Hello, everyone!

So for the past three years, my college girlfriends and I have enjoyed an annual "moms weekend away" somewhere in New England. In 2009 we traveled to Newport, RI ... and last year we met up on Cape Elizabeth, ME. Our destination this year was southern Vermont, one of my most favorite places on earth!
Needless to say, this is a crazy-long post filled with lots and lots of pictures. So if vacation photos are not your thing, please feel free to skip this post and return when I've moved onto my next topic. ;)
So we left last Friday morning and arrived at the Castle Hill Resort & Spa in Proctorsville, Vermont around 3 p.m. The day was just glorious - perfectly sunny and warm.
*Arriving at Castle Hill*


Isn't this building (aka The Castle) beautiful? This was once the home of Governor Allan M. Fletcher (1912-1915). It was the first Vermont residence to have electricity which I thought was quite interesting.
Our first order of business, stretching our legs and ...
*Exploring the Grounds*





My dear friends, and travel companions, Lynne and Dionne. Lynne is the one who researched and organized the whole weekend, finding us this wonderful spot. She also drove us - up to, around, and home from Vermont again. D. handled navigation and any money matters - figuring expenses and divvying up checks, etc.

D. and I by the spa sign ... we never indulged in any spa services, but we left feeling refreshed all the same!

(It was beautiful though! And oh my goodness, it smelled fantastic!)

(Pretty natural things, inside and out.)

And next we met up with the rest of our crew and settled into our suite ...
*Our Little Home Away from Home*

More dear friends of mine: Kathy, Allison and Mo. :)

The suite was quite spacious - and light-filled as you can see.


(Yes, those are my magazines on that bed. Lol, I brought about a dozen!)
After cocktails on the deck, admiring the view and catching up, we headed out for ...
*Our "Fancy Dinner" at The Castle*

Such a beautiful setting ...
I was pretending (just a little) that I was visiting Downton Abbey. ;)







Dinner was amazing! And after a late night of talking ... and talking ... we finally got to bed sometime around midnight. (Way past my bedtime as most of you know!)
Now unfortunately I just could not program myself to sleep in - no matter how hard I tried - so I was up around 6:30 Saturday morning. But fortunately, I was able to enjoy a beautiful sunrise as I sat on the deck, with my coffee and camera close at hand.





After coffee and some "pumpkin streusel coffee cake," we piled into the minivan and were off for some ...
*Saturday Adventures*

With Mt. Okemo looming in the distance, we headed south to Weston and our first stop:
*The Vermont Country Store*

Where they truly have everything!

Homespun tablecloths ...

... moose hats ...

... long-forgotten soaps and shampoo ...

... funny paper masks ...

... storage supplies ...

... maple syrup (of course!) ...

... handcrafted mugs of all kinds ...

... interesting history ...

... household items for every imaginable need ...

... lots of sweet stuff ...

... and coffee!

Bags in tow, we took a moment to "re-group" after shopping.

To be honest, I could have stayed there all day, but it was time for a little refreshment, so we took a drive out to the ...
*Long Trail Brewery*

(Had to snap the trestle bridge picture for Earlybird!)

It was another gorgeous day, so we enjoyed our lunch out on the deck ...




I'm not much of a beer drinker myself, but when in Rome and all ... and actually, this pale ale was quite nice!




After lunch and a brewery tour, we all bought souvenir t-shirts and sampler packs for our hubbies, who had so generously stayed home to hold down the forts while we were off having fun. ❤
Next stop:
*Our Requisite Cultural/Historical Experience*

But since I have sooo many pictures from the wonderful Calvin Coolidge Museum, I will put them all in a separate photo album, otherwise this post will just get ridiculously long. (Not that it's not already!) I'll get that album together later this week.
By evening we had returned to the suite and stayed in for dinner and a movie. It was the perfect quiet evening after a very busy day. Sunday morning we lingered at the suite as long as we could and then headed off to breakfast at ...
*The Hatchery*




(The apple cinnamon pancakes were fabulous!)

Do these gals look refreshed or what? I just love these ladies so much!
This is a small sampling of our whole group - several women could not make it this year. We've all been friends since our freshman year in college ... and I won't tell you how long ago that was, lol - but suffice it to say, it's been a while! We're all moms now, and busy with our families and careers, etc. but when we come together like this, it just seems like the years and distance all melts away. I feel blessed to have these ladies in my life and so grateful we're able to do this ...
And speaking of feeling blessed and grateful, it goes without saying - but I'm going to say it anyway - I am SO thankful that Bill encourages me to do this. He is such a trooper about it - taking on all the responsibilities at home for two and a half days. It's a whole lot of work but he makes sure it all goes smoothly and that I don't worry or feel guilty about it. The boys are good about it too - though each time I called home, Earlybird would say, "I miss you Mama and I want you to come home."
❤
Ok, so after breakfast we headed for home ... but there was one more stop to make ... the other Vermont Country Store! (It just so happened to be right on our way ...)

(And who can resist just a wee bit more Vermont shopping?)


(I tried on a few of these hats and was very tempted to make a purchase.)




And then finally, roundabouts 4 p.m., I was truly back home! I brought back some yummy goodies for the family, a pair of new fleece slippers for myself, as well as a lovely new mug ...

(Every time I use it I'll remember this wonderful weekend away.)
So it's back to reality now, and I'm trying hard to catch up. But we're already making plans for and looking forwards to next year ...
Our 2013 destination: the great state of Connecticut!
***
Well, thanks so much for stopping by, and taking the time to read. I know it was a lot to sift through, but as designated "weekend photographer" I wanted to make sure to catch every moment. Our memories are only so reliable these days!
Have a great Tuesday, my friends ... see you here again very soon!
❤