I'd recommend it to a friend.

(I suppose it's time to wrap up the story of our travels to New England. This is the final installment, but if you need to catch up, click here and then here.)

My days in Vermont were spent largely without my husband as he was busy attending meetings. I lived it up, though. My youngest and I went hiking a lot and he fell asleep wrapped up against Mama at every chance he got. I was so happy to breathe in the fresh mountain air, gaze down at my baby, and remember all that is good in this world.

I visited the state house...

 

On sunny days, people gathered in the grassy area relaxing in the rare sunlight. Folks from all walks of life could be found there- some taking their first steps, others sprawled out from a long morning at work. It reminded me of a common area that could be found on any college campus. I got the feeling there was plenty to do, but everyone was focused on not doing it. Instead, brief moments to pause and appreciate the day were had out in front of the state's capital.

At night, when J was relieved of his requirements at Norwich, we searched for activities to fill our time. One of my favorite evenings, we came across a vineyard in the Vermont countryside. We enjoyed some wine tasting and the first peeks at sunlight we had seen for the whole trip!

We also enjoyed evening dinners when Baby A let us eat in peace.

There were several good restaurant options in the city. Many of them focused on locally grown, organic produce. We didn't really have a bad meal the whole time we were there. Expensive meals, on the other hand, is another story!

The little, tiny towns that are dispersed throughout VT are precious.

 

But perhaps my favorite place we visited was Stowe. Captain J got the day off after graduation and the sun was shining. We set off to explore and it turned out to be my favorite day of the entire visit. We definitely did the tourist thing. On our way to Stowe, we stopped in Waterbury for the Ben & Jerry's ice cream factory. We got to see the graveyard where all the old flavors go to die. Of course, we enjoyed some ice cream outside, too.

 Then we got in the car again to visit the Von Trapp Family Lodge.

 

It was lovely. In case you aren't familiar, this is the location where the family depicted in The Sound of Music lived after leaving Austria . There's a lot more history involved with this family that is quite interesting, too. Anyway, we walked around the grounds, enjoying the amazing views.

Then we enjoyed a glass of wine celebrating this graduate:

I had such a great time. The graduation ceremony went smoothly. The baby was an angel for hours. It was ideal! I'm so proud of my husband and all of his accomplishments. Congrats, babe!

Have you been to Vermont? I'd totally recommend it to a friend!

Vermont Part Two

(Want to catch up on our recent trip to VT? Start here.)

As I was saying, Vermont was a breath of fresh air. We pushed the pedal to the metal and got to the university in plenty of time for J to get signed in. The light drizzle of rain didn't damper our spirits. It felt wonderful to be traveling again and I couldn't help but notice how easy it was to breathe there. The heat wasn't making me want to hide indoors; the air was cool and damp. It rained and rained. The first day, I was determined to still get out and explore. My first stop was a cemetery in Barre, VT.

Hope Cemetery is situated in the granite capital of the world. Architecturally speaking, it was interesting. Many of the memorials were shaped into favorite activities or hobbies of the deceased.

Creepy or Sweet?

I might have enjoyed looking around a bit more if construction wasn't going on or if I could have gotten out and walked around more. Still, I checked that stop off my Vermont To Do List and was on my way.

Next stop? Walmart. I needed a raincoat, umbrella, and a stroller.

Later, Baby A and I set out on foot to explore Montpelier, VT. We were staying in the capital city and there was much to do within walking distance. We paused at a picturesque church to snap a photo to send to Daddy who was, sadly, attending meetings and presentations all day. 

I did some window shopping and then returned to the hotel for a nap. A NAP! It was amazing. Relaxing. Perfect.

We went out to dinner that night and my youngest fell asleep in my arms. It was nice to enjoy farm fresh food at a restaurant with adult conversation, wine, and zero talk about babies. This ole housewife doesn't get out much...but when I do get this taste of sweet freedom, it is savored.

I'll write more later...

That time we went to Vermont

Leaving Florida

The day we left for Vermont was full of tears and much anxiety. I hated driving away from my eldest and I dreaded stepping foot on a plane with my youngest. Nobody likes a baby on a plane- nobody. Oh, that's right! I forgot to mention that when we made it to Tennessee via car we thought there is no way not ever are we driving eighteen more hours in a car with a baby. No way. No how. 

Leaving Tennessee for the airport

Anyway, we purchased a flight and didn't look back. Even when Baby A was screaming at the top of his lungs for the first twenty minutes of flight number one- We were still glad we were flying. He calmed down and slept through the rest of the flight, through the rush to get to the next gate, and all through the next flight as well. I experienced the eye rolls and rude remarks from strangers and didn't bat an eye because there were the nice ones, too. Those people who stopped to say nice things about the screaming baby on the plane. The people who offered smiles instead of glares. I also witnessed Karma at its finest, too. Our tickets weren't beside each other for any of the flights so we had to ask the people beside us if they cared to move. One lady told us she actually did care. We ended up moving entirely, bags and all. A couple minutes later, a voice came over the PA system announcing that a flight had been cancelled that might affect some of the people on the plane. Sure enough, the woman who refused to move started pitching a fit because she wanted off the plane we were on due to her connecting flight being cancelled! I'm not gonna say I was happy but I did appreciate the moment. In retrospect, I should have stayed beside her and awkwardly taken out my boob to feed our son. I wonder if that would have been a better scenario for her. Or maybe, when he started crying, I could have passed him over her lap to hand him off to my dear husband for help and then repeat that cycle a couple of times. Perhaps I could have jiggled Baby A on my lap, vibrating her seat while his screams vibrated her ear drums. I just don't understand why she thought that would be better. In the south we say, "Bless her heart" to that.

We flew into Burlington, Vermont in the early evening on Monday. We had to drive straight to Norwich so Captain J could check in for registration. Despite the light rain, there was a relaxing quality to the drive. Greenery surrounded us and roads wound through quaint little towns that one could hold their breath through. It felt so good to be there, boots on the ground.

(To be continued)

We're Going To Like It Here...

A weekend post is what will set apart the writers from the bloggers. I so much want to capture the beauty that was this weekend, but my words so often fail me. What can I say, except this...

Thank you, God for your awesome creations. Thank you for little hands to hold. Thank you for big, curious eyes.

Thank you for good health and fresh air in my lungs.

Thank you for showing me there's beauty in a city, too.

Thank you for new adventures.

And for my family. Thank you so much for them.

This weekend was wonderful.  I really think we're going to like it here.

Linked Up Here:

All About Us

(I hope you're not terribly tired of these link-ups I keep doing. The questions have been so good lately and, well, my brain needs something that I don't have to think much about. I blame Baby A or Baby K or the fact that all my brain cells keep going to sewing cloth diapers for the former and a Halloween costume for the latter all without any proper patterns. In short, I've got problems! )

 

1. Tell us how you met your love and what attracted you most to him.

You're not going to believe this. Okay, maybe you will but we were set up. His mother and my sister worked together and I suppose simultaneously decided that we were pathetic all by ourselves so we needed each other. Kidding. But I was like...who does this? I don't NEED a guy. I don't NEED you to set me up with a stranger, much less one that is heading off to a war zone. Still, I went on this date against everything I knew and when I got home I told my mom I was going to marry him, something I certainly had never said about anyone else before. She knew I was serious. A couple days later we were on the beach. A week after that I was in Alaska, a place I said I'd never set foot, cherishing our last few weeks together before he headed off toward Iraq. The rest is history! I think I was attracted most to his outlook in life and his confidence in himself.

2. Show us the very first picture you guys ever took together.

3. Tell us some of your favorite memories that you two had together.

How bout I just show you? That's more fun...

Hiking in Tennessee over R&R

Boating in New Zealand after deployment #1

Getting married!

Hanging out in the Hot Springs at 20 Below

Out-fishing him one fine day at the Chena River in Alaska

Camping and Hiking in Denali National Park

Exploring Kona, Hawaii

Haines, AK

Roadtrippin' in California

Grand Canyon

Finding out we were pregnant with this little cutie and every seemingly mundane moment after! Our children have given us a whole new kind of adventure together and although it's much different, we're having the time of our lives.

4. Tell us your favorite qualities of this man. What makes him the one?

As I said before, I like his confidence. I like his cooking ability. I like the way he looks in uniform. I love the way he loves our sons. He is a good husband and a wonderful father to our boys. He's funny. He's my best friend, even when he's driving me crazy. I can trust him completely and that makes all the difference in the world.

5. Tell us what your date nights typically look like.

Well, as you can imagine, date nights have changed. We used to live! it! up! We would go out for an appetizer and drinks at one location, move to another for dinner, and still another for dessert. Our dates were often out of town! We'd make the 6 hour drive to Anchorage for the weekend and go snowshoeing at out favorite locations. We'd ski. We'd hit up the jazz bar. We had some great dates! Now, we're lucky to get the kid in bed in time and rent a movie on Netflix to watch together. I have faith that when we move this will all change and we'll find a reliable babysitter that can give us more time alone together. That's important to me.

Looking Back

What a coincidence that I should wake up to three inbox messages from friends in Alaska this morning. My home away from home (away from home) has been on my mind a lot lately. Most people who have the luck of being stationed in Alaska either love it or hate it. For us, it was a place that settled deep into our bones and crept into our hearts. Sure, the cold is a bummer sometimes but the memories we made there are more than enough to keep warm. Our time there together was a learning experience and an adventure. I didn't have a car so I was house-bound most of the time. We didn't have a fenced in yard so there was no reprieve from our hyper active pups. Captain J worked really late sometimes and boy, was it cold. But on the weekends, we made the best of our time in the Great White North. We had a blast.

It's easy to sit here and look out at the flat Louisiana land and the hot, humid temps and say, "Remember when...?" Yesterday, we reminisced through old photo albums for so long that we missed church.

The thing I miss most is waking up to the Alaskan Range in the distance and feeling God's handy work surround me. Ahh, mountains. I need them in my life.

I suppose the grass is always greener on the other side. I love our life here in LA, but every now and then I feel the tug of America's largest state beckoning me back, begging me to fish her rivers and climb her ridge lines.

(Note: Please don't steal my husband's photos. I made them of low quality to deter people from taking them. Thank you!)