. It didn't even feel like we were in the mountains at all as the sun was shining the entire time.

Shredding with my brothers in Mammoth

While I was at home, I had to take advantage of the warm weather. I spent one day at LACMA, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art just enjoying all the outdoor pieces with my friends. One of them was a giant rock, not sure the purpose but it makes for a great photo opp!

Loving my friends and this rock

Lamppost art...works for me!

And of course, who can forget about New Year's Eve! I rang in the new year with my friends and family, and as tradition had to watch the ball drop in New York City on TV! But for me, the most exciting part was what came on New Year's Day... the Rose Bowl! Every year on January 1st the college American football team the won the Pac12 devision and Big10 devision play off in an epic game watched by viewers around the country! And Stanford (Pac12 champion) was in it! As a student, I got to actually go to the game in the student section instead of watching it from my house. It was an amazing game and even though Stanford lost in the very end, I had a great time cheering on my school at such a famous event and arena.

New Year's Eve with my friends!

Rose Bowl!

At the tailgate before

Loving the student section seats

Check out the video below for some highlights from my warm break!

How was the weather on your winter break? How did you celebrate New Year's Eve? Let me know in the comments below!

xoxo

Oh the Places You'll Go

Hey everyone! This weekend in the United States was Presidents Day, a holiday celebrating the birthday's of some of two of our great presidents, Washington and Lincoln. Most schools get a Friday and Monday off in February to celebrate this holiday, leading to a four day weekend! This time off of school is a perfect time to accomplish many things, weather it be work, travel, or fun.
This is a time where many people travel to the mountains to go skiing and snowboarding. Although the weather in southern California is beach weather, it is only a short drive to snow. Having four days off school is a great time to hit the slopes. If snow isn't quite your style, you can head to the beach where the temperature is hot and the water is cool. Many surf competitions occur over this weekend, along with other events just for fun.
If you are up for traveling farther, many people use this vacation to tour colleges out of state. As a junior, applying for colleges takes place next year and it is a good idea to view colleges before you apply so you know if you like them or not. Many people from southern California use this time to travel to Texas to visit colleges like TCU and SMU or travel to the east coast to visit colleges like Harvard, Princeton, and Yale.

If staying local is what you want to do during the break, you can visit amusement parks near your home, go to a movie, or an arcade. Disneyland is only 20 minutes from my house, so I love to go there during holidays. I also take this time to see the new movies in theaters and partake in other fun events going on in the community. There is always something fun to do during your days off from school!

What do you like to do during your vacations? Let me know in the comments!



xoxo

Skiing in a Winter Wonderland

Snowboards

Hitting the slopes!

Hey everyone! To celebrate my last week of winter break my family and I took a skiing trip to the mountains! One nice thing about California is you could be at the beach in the morning and be in the snow by the late afternoon. For the last couple of days we skied (downhill) at Big Bear Mountain. Although most of my family skis, my brother and most of the Californian population snowboards! Snowboarding is one big board strapped to both of your feet, and is very popular in the United States. Maybe even more than skiing!

Snow making machine

Since we live in southern California, the weather is extremely warm here, Even when we ski we are still in about 60 degrees F or 23 degrees C. This is extremely warm for any snow sport, so most mountains here make their own snow!  They use big machines to automize the atoms in the water particles to create the snow. Man made snow is exactly like real snow, only made through a machine. Is is very helpful when you want to ski but the weather is not cold enough for it. Its such nice weather that you can ski without a jacket, some people ski and snowboards with only a t-shirt on.

Although we normally travel to Big Bear Mountain because it is the closest to us, one of the main skiing and snowboarding places in California is Mammoth Mountain. It's one of the biggest in the country! It is in central California, so it is colder there which results in more snow. I have been there a couple of times and it is really fun! However, I do not care where I ski as long as I can do it!

Do you prefer skiing or snowboarding? What kind of weather do you like to ski/snowboard in? Have you even been in man made snow? Let me know in the comments!


xoxo