This weekend marked four years since I’ve been with my partner, and it’s also the date we officially became husband and wife. We kept it simple: a quiet getaway to South Lake Tahoe with just the two of us.

We didn’t need someone to officianate our marriage; Becca had found online that California has a newer license that only requires witness’s to sign it. This license is meant to be more flexible for all kinds of religions and it really frees people up to celebrate how they want to. It’s so new that when we both picked up the license and dropped it off, the clerk had to check with their boss that the paper work was ok because they hadn’t seen it before.

Friday: Thanksgiving breakfast, Tahoe arrival, and a tree lighting surprise

We drove up the Friday after Thanksgiving and swung by my dad’s for Thanksgiving breakfast. We had spent Thanksgiving itself with other sides of our family, so it was a nice way to still see everyone before heading out.

We reached Tahoe around noon and had a couple of hours to kill before check-in, so we grabbed lunch at one of my favorite spots, Cafe Azule. They have Thai curry tacos that I have to get whenever I’m in Tahoe.

After lunch we checked into the Desolation Hotel. Out of all our trips, this has been one of our favorite places to stay. We booked their townhome-style room, which ended up being a three-story mini-adventure all by itself. The first floor had a garage with an EV charger and storage. The second floor had the kitchen, living room, and a balcony. The third floor had the bedroom and master bathroom, plus a jacuzzi inside and a tub outside on the balcony. Every level had a fireplace you could enjoy from inside or from the balcony that we had going whenever we were there.

Later that night we headed back out to Lake Tahoe Boulevard where all the shops are, and we accidentally stumbled into the Christmas tree lighting South Lake Tahoe was hosting that weekend. We got there right before the crowds started showing up so we had the perfect spot next to the tree.

We were also next to the street and ended up next to a firetruck rolled in with Santa and Mrs. Claus, and one of the firefighters went up the ladder to light the tree to a burst of fireworks.

After the tree lighting we grabbed snacks and alcohol from the nearby Target and ended the night in the jacuzzi.

Saturday: Cinnabon, a hike, and our celebration dinner

Saturday started with Cinnabon for me and Starbucks to keep things moving. Then we headed to a trail that starts behind the South Lake Tahoe theater and follows the Heavenly gondolas up the mountain.

A couple of miles in, there’s a rock where you can get a great view over South Lake Tahoe, and if you keep going you’ll eventually hit a waterfall. We’d hiked the trail in the past, but this was the first time we actually made it all the way to the waterfall.

On the way back, I started feeling pretty crummy. Becca pinpointed my symptoms as altitude sickness, which I didn’t even realize I could get. It probably didn’t help that the night before included alcohol and cooking ourselves out in the jaccuzi.

For our celebration dinner, we went down to the lake and ate at Jimmy’s at The Landing Resort & Spa. We ordered the Chilean sea bass, a lamb burger, and Hokkaido milk bread as an appetizer.

It was hilarious when the food came out. Becca got a full plate with a massive burger and sides followed by my plate with a small sliver of sea bass and potatoes where the food barely filled half the plate. The shock must have been written all over my face because the waiter immediately asked if everything was okay. Becca later confirmed I had a wtf look on my face when the food came out. Despite it looking like a small amount of food, it was still filling and tasted amazing.

Sunday: A slow day, Blue Dog Pizza, and a chilly pool mission

By Sunday we were exhausted, and I still wasn’t feeling ok, so we leaned into a lazy day. We spent most of it in the room, only heading out when it was time to hunt down food.

For lunch we grabbed Blue Dog Pizza, and later we brought Cafe Azule back to the hotel for dinner. We ate and watched Train Dreams, a film about the life of a logger in 1917. It had never been on my radar, but we ended up loving it. It’s slower, but it holds your attention the whole time and feels like a really vivid window into that time period.

After the movie, despite the freezing temperatures, we layered up to head outside to the pool.Becca had been wanting to use the pool at least once that weekend so it was our last chance to get that in. I wasn’t ready to deal with the cold, so I stayed bundled up poolside and played a few rounds of Hearthstone while Becca braved the cold air in her swimsuit.

We packed up before bed and headed out first thing Monday morning. It was a short trip but it was a nice romantic getaway.