First Family Trip

Over the Columbus Day weekend (yes, I’m that behind on things), we finally tested the waters and took our first overnight family trip with Mr. Hadley, now 15 months old. We took a trip to Massachusetts over the summer, but this was the first just-the-three-of-us “let’s see if we can have fun far away from home” trip. On a scale of 1 to 10, I’d say it was an 8…to 9…depending on how optimistic I’m feeling. 😉

The best part (and what made it, I thought, easier) was that we returned to Vermont — where we had our honeymoon and first anniversary trips. We stayed at the familiar Middlebury Inn. We walked around familiar Middlebury and drove the familiar roads that took us to familiar antiques shops. We stopped for a familiar romp around the Bennington Monument (although we’d never ran circles around the green before…thank you, toddler energy!).

First Family Trip - image  on https://megactsout.com

First Family Trip - image  on https://megactsout.com

But, it wasn’t a boring trip, by any means. Everything is so new through the eyes of a toddler, and the surreality of being places that we once casually spent hours eating at or were able to peruse without tiny, jutting hands grabbing things from shelves…it was kinda neat. And a little nerve-wracking. But, we accepted that this was how the trip would be, and we admittedly loved every minute of it.

First Family Trip - image  on https://megactsout.com

First Family Trip - image  on https://megactsout.com


Since it was Parents’ Weekend at Middlebury College, we could only book the Sunday into Monday (fine by us). We arrived in VT early after a pretty uneventful trip (hooray for naptime!), let the folks at the Inn know that we were early, then sauntered over to one of our favorite places on Earth: the Middlebury Co-Op. We’ve been there a few times and love it more each time. There’s cast-off (perfectly fine) soap from a local natural soap company that we stock up on (literally purchase pounds of the stuff in varying scents). Dave ogles the grind-it-yourself coffee. I love finding a vast selection of items I’ve only heard about online, often shouting with unabashed excitement to Dave two rows over. And, for it being one of his least favorite activities, Hadley did pretty well being carted through the aisles. (Key here: Constant motion.)

First Family Trip - image  on https://megactsout.com

First Family Trip - image  on https://megactsout.com

We purchased a lunch from the place (they have prepared food, too…woohoo!) at which time the antsy-pants took command, so we pretty much took turns watching him. Dave also walked the half-block to the car to store our treasures; Hadley made his acquaintance with several strangers sitting at the picnic tables outside the store, which made me realize that his social streak causes Dave and I to be far friendlier and more outgoing than we normally might be. Y’know, comparable to a puppy.

We then checked in for realsies, rode a “real live OLD SCHOOL elevator” with a teen to operate it, dropped off our stuff, (had the Pack ‘n Play delivered and set up since it had been forgotten; the only small glitch), and headed to the lobby for Dave’s favorite — afternoon tea.

They also have yummy pastries and cookies, so we loaded up a plate and brought our tea (and Hadley’s sippy cup o’ juice) to the “veranda” to watch the quaint traffic and enjoy a moment. Dave was in his glory, as my mother would say, and Hadley was a very good boy…since he was getting tastes of chocolate or lemon cookies, a huge treat.

First Family Trip - image  on https://megactsout.com

First Family Trip - image  on https://megactsout.com

First Family Trip - image  on https://megactsout.com

First Family Trip - image  on https://megactsout.com

Dave’s look during tea? Pensive. Pensive. And pensive. (He DOES enjoy it VERY much…believe me!)

We then went for a stroll around town. Unfortunately, since it was Sunday and heading for after 4, most of the stores were closed, but we still enjoyed our walk. I had hoped that Hadley would sleep for a little while in the stroller, to no avail. We then headed back to the Inn to get ready for our 5:30 reservation. Dave was already talking about the cheese plate, which we always order (for whatever reason). I was preparing myself mentally for a hadn’t-napped-sized meltdown from the munchkin.

I was pleased that our timing seemed to avoid any big rush (you never know when people will eat dinner, do you?) so that we’d be disturbing minimal guests with our noisy boy. He ate pouches, and tastes of my pork and the most delicious braised cabbage and whipped sweet potatoes I’d ever tasted. He ate cheese of his own while we feasted on our cheese plate (all goat this time, strangely; usually there’s at least one Cabot since the factory is on the outskirts of town). He played and hammered his hands and utensils on the table and caused a general ruckus, much to our disappointment, but the other guests seemed very forgiving and our hostess kept assuring us that he was very well-behaved and sweet and “nobody minds a bit, he’s so cute!”

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We finally decided that, while dinner had been nice, it was time for Hadman to have a bath and get ready for bed (even if it was a bit earlier than usual), so Dave stayed to pay the bill (and get a couple of creme brulees to bring up to our room — I married a keeper, ladies!).

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(Looked horrific dumped into a to-go container, but tasted lovely!)

We usually bathe Hadley in the kitchen sink, so this was his second tub experience. I let him play to his heart’s content, then run around the connected rooms (we had our own separate bedroom attached to a kind of living room, where his Pack ‘n Play was set up) before finally calming down, reading a book, and settling down for the night. Dave and I watched crappy cable and read magazines and books, and talked about how much we missed the cats. It was awesome.

The baby awoke far too early the next morning, but we weren’t ready to get up yet, so I brought him in the fluffy bed with us — where he immediately conked out. He has a weakness for comfy pillows, I suppose.

I got ready early and played with the munchkin (and got him ready) while Dave took a shower. We packed up and Dave loaded up the car while Hadley and I tore through the large lobby. (Okay, I didn’t tear through it, but he did…and I came tumbling after.) I finally realized there were a butt load of Morgan horse pictures (they were first bred here! And my niece’s name is Morgan, so what’s better than that?) adorning the walls, so we went from one to the next, pointing and “oofing.” (All animals say “oof”…or is that just what the cool kids are doing?) Daddy came back and we found a short line waiting for the Inn’s delicious breakfast — which made our nerves immediately spike.

With just two or three other tables of folks the night before, we were confident. With an entire dining room full this morning, we felt dead in the water. “Will. He. BEHAVE?!” we both silently wondered. Luckily, they were gracious enough to seat us at a HUGE table in the corner (near windows, though — we didn’t feel relegated to the dungeon) so Hadley could discover his table manners in relative privacy. The huge room, however, was eerily silent (what, were people whispering or just not talking to their spouses?! C’mon, can’t SOMEONE have a public spat??), so every little noise he made echoed. Eh, ya win some, ya lose some.

I had been dreaming of the couldn’t-be-more-perfect waffles for years (they’re the reason I bought a Belgian waffle maker…and still haven’t been able to find the “taste,” so quit trying), so I made a plate with extras for the munchkin of waffles, bacon (just a bit), eggs (which he loves), and some yogurt. Man, those waffles were as awesome as I remembered. We filled our stomachs and the baby let us know that he was ready to go. Off into the perfectly drizzly autumn day for some driving and antique stops.

We only stopped at two antique shops along the way — one run by a kind older man with a friendly pup who follows you around the store, and the other (Branford House Antiques) where we had befriended the owners and purchased a sidebar on our honeymoon. BOTH had “For Sale” signs plopped unapologetically on their front lawns. *pout* I suppose this is the end of an era.

Purchases were kept at a minimum: I grabbed a $10 wooden crate (wicked price, whether it’s an antique or not) and Dave bought an Art Deco lighter to adorn his office at work. Relatively cheap, and no regrets of over-purchasing. Win-win!

We DID over-buy at The Chocolate Barn in Shaftsbury. Maple candy, people! And handmade chocolates!! Great for gifts, and for a lil’ treat. Needless to say, ours were gone in under a week. I think that’s a new record.

And, finally, we stopped in Bennington. It was past our usual lunch by this point (we gave the baby an organic pouch at one stop, but he’s a ravenous lunatic when he hasn’t eaten…like his mama), so we were incredibly lucky to find a little cafe with awesome local food and drinks still open. A sandwich that was killed by how much spicy mustard it contained and more butternut squash soup for me (I’d had some at the Inn the night before that tasted like the best soup I’d ever had…ever), a grilled cheese sandwich for the monkey, and I can’t for the life of me remember what Dave got…maybe panini. Or something. Definitely coffee.
After our late lunch, we went to the Bennington Monument that we’ve been visiting since well before we got engaged and took some new pictures next to our buddies — a statue and a random plywood militia man. Hadley also socialized with anyone he could get close enough to and ran around like a fool. It was awesome.

First Family Trip - image  on https://megactsout.com

First Family Trip - image  on https://megactsout.com

First Family Trip - image  on https://megactsout.com

First Family Trip - image  on https://megactsout.com
Yeah. I know. Too awesome for words.


First Family Trip - image  on https://megactsout.com

First Family Trip - image  on https://megactsout.com

First Family Trip - image  on https://megactsout.com

Here we have the last leg of our trip: a stop by Camelot Village (just outside Bennington). This is where things went a tad South. Hadley could’ve easily taken more outside energy-using activity, but instead we brought him into a huge venue full of breakable antiques. Stupid grown-ups. He wanted to touch EVERYTHING and started (predictably) whining and screaming when we picked him up. The stroller wouldn’t have fit through the aisles, either, so he was “on the loose” (I wish I had brought my Ergo, but I’m not sure he would’ve been contained). So, we went to the surrounding areas only to discover that things had changed (for the worse), finally deciding that I’d stay in the car with the monkey while Dave perused the antiques quickly. When he was done (and the baby was asleep), I took a quick walk through. Neither of us found anything worthwhile (or priced well enough to want), so we left empty-handed and happy to be heading home.

The rest of the trip took a couple of hours, so we got home in time to feed the annoyed, ravenous, yet strangely happy cats — it was clear that they had missed their boy, and it warms my heart to think of how affectionate they were when they saw us. They’re usually quite friendly little creatures, but the love that poured out for Hadley was just so darn evident.

While we headed back to work and normalcy the next day, I remain very glad that we took the leap into travel with our little man. We once made a list, while heading home from our honeymoon, of goals to maintain in our relationship and life. One that has stuck out stronger than any others was this: “When we one day have children, we will accept them into our lives, not completely change to suit the children.”

Of course, we knew that LIFE would change with a child (and we expected that when we wrote it), but what we meant — that we still wanted to have adventures, that we wanted to keep searching local, organic and healthier eating options, that we still wanted to go antiquing and history-hunting and the dozens of other things that we like to do — was ultimately that we want to share all those things with our young ones. We also want to acclimate them to a change in routine, the idea that the world does not revolve around their beautiful little noggins (well, the one noggin, for now – ha!), that certain behavior is expected in certain places, and, mostly, that there’s a great big world out there for them to discover, enjoy, and take advantage of.

And I think we’re on our way.

Inside the Honeymoon: Final Edition

“So…what’d you do?” “Did you do anything fun?” “How was it?” I assume when people ask these questions about our honeymoon, they’re actually, genuinely wondering about our escapades while there. (I usually have a pretty dirty mind, but when it comes to Dave and I, we don’t divulge a s-i-n-g-l-e thing; we’re pure as the driven snow…which never made much sense to me — once you drive on snow, it’s not so pure anymore, is it? Great, now I’ll have to look up the origin of that saying.)

It sounds pretty bad, what with my only being *gulp* 28, and it only being about a month post-honeymoon, but I’m starting to forget what we did! It seems like SO long ago!! Life has a way of sneaking up on you and stealing precious memories and moments. So, what you’ll see is what I can recall. 🙂

A lot about our wedding bucked convention, and I LOVE that. When people said something wouldn’t work, I tried not to let it get me down. Sure, my thoughts were running until I just decided to relax and have fun… “Will they really USE the Flip cam?” “Will the pie cut as well as a cake?” “Will the vintage car show up at the right time?” “Will we actually have time to eat and enjoy our food — seriously?” and, most importantly in MY worrisome mind, “Will the ‘father/daughter dance’ alternative work??” And, of course, it all worked just fine. Better than fine.

One thing that EVERYONE was 100% correct about, though? We. Were. Exhausted. Nevermind the champagne and other…*ahem*…”libations” we thoroughly enjoyed with our awesome friends. That night, I had to run to my mom’s house to pick up lots of the “oops, I forgot several important toiletries…and my toothbrush and brush…” items, which I didn’t expect to have to do, and by the time I got home it seemed like bedtime. Regardless, we stayed up opening presents, crying, reading cards, crying, jotting down who gave what, being touched to more tears…get the point? Oh, and throw in a heavy dose of spoiling Beardslee, who knew something was up — and that we were overflowing with guilt about leaving him for more than a day. Granted, we had my mom and sis, who are Class “A” spoilers, watching over him, but it was a bit step for us.

So, it took a little while to leave on Sunday, but we weren’t in a hurry. (Heck, we were early and had to wait for our room, after all.) Here we are saying ‘bye to the kid…

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Face nudges. Daddy’s feeling SOOOOO guilty for leaving.

First Family Trip - image  on https://megactsout.com
…and Mommy giving some loving. Doesn’t he have a
suspicious look? “Tell me why you have your coat on.”

We finally left, after packing and grabbing some snacks, and had a VERY fun trip to Vermont. We decided to take the scenic route after a suggestion from my parents, driving through the back roads of Central New York all the way there. It was a perfectly gorgeous day and we gained a huge appreciation for some of the small towns in the area — we didn’t realize how historic and, at the same time, modern some of the small cities and towns are. Definitely worth a day trip or two!

When we reached Middlebury, Dave noticed he was having phone problems. Soooo…

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“Hi, Verizon. I’m on my honeymoon, and…”
After discovering that our room wasn’t yet ready, we went for a walk around Middlebury. While there was a lot about the town to admire, we loved the cafe and, especially, their community theater — which had recently ended a special showing of Christopher Lloyd in “Death of a Salesman”. Of course, we sneaked in and stole tons of pictures of their recently-renovated building — gorgeous and classy, just what we’d like for ILTC.

First Family Trip - image  on https://megactsout.com
First Family Trip - image  on https://megactsout.com

The next day, we aimed our Sportage in the direction of Burlington (ie north). Along the way, we stopped in at the Middlebury Co-Op, which you can read more about here, and the famous Magic Hat Brewery. Of course, you’ve gotta taste what the locals have to offer.

After a day of LOTS of shopping and walking, we headed “home” to Middlebury. The city was hard to describe. I liked it, of course; lots of green initiatives and Vermont Fresh Network eateries from which to choose…but I can’t put my finger on a decisive description of the place itself. Perhaps I’d need to visit more than what we saw, like down by the lake.

So, after getting a good feel for Middlebury and Burlington, it was time to head down south and, alas, back home. But, along the way we had plenty of time to stop to look at antiques and check out other local shops. Here’s some of the fun we had…

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The traditional “Antiquing in VT” uniform…
who knows whose head that was on!
…eeeewwwwww.
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As Mom would say, I’m “in my glory.”
First Family Trip - image  on https://megactsout.com
First person to leave a message as to the TRUE reason
I NEEDED a picture of this wins a prize. 🙂
Anyone? Anyone?
First Family Trip - image  on https://megactsout.com
My guy can read!
Practicing his anchorman skills.
First Family Trip - image  on https://megactsout.com
aka HEAVEN ON EARTH!!!
You MUST visit here! The couple is awesome.
Their stuff is incredible. It’s home.

First Family Trip - image  on https://megactsout.com
One reason we loved Branford Antiques? This baby…
now residing in our dining room (sans Victrola speakers).
So, this ends our tour of Vermont. We love going, so I presume we’ll have many future trips here…and Massachusetts…and Maine…and Philadelphia…and, of course, NYC…and Toronto…and Europe…and….

Side note: As pure as the driven snow

Meaning Entirely pure.

Origin

‘Driven snow’ is snow that has blown into drifts and is untrodded and clean. Examples of the precise text ‘as pure as [the] driven snow’ aren’t found in print until around the start of the 19th century; nevetheless, we have to thank Shakespeare for this popular simile. The complete phrase ‘as pure as the driven snow’ doesn’t appear in Shakespeare’s writing, but it almost does, and he used snow as a symbol for purity and whiteness in several plays. In The Winter’s Tale, 1611:

Autolycus: Lawn as white as driven snow.
In Macbeth, 1605:
Malcolm: Black Macbeth will seem as pure as snow.
Of course, the tradition of brides wearing white in many cultures stems from the association between the colour and purity. This was referred to as early as the 1400s, as in John Lydgate’s poetry for example, circa 1435:
Alle cladde in white, in tokne off clennesse, Lyche pure virgynes.
An alternative derivation of this simile has been proposed, which originates from an altogether different source. Mediaeval tanners used animal faeces in the leather tanning process – specifically dogs’ droppings, to which they gave the incongruous name ‘pure’. Some have speculated that pure referred to the white form of the said stools that used to be more commonly seen and that ‘as pure as the driven snow’ comes from that association. It doesn’t; the ‘pure’ name came from the purification of the raw leather caused by the enzymes present in the excrement and has nothing to do the ‘as pure as driven snow’.

(Obtained from The Phrase Finder, http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/as-pure-as-the-driven-snow.html)

Inside the Honeymoon, Part II: Nummies

And we’re back for Part Deux of our honeymoon adventures — what we ATE. While I don’t remember every little thing we indulged in, food-wise, I know that we were SO very impressed by the freshness of the food available in Vermont, even (or should I say “particularly”) in restaurants. Here I assumed that I would just eat to excess without a care to the organic or local factor of its ingredients; don’t we always do that during a vacation or holiday? Well, weren’t we surprised to find that we essentially had an easy locavore challenge during our honeymoon!
The reason that it was so simple to find locally-grown foods while practically eating out the entire time was because of Vermont’s Fresh Network. This organization’s goal is to connect chefs with local farmers to not only stimulate the economy but provide fresh, local food for residents. What a great idea, right?! We came back home and thought, “Why can’t we do that?!” Well, instead of sitting on our butts complaining, we’re actually thinking about what we can do to make our own. 😀

Anyhoo, so from the moment we walked into our hotel, we noticed the VFN logo (yep, our inn’s restaurant was local, too! It was green, after all) — and started keeping an eye out at other restaurant store fronts for the same logo. From Burlington to Bennington, it was there, that 4″x4″ sticker logo. I love that thing.

Our first meal in VT was actually eaten while we were waiting for our room to be ready.

First Family Trip - image  on https://megactsout.com


And, did I mention, outdoors? It was a little chilly, but it was a perfect New England autumn day — why else would we have honeymooned in VT?! We grabbed our lunch at a cafe named The Hungry Mind (which reminded Dave of his old haunt, “The Thirsty Mind”, in Mass.), where they provided a side salad with every sandwich or panini. We grabbed all-natural beverages and a bag of (also all-natural) chips. Delish and perfect after searching high-and-low for anything that was open and didn’t cost an arm and a leg.

First Family Trip - image  on https://megactsout.com

First Family Trip - image  on https://megactsout.com

What else did we find in Middlebury? Well, incredible gourmet food at Middlebury Inn, our hotel (also locally-sourced). Oh, and my favorite “CAN WE MOVE HERE?!” point of interest? The Middlebury Natural Foods Co-Op!!! It was like going to a traditional grocery store — only everything’s either all-natural, local, or organic — sometimes all of the above! While we didn’t eat here, we did enjoy visiting it (and buying some cheap organic soap). Here’s Dave, not realizing he’s in the shot…hee hee…and a vast array of local veggies!

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Look at the SIZE of this place!!

First Family Trip - image  on https://megactsout.com

First Family Trip - image  on https://megactsout.com

First Family Trip - image  on https://megactsout.com

First Family Trip - image  on https://megactsout.com

Organic cat products, anyone?

First Family Trip - image  on https://megactsout.com

Mmmm. Salad bar. Why CAN’T we live there?! (And by “there” I mean IN the co-op! ;-D)

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Can we say “lunch every single day if I lived here”?

First Family Trip - image  on https://megactsout.com
Me, loving it. Dave was incredibly supportive and even forced a picture in front of the place. 🙂 Lucky lady!
First Family Trip - image  on https://megactsout.com
So, both breakfasts were all at the Inn, as were two of the three dinners. Our first lunch was from the Hungry Mind (eaten in the park). Our second, in Burlington, was at New Moon. This was my side salad (I still wonder if they got the order wrong) and panini…
First Family Trip - image  on https://megactsout.com

This place was terribly awesome. The food was all prepared/served from an “in the round” center island, and you could have them make any salad or sandwich imaginable. They also had soup and other things, but all in all it was just delicious and, again, another VFN participant. AWESOME!

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By the time we left Middlebury to travel home, I don’t recall that we stopped to eat along the way. I almost think that we noshed on the snacks that my best friend (and maid of honor) Beth have given us — we don’t have a Trader Joe’s, and, knowing our propensity for organic/all natural goodies, she gave us a huge basket of snacks, several of which we brought along with us. We finally stopped in Troy (after a long day o’ shoppin’ along the way out of VT) for our final “honeymoon meal” at Brown’s Brewery. It was DELICIOUS and, while I’m not sure if the food was local or not, the brewery itself is about self-sustainability, the 3 Rs, and their own Clean Water Act (there’s a particular brew you can purchase which provides funds toward preserving a local reservoir…which I thought was purdy darn cool.

So, for the most part, our honeymoon food was not only ecologically friendly, but delicious! We couldn’t be happier that we chose Vermont as the site of our honeymoon. Next up? What we did to keep busy traveling around VT.

Inside the Honeymoon, Part I: Accommodations

So, we’re back and, for the most part, FINISHED with all the wedding festivities. The day of the wedding and those following it were some of the greatest memories we’ll ever have. But, I’m ready for some normalcy to return. I just can’t get as motivated as I’d like to, for example, work on house projects or blog entries. Perhaps it’s the newlywed slump…or maybe it’s the fact that I don’t know what to do with myself now that I’m not planning the wedding! It’ll pass (especially with the holidays and an end to the renovation at work coming up) — I was excited that I just happened to get the urge to share with you some of our honeymoon fun!

With that said, I figured I’d start by telling you about where we stayed. We had originally booked a bed-and-breakfast and found out that the room that we’d fallen in love with was no longer available. We accepted that for awhile, but as the plans of our VT trip started coming together, we realized that we also wanted to be relatively “centrally” located (we traveled along the western side of the state, up and down, but you know what I mean). So, we picked the aptly-named Middlebury, VT to make our 3-day home.

I chose Middlebury Inn for several reasons. A) It was centrally-located. B) It’s HISTORIC! Boy, is it!! C) It’s GREEN. D) They had a nice room available for our time at a reasonable price (although it was still a splurge by our standards).

First Family Trip - image  on https://megactsout.com

First Family Trip - image  on https://megactsout.com

We discovered several “pluses” to add to the list after we arrived, although we did run into an issue. When we arrived, admittedly early, we were told to leave and return at a certain time. Okay, so we schlepped our bags back out to the car, walked around town, grabbed something to eat, and returned at the allotted time…at which point we discovered that they still didn’t have the room ready AND there were no apologies. So, we partook in “Afternoon Tea” (on the veranda, nonetheless!) to wait for another 30 minutes. It was kind of ridiculous that they had a good handful of people working the front desk but zero hospitality or kindness.

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First Family Trip - image  on https://megactsout.com
Enjoying some tea and a gorgeous autumn day in VT
First Family Trip - image  on https://megactsout.com

But, that didn’t get us upset. Once we walked into the Porter Mansion and our suite, any annoyance in our bodies melted away. It was incredibly roomy and the entire inn (which is actually three buildings) was green-certified in its energy practices. Also, the tavern (which was more like a nice restaurant) was part of Vermont’s Fresh Network, which connects chefs with local food sources (farms) to give patrons the best, freshest possible meals. Gotta be frank: we ate organic/local practically the whole time!

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Dave, already enjoying the comfy couch and learning about the area.
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First Family Trip - image  on https://megactsout.com
This was the same floor I had once considered
buying from Lowe’s…vintage!

Yet, with all this modernity, the history of the place was palpable. The inn opened for business in 1827, and the decor of everything felt historic but not “old” or worn. Everyday, we ate in a separate dining area for breakfast and I couldn’t stop looking at the wallpaper. Granted, I’m not usually a wallpaper person, but when it’s high-end and GORGEOUS, you just have to appreciate it.

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Also on the National Registry of
Historic Places (just like the theater!).

We had two dinners (we stayed two evenings, left on the third day) at Morgan’s Tavern (which I LOVED the name of — my niece’s name is Morgan). The first evening, we had our “big meal”, which was gourmet and awesome, and we decided to go there for a more “pub” experience the next night. IN-CRE-DIBLE! Oh, and that breakfast? Best thing we ate the entire trip! BEST. WAFFLES. EVER. (ie I had to buy myself a waffle maker the WEEKEND after. Must discover their secret.)

First Family Trip - image  on https://megactsout.com
Dave, enjoying his breakfast, trying
his best to be a good husband
while I snap pics.
First Family Trip - image  on https://megactsout.com
Looking pretty pale and sleepy…but SO excited for this meal!

So, all in all, our experience at Middlebury Inn was awesome. The food service was impeccable (which I noted in our survey at the end of our stay — wishing that the rest of the staff at the inn could take lessons), the ambiance of the inn was elegant yet warm, and it provided the perfect geographic center-point for our trip.

Stay tuned to hear more about our actual honeymoon activities, meals, and other “favorites”.


*If you know us, you know we’re not a “sexy couple.” So, sorry if you saw the title of the post and are disappointed that I discussed where we stayed and what we did, and nothing more. 😀 Pervs.*

I’m Baaaack…and Married!

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So, I’ve been MIA for a little while. The wedding took SO much time — any extra moment was spent doing even time-wasting Googling about wedding stuff. And, while I felt ashamed that it was taking up so much time, in the end, I’m glad we did! The wedding itself was absolutely PERFECT. Not a traditional wedding shindig in the least (sure, we got married in a church and danced at the reception), but fun and simply wonderful. We couldn’t have asked for a better day, better friends and family to share it with, better vendors to help make it perfect. Seriously. Awesome. (Finishing up our final wedding blog post at Momentville.)

Dave and I took LOTS of pictures during our honeymoon — and not because we’re freakishly kinky. Nope, other than wanting to remember the awesome time we had, we took the pics specifically for YOU GUYS! Really, we’d find something else wonderfully neat and Dave would say, “Oh, let’s get this one for the blog.” Didn’t I find a perfect guy?

So, we’ll start posting soon. Instead, I thought I’d share something very meaningful to both the mister and myself. We took the last day of the honeymoon to decompress, and a part of our decompression was grabbing lunch at our regular spot, Donna’s Diner. While there, we started brainstorming all the ways we want to make our marriage successful, small to majorly important. So, as written on our napkin, we give to you our…

Declaration of a Happy Marriage (10/13/2010)
– When it’s time to have kids, take them into our lifestyle, not create a new lifestyle for them.Yes, we want kids. It’s probably the biggest goal we have. If we’re meant to have them, our life goal will be achieved. And, while we don’t necessarily have a very crazy lifestyle right now, we’d like to be able to maintain the parts of our life that make us “us” — theater work (less, but still active), travel (especially to NYC — if I’d been able to experience the city when I was young, I think that my philosophies on life would’ve been more realistic), making movies, etc. It may sound unrealistic, but we want to give them ALL the time they deserve but not forget that we exist, if that makes sense.
– Keep eating healthy. (And get healthier in other ways.) Our trip to Vermont helped solidify this, and even has us brainstorming about how we can change things for MORE than just the Dellecese household.
– Be happy for what we have, but no excuses not to dream. We never want to take what we have and where we are for granted. At the same token, we won’t stand in each other’s way — and we won’t use our “comfort” stop us from considering a different future.
– Get out of ruts. It happens to everyone. We get busy. We get tired. We have those nights that we get home from work and hardly talk to each other, too zoned-out to notice. When that happens, inevitably one of us will notice — and, in the words of Mike Holmes, make it right.
– Have more friends over. One way that we’ll get out of ruts is by changing up our routine. Also, the wedding made us that “Oh, them? Are they still alive?” couple. I’m DYING to break out my new fondue set…wine…games….
– Take the time for date nights. Still another way to get out of a rut. Pretty self-explanatory.
– Appreciate one another. This is an easy one to forget, especially when life takes over.
– When we fight, remember our vows. Everyone fights. It’s inevitable. If two people are going to spend sooooo much darn time together and have opinions on things and sometimes disagree, a fight will happen. It’s also easy to say things that we don’t mean. This is when the sincerity and honesty of our vows will help get us through…among other things. 😉
– Do/say something kind every day. We already do this, whether we do it on purpose or not. From Dave making my lunches to my making dinner, I feel loved by the way he shows it, and I feel that I show him how much I love him in actions as much as anything. However, sometimes I get insecure and wonder… “Does he still love me, heads-over-heels, or is he just busy with work, or…?” So, we’re making a point to SAY something kind everyday, too. I think this’ll be a household rule as the family gets bigger.
– Help with and/or support each other’s dreams and attempts at achieving them. Some dreams don’t pan out. You don’t want your one and only partner to be down on them from the very beginning. “Stand by your man” (or woman, as it were). Even those goals one of us might be apprehensive about, I find, helping a person out with it helps you understand it. Open-mindedness!

There’s room to add, although I’m not sure Dave will give us a chance to before he frames it. I’m sure there are about 100+ more things that should be on the list, but we’re new at this. We also know that these don’t work for everyone, but given the 2 1/2 or so years that we’ve been together (and 1 1/2 living together), it’s what works for us! 🙂

And for those of you dying for a few more pictures, here’s our INCREDIBLE photographer’s blog. She’s still got plenty of time before we’ll be bugging her for the final versions of all the rest of the photos, but it was awesome of her to share these samples with us.

Keep an eye out for our honeymoon posts! Thanks for following.