Jesse and I had an incredible opportunity to take a 2nd Anniversary/"Babymoon" vacation to Vermont during Jesse's reading week (the seminary version of a break... no classes, but a time to catch up on work). My parents were very generous and offered us a free week under their RCI timeshare... we were able to choose which state and even which resort we wanted to spend the week. After looking at several options online, we chose the Jackson Gore Inn in Ludlow, Vermont. With Jesse's Colorado roots, we thought a vacation in the Green Mountains would be almost as ideal as the Rockies. And we're so glad we chose Vermont!
The drive was only three hours from Gloucester, which we figured a short trip would be best for my 8 month pregnant self. When we reached the resort on Okemo Mountain, a popular ski area, our expectations were greatly exceeded! It was beautiful... and we had a suite that slept eight people! We tried out 3 of the 4 beds during our week-long stay, just because we could. The suite also had a full kitchen, fireplace, deck, and jetted tub! The resort itself had an indoor pool with slide and an indoor/outdoor heated pool, four hot tubs, an underground heated garage, library, and onsite restaurants. Since the biggest draw is the skiing, we were visiting during the off season, so we pretty much had the resort to ourselves. I think we saw maybe three other guests during our stay. In a few weeks, I'm sure the place will be bustling with skiers. And to my delight, the housekeeping staff was amazing! I was astonished the first day when we came back to our room to find that they even did our dirty dishes.
We couldn't have had a nicer week in November, weather-wise. Everyday was sunny and one day even saw temperatures near 70 degrees. We ended up doing a lot of sightseeing, making a day trip North to Burlington, Vermont where we visited the Green Mountain Coffee Factory (Jesse's pick), the Vermont Teddy Bear Factory (my pick), and an outdoor mall called the Church Street Marketplace (similar to the 16th Street Mall in Denver). We also walked down to the shores of Lake Champlain, which offered beautiful views of the New York Adirondacks on the opposite shores. Besides our day trip to Burlington, we were able to do some fun shopping, both at the Vermont Country Store (a store with many unique, hard-to-find items) and at the Manchester Designer Outlets. We also went on a mile-long hike on a trail near the resort. Our anniversary was on Tuesday, November 10, and we had a wonderful dinner at the Killarney Irish Pub in Ludlow. Then we watched
Up, a hilarious animated movie with an old man and a talking dog named Doug. I think it is my new favorite.
Altogether, the week was wonderfully relaxing and we had a blast! We had such a good time together in Vermont that I even cried a little bit when we got home. This vacation will certainly provide us with many lasting memories as we enter a new stage of life... parenthood!
