Over the past weekend, Tom and I went to Big Bear, CA to celebrate my 26th birthday. I had never been! I wanted to go somewhere new for my birthday, within driving distance, and somewhere I could bring my dog. A lot of my friends and coworkers suggested going somewhere warmer, but given that I hadn’t seen real snow in roughly eight years, I decided I wanted to escape to a winter wonderland. I decided on Big Bear, and I am so glad I did! I didn’t remember how much I missed the snow until I was actually…