A Trip to Vermont

Traveling with a toddler is a load of fun, let me just tell ya...

Honestly, he wasn't all that bad this time. Last year's trip to Vermont was not as nice. 12+ hours in a car really isn't fun for anyone though so you can't blame the kid for being grouchy. 

So, Vermont! It is my favorite place ever, and finally Nate was able to make the trip with me. We have been together since October of 2009 and he finally made it in September of 2017. At least he made it once right?

The Drive

We left our house Thursday afternoon and I took the first leg of the trip.

 

After about 7 hours we switched and I took a little nap. Nate was a saint and drove the most boring part of the trip while I slept. Then about two hours out from Woodstock, I hopped back in the driver's seat. All in all, it took us 15 hours to get there. Not too shabby for two drivers and a 21 month old!

Day 1

When we got to my Opa's, Leighton was wide awake. Thankfully my dad volunteered to watch him while Nate and I got some sleep. Later that day we headed out for our first hike of the week, Mt Peg. This is the mountain that my Opa's house sits on, and it is a hike that we do every time that we visit. 

Day 2

So, if you have read the bio I have on this blog you will know that I was actually born in Vermont. Burlington to be exact. That is where we headed for our second day of adventures!

We hit Market Street after eating lunch by the water. Leighton ended up falling asleep in the stroller on the walk back down to the lake so he missed out on playing at the park while we were there. 

Day 3

What is a trip to New England without a rainy day? On day three we headed to the science museum to get Leighton out of the house and doing something. He LOVED it!

Rainy days are also good for story time and building blocks with Opa, which makes my heart happy. 

 

Day 4

We had another beautiful day on our day 4 of the trip, so we went for another hike! This time we went up Mt Tom. It is another mountain in Woodstock and is a hike we typically do when we visit. Leighton slept the entire way up, but on the way down he was singing and talking up a storm!

We also took advantage of the great weather and headed out to my Opa's apartments. When I was little he lived here and I have so many memories playing outside. Now I have pictures of my little guy playing in the same spot! Nate also was able to see my Opa's workshop which I am sure made him happy (it is a pretty nice setup!).

Day 5

Our last day was the most relaxed. We thought is was going to rain, but it didn't last long actually. Leighton was able to play at the park for a while and Nate and I were able to get our stuff packed without rushing. 

That afternoon we hopped in the car and headed home, this time my Dad was with us too so we had more help driving. 

I am so, so glad we were able to make this trip. Sharing these moments with my little family is something I hope to keep doing as the years go by. My trips to Vermont as a kids are some of my favorite memories, hopefully they can be some of Leighton's too!

Thanks for stopping by!

Kati

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Going Back to the Green Mountain State

What a weekend! It was a long one and the last of the vacations until baby comes. This time around it was just me and my mom headed to our favorite state (she grew up there, I was born there). I haven't been back in six years so it was long overdue for me, Mom had just been this summer but she is always up for the trip.

[Wednesday]

Our trip started when my mom got to my house to pick me up on Wednesday night. Then there were 18 hours between us and the lovely state of Vermont. Obviously while I wasn't driving/napping I decided to snap.

 

Mom is a driving fanatic so I really probably drove less than 7 hours round trip. 

[Thursday]

 

After a couple of pit stops, including one at the Vermont border to walk around. By the time we got there we were starving and headed to the White Cottage for a late lunch. We always go to this place and they had to completely rebuild it after the hurricane came through. Food and milkshakes are just as good as always though!

                        

After lunch we headed back to my Opa's and just laid around/talked a bit. I had no ankles after the trip so I put my feet up for a while. Eventually mom and I headed out for a walk around Woodstock and a little shopping, and then we headed to dinner at a little Italian place in town.

[Friday]

After Opa cooked up some breakfast, we headed out for a hike. Mount Tom is a 3.5 mile trail (round trip) and it is one that I am pretty sure we have done every single visit. From the top you have a great view of Woodstock and you also can see where my mom grew up (there is a tree blocking the house, but you get it).









We headed out for a late lunch again after mom and I grabbed some tight hiking socks to try and help my ankles out a bit. After lunch we hung out at the house again before freshening up for dinner.



 Dinner was pizza from Cantore's Pizza in West Lebanon. Mom grew up with the Cantore's and going to Vinnie's pizza has become a regular part of our family's Vermont visits as of late. After dinner we drove over to Hanover for gelato. I paired dark chocolate with forest berries and it is the absolute perfect combo. I am drooling a bit just thinking of it. 

[Saturday]

Opa made us some yummy dinner again on Saturday morning and then we headed to Bethany Birches for the 50th Anniversary auction and lunch. Mom started going to Bethany Birches Camps when she was 5 I think, and now my cousins still go there either as campers or counselors/interns. It is a really cool camp and I love visiting. I never went for more than just a day camp but I would love to send my children off for a week there in the future just to keep them grounded in the real world.

After lunch we began our trip home. This time stopping in Buffalo for the night to break up the trip a bit. 

[Sunday]

Once we made it home I was useless for the rest of the day. I took a nap and cuddled with the dog while Nate watched football. Then Nate and I watched a movie and headed to bed early.

[This Week]

Let's see I have doctor's appointments, and am actually going to be home all weekend. Weird right? Saturday will either be a labor and delivery class (if we can still get into it) or football or Fall Festival. Then Sunday we are having people over to cheer on the Colts and celebrate Nate's birthday with chili, apple crisp and friends.

And last but not least, don't forget about this giveaway!

I mean who doesn't like a good giveaway or a pretty eyeshadow palette? Ten lucky winners will receive a Measurable Difference® Desert Nights Eyeshadow palette. The colors are gorgeous and will work together to make a pretty amazing smokey eye this fall. 

Follow along with my daily life by following me on Snapchat (katianne1519),  Instagram and Twitter

and keep up with my blog by following me on Bloglovin' and liking my page on Facebook!

Check out some other blogs while you are here:
[Monday Link-Ups]

Her Heartland Soul | Healthy Diva Eats

MICHELLE'S PA(I)GE  | B Loved Boston
Bless Your Heart | Champagne and Suburbs
More Pieces of Me | Life of Meg | Bella and the City

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Calming Down

Real life time...

I have a problem with sharing my emotions verbally, and therefore I end up holding everything in until I burst. Thankfully, Nate knows how I work and he can deal with it, but I am still working on how to control my thoughts. What leads to these mental breakdowns you ask? Well, let me just tell you. EVERYTHING. My main issue is that I over analyze things - things that I do, what people say to me or about me. I think about things and replay situations over and over in my mind until I crumble. I have done this for as long as I can remember. Not only do I replay situations that occurred in real life that I wish I could go back and change, but I also play out scenarios that haven't happened - think Criminal Minds/Law and Order:SVU type of things. I then proceed to freak out about them and scare myself completely.

In the past I have also struggled with anxiety from time to time. This began when I left for college from what I can remember but my mom may beg to differ. The day before I left for school I remember laying in my bed and having a panic attack, and my mom coming up and helping me through it. 

Ever since, I have gotten pretty good and noticing when I am starting to lose control of my emotions and about to have a complete meltdown. I have also been able to come up with ways to calm myself down when these situations arise - and in part this is thanks to my Mom.

She always would tell me to find my happy/safe place and just think positive thoughts. Take deep breathes, close your eyes and just forget everything. I also have gotten into the habit of singing a song in my head - or out loud if needed - to take my mind off of things. And finally I say a little prayer. My faith isn't as strong as I would like it to be - I am working on it - but I know I can always find strength and peace in my Lord. All of these things have really helped, but I know I still need to work on my problems. I know they exist, but i am not great at keeping control over them. 

Anyway, here is where I go when I need to retreat to my happy place - Vermont. I was born there, I love it there. I am always happy when I visit. It has been a while since I have been there personally, but my family visits every year and so I get to live vicariously through them.

Mt. Tom | Woodstock, VT 

Killington | Killington, VT

Killington | Killington, VT
Photo Cred | Mindy Graber

How do you stay calm? 

Thanks for reading this one. I know it was a big heavy on the emotional/personal level. Do you all like these kind of posts - the real life kind - or should I do something else?

xo,
KatiAnne

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