Hanging in the Green Mountains

I am a lucky girl. Every year, my family converges in Vermont for a week or two of swimming, row boating, marshmallow roasting, family reuniting, shopping, and relaxing. What's not so lucky is that I haven't been able to go for 6 years. Far too long! The weather in Vermont in July can be hit or miss. Some summers are brutally hot, others have you cozied up in sweatshirts around the fire. This year was just perfect. Upper 70's - low 80's. A little chilly for me for swimming but I'm happy to report I did get in the lake.



First mountain sighting while driving



One of our favorite stops in Vermont is the Vermont Country Store in Weston. Filled with old-fashioned finds and food samples galore, the store is a do-no-miss destination. Here we stocked up on candy and all things maple. There are a couple other stores to browse in the cute town of Weston. There's also a small theatre that I've never been to but seems quite popular.





In the store





Because John is a Vermont first-timer, I wanted to find a touristy thing to do that I had never done either. I would have been content to sit by the lake all day, every day but I knew he would tire of that rather quickly. A quick Trip Advisor search led us to Sugarbush Farms in Woodstock, VT. This is a cheese and maple syrup farm and while the drive there was slightly treacherous (and bumpy!) it was worth the hardship. We tried 14 cheeses and 4 types of syrup. And then bought a bunch of both too.





I provide the milk for these delicious cheeses





View from Sugarbush Farms



And just so you know why I love this place so much.......

White Rocks

Thankfully, John loved it too and said he'd definitely like to go back. Yea! I was worried he'd be bored the whole time but with a golf game on a mountain squeezed in plus my fun day trips, he was pleasantly surprised.

Here's how the first half of vacation shaped up:

1,200+ Miles Driven

9 1/2 hours from Ohio - Vermont (only 2 stops)

40+ family members

4 Pints of Ben & Jerry's eaten over 5 days, amongst 4 people

117 dollars spent on a speeding ticket

3 miles I ran in the mountains, which was NOT easy

2 Full fat hot dogs consumed by me on July 4th

0 Times I won Mexican Train or Trivial Pursuit

5:30AM Time the sun comes up on vacation

ONE AMAZING TIME