Well, we pulled it off. Three days away, kidless. By “pulled it off,” I mean barely and not without huge favors, but off we went. And it was great.
I won’t even get into the logistics entailed to ensure our children and dog had their basic needs met for three days. I owe some people huge — I’ll say that much — and I’m grateful for their kindness. But we were getting in that car come hell or high water (cue high water).
Once the last item was stricken from the to-do list and we were on our way, it took me a few hours to decompress. I liked being in the car (mainly because I did little driving) and I had envisioned some great “talk time” for P and me to discuss the big ticket items in our life right now — endless potty training, aligning on a better discplinary approach for our son, prioritizing the home improvement list, etc. But we clearly both needed just to think about a whole not of nothing. It was enough to surf the satellite radio and make decisions about what music we wanted to hear (I lost — see: “I did little driving”). I checked my work Blackberry less and less as the day went on, and finally felt myself checking out by the time we reached the Vermont state line.
Vermont is gorgeous. I’d been before, skiing over the years, but it had been a while. It really feels worlds away and it just oozes charm.
Even the rest stops are charming
As much as the impetus for our trip was a friend’s wedding, we tacked on an extra night beforehand to spend on our own. This was a great decision. Months ago, I had asked a colleague in Vermont for some advice about where to stay for this pre-wedding side trip and she totally came through with great ideas. Hello, Woodstock Inn.
What a beautiful place. Totally charming (down to its address on “The Green” and its in-room fireplace) and also modernized (complete with 17 day-old spa, which we visited promptly, and bathrooms right out of Restoration Hardware). I’d go back in a heartbeat.
We hit up nearby Simon Pearce for browsing and dinner, both equally great. I wish I had bought something — their pieces are so gorgeous — but I was short on time to make our dinner reservation. It was over dinner we were finally able to unwind and start to sort out that home improvement priority list, other happenings and just fun nonsense. Very low key and really lovely.
Oh and we got 8 uninterrupted hours of sleep — I don’t think I’ve had that since our son was born in 2007.
The town of Woodstock was just, as P would say, out of a Chamber of Commerce brochure. Picturesque, quaint, welcoming. Add the blue skies and perfect fall weather, and I’ll tell you, it was exactly the idyllic New England day I had hoped for in my head. Here’s a few scenic shots, though they’re always better in person.
If you want to know what's happening in town...of course check the blackboard
And here I was feeling all “Bridges of Madison County” (yeah, I know, Iowa, not Vermont — but come on — this is pretty damn close).
Anyway, it was a great day. I felt relaxed, truly.
Then we were off to the main event in Killington — the wedding. It was the perfect day for an outdoor wedding in September. The bride and groom were thrilled, as they should be.
Logistically, we were a crew of 40 under one roof (literally, we were all staying overnight at the inn where the wedding was held — a whole lotta togetherness). So it was a little different but really suited the whole event.
More wine, more relaxation.
And I got 7 more hours of uninterrupted sleep. But right before I did, this was the mental image I was left with.
The shotski. A big Vermont tradition. Who knew?
Anyway, the drive home was sort of a drag — I’ve always had trouble transitioning on Sundays back to the work week mindset ahead. It’s always worse when you leave behind a great weekend. We made the rounds and picked up the dog, our son and then relieved my aunt from her truly generous (and sort of not what she signed up for) weekend with the baby.
Back to reality. But it was a long-overdue, great break and I do feel recharged (or at least refocused, or perhaps just less annoyed/exhausted).
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