Four Birthday Parties and Easter

On March 13, 2020, our town, our schools, and our jobs all moved to the internet as we went into "lockdown." Now, one year later to a tee, the lockdown is lifting, and all of us are starting to live "life" again.  I don't dare say life is returning back to normal because I don't think it ever can... Instead, we are living a "new normal," a "normal" full of cautious optimism.

During these last few months, my mom has been vaccinated, and Hubby and I received our second dose of the Pfizer vaccine this week.  We're on our way...hoping that Little Lewie may be next in line to receive his does--he's 12 going on 13. 

Knowing my mom was the first to be vaccinated was uplifting.  Now we could say "yes" to social engagements without the fear of bringing anything home to her.  Sure, we would still use caution for our own safety, but we felt a little "freer" to leave our bubble.  In March, Lewie was invited to four birthday parties, and after careful consideration, we said yes to each.  The first was a friend's "Movie Birthday Party." Since there was limited seating for social distancing, there was room just for Lewie and the kids--no parents, which probably made the party more fun.  He had a blast acting like a typical pre-adolescent boy with his friends as they provided commentary and laughed throughout the entire movie.  (The interesting part about this birthday party is that it was for one of his friends he met online this year through another friend.  The kids at this party all "knew" Lewie from playing online games with him, but few of them knew what he looked like in real life.)

The next birthday party was his cousin's at an indoor adventure ropes course called IT.  In December 2019, I bought my sister-in-law and her family a gift certificate to enjoy IT, which oddly enough, is right inside a Jordan's Furniture store.  (You can shop for a new mattress and practice rope climbing all in the same place.)  The gift certificate was a Christmas present for them, but when the pandemic hit in March 2020, they still hadn't used it.  Now, a year later, they were finally planning a trip to IT, and we were invited to join them!  The building with the ropes course is HUGE, so I wasn't worried about social distancing.  The course itself glows in the dark and has two zip lines--one of them goes over a large fountain that shoots water up at you.  I think I was so mesmerized by the colorful light show and zip lines that I let my emotional side, not my rational one, take over.  "Sure," I heard myself saying when I was asked if I wanted to join Lewie on the course.  Hubby agreed, too.  

Our cousin, Elijah, celebrating his 9th birthday underneath the ropes course!

Before long, we were 20 maybe 30 feet up in the air trying to balance ourselves on tight ropes, wobbly swinging loops, shifty ladders, and all sorts of other gymnast type contraptions.  My heart pounded, and I found myself using every ounce of arm and leg strength to keep myself from shaking and losing my balance.  ("Do not embarrass yourself," my inner voice kept repeating over and over again; although after 20 minutes of this balancing act, every ounce of me wanted to yell, "Help. Help. Someone get me down from here!")

Somehow, I did manage to complete the course (both zip lines included), and hubby did, too; although, our bodies sure felt achy for the next few days.  Cousins Elijah, Brooklynn, and Lily all gave up (ages 8 - 11), but Lewie and his cousin Sarah stuck it through.  In fact, Lewie not only stuck it through, but he kept on going, repeating the cycle of zip lines.  I was shocked!  How was it that my kid--the kid that complains about walking and exercising being too hard--able to complete a ropes course?!  

"How did you do it?" I finally asked.

"Simple," he answered,  "I just took my time."  

And with that, I learned never to doubt the will power of my son again.  I had completely misjudged his abilities--bad Mommy!!

The next two birthday parties were equally interesting and entertaining.  One was at a friend's house where they played outside games with nerf guns and made tie dye t-shirts; another was at a place called SMASH Avenue, where you guessed it, the entertainment came from taking sledgehammers and smashing stuff--bottles, electronics, furniture...  Again, we dropped Lewie off at both parties, but I was able to snag a few pictures of the SMASH birthday.  Lewie came home from that one saying, "I learned that I'm not really that aggressive."   Evidently he did smash some things, but then he spent most of the time poking objects with a wrench--LOL.

The birthday boy letting off some steam.  "Take that Google Meet!!"

Lewie's in the background holding a wrench!

After the four-weekend birthday spree, it was time for Easter.  I spent a full week making sure the house was nice and tidy for the arrival of the Easter Bunny.  (The house gets amazingly dirty and "lived in" when we're all still working and schooling from home.) This year, in addition to hiding Lewie's plastic eggs and basket, the Easter Bunny also hid four "Buddy Biscuits" in the living room for Bruce to find.   It soon became a race between Lewie and Bruce.  Who would find their treats the quickest?  (Spoiler alert--Bruce won.  His sniffer gave him an unfair advantage.  If Lewie could sniff out chocolate the way Bruce could sniff out his treats, then they might have been on a more equal playing field.)

"Hmmm...What's in there?"

The holiday ended with a yummy ham dinner, which my mom, hubby, Lewie, and I enjoyed.  We didn't get to go out to dinner like years prior, and of course, we didn't have Aunty Kiki around to come over and search for plastic eggs--first my eggs as a kid and then Lewie's eggs. We missed her funny antics, but we made a promise not to become overly emotional.  No matter how many years go by, I'll never celebrate Easter without thinking of Aunty Kiki.  For years, I didn't want her finding my eggs full of chocolate.  Now, I would gladly ship them to heaven if I could...

Yes, life Post-Covid and Post-2020 looks different and feels different.  It's full of hope and optimism but also sadness and caution.  We'll get there.  We'll all get there.  Thankfully, life hasn't run out of birthdays or holidays to celebrate.

Celebrating the First Day of Spring in Killington, VT

 Last weekend, we went on a short excursion to Killington, VT.  

During the weeks before the trip, I waivered back and forth on whether we should actually go.  First, my husband and I are not vaccinated yet (although we just recently got our first shots this week).  Second, we would be leaving my mom alone with our puppy, Bruce.  Third, we would be spending a lot of money for a short two-day, two-night trip.  Would the trip really be worth all the worry?

We received our answer, and it was a resounding, YES!!  Having not gone on any trips or vacations since December 2019, we needed this one--not just to reconnect as a family but to remember what it was like to enjoy activities, to sightsee, and to PLAY!  We called my mom every day to make sure she was doing well at home with Bruce, and thankfully, we did have our neighbor/friend across the street who would have gladly checked up on my mom if we asked her to.

We started our vacation by renting a cute cabin in Mendon, VT through Vrbo.  I didn't know much about the place other than it received excellent reviews for its cleanliness and the friendliness of the owners.  Well, the cabin was PERFECT.  We soon discovered that it's centrally located to Rutland, Killington, Plymouth, and Woodstock, VT, and the owner couldn't have been nicer.  First, he greeted us at 8 p.m. Friday night with a key (after a series of texts back and forth), and he also gave us a map where he starred favorite restaurants (after I asked him for eating recommendations).  On Saturday, he gave us firewood, so we could use the firepit in front of the cabin. (Fun fact--we all think we saw a UFO as we were gazing at the stars from the firepit.)  The cabin itself was roomy, clean, and warm.  I packed a number of blankets and pillows just in case, which we didn't need for the entire trip.

On Saturday, our "vacation" finally began.  Here were some of the highlights from our weekend, and some places, activities and restaurants we would HIGHLY recommend.

Maple Sugar and Vermont Spice, Mendon, VT:  This family restaurant is a MUST if you are staying anywhere near Rutland, Killington, Plymouth, Woodstock, or Mendon, VT.  The building itself is a working sugar house, and in the spring, you can actually watch them boil the maple syrup right from your table.  Because of COVID, we ordered our breakfasts to go on both Saturday and Sunday morning, but on Sunday, I did give myself a few minutes to browse through their giftshop, which is full of maple syrup goodies like butter, cream, hard candy, cotton candy, and nuts.  Their breakfasts were also kid and husband approved with dishes like French toast, waffles and ice-cream, and steak and eggs.

Calvin Coolidge Historic Site, Plymouth, VT:  We drove to and walked around the Calvin Coolidge Homestead since we were right near Plymouth.  Calvin Coolidge was the 30th President of the United States back in the 1920's, and it was interesting to learn a little about his conservative values and legacy on the website.  (He was definitely a product of his times.)  The site, which seemed to include a museum, two houses (his childhood home and his adult home), and a church were all closed for the winter, but even with the snow, I could tell the grounds are BEAUTIFUL.  I would have loved to see the inside of the buildings and to have learned more about VT life and American life from the late 1800's and early 1900's.  I'm thinking this would be a good summer/fall trip to take with my mom!  (P.S.  Dogs are allowed to walk here on a leash.  We didn't have our Bruce with us, but it's always nice to know he would have been welcomed if we did!)

Snowmobile Vermont and Back Country Tours, Plymouth, VT:  We haven't gone snowmobiling since Lewie was six (exactly six years ago), and we were hoping there would be enough snow on the ground in March to enjoy an excursion.  Thankfully, there was still about 6 to 12 inches of snow left (although it was melting quickly).  Lew rented a double snowmobile for him and Lewie, and I rode on the back with the tour guide.  We chose the "back country tour" because it's a two hour jaunt through Calvin Coolidge State Forest, which is located right across the street from the snowmobile shop.   

Although our tour wasn't exactly through the State Forest (our tour guide told us they had to change the route because the snow was melting too much in the forest), we did get to ride around the campground area, which was just as much fun!  Sometimes we went at a leisurely pace, and sometimes we sped up super fast, watching trees, cabins, and even cemeteries (yes, VT has a lot of historic cemetery plots in their woods) whizz by!  We stopped to get a glorious picture with Mount Killington in the background, and then we went to an open area where both hubby AND Little Lewie had a chance to test their skills.  Hubby did a couple of rounds super fast, and then he let Lewie take the front seat, so he could drive around a few times.  My son, thank you God, is more cautious than my husband, so he had fun driving, but he was not interested in going fast.  

The ride was exhilarating, scenic, and refreshing.  We were able to get such nice pictures, and we lucked out to have such beautiful sunny weather.  It was one of the last perfect ways to frolic in the snow.

Our tour guide is on the left.  It was wear a suit Saturday for the guides.

The Lincoln Covered Bridge, Woodstock, VT:  What is a vacation to VT without a covered bridge sighting?  I made the family drive about 20 minutes North of Plymouth, so we could check out this beauty.  In short, the Lincoln Covered Bridge was built in 1877 and is the only known example of a wooden Pratt truss bridge in the United States.  It has undergone some restorations over the years, but today, it still serves as a functional one-lane bridge.  Of course, I not only needed a selfie with it, but I had to walk through it!

Flannels Bar and Grill, Mendon, VT:  I don't always post about everywhere we eat, and quite honestly, I couldn't tell you about the ambiance of Flannels because we did take-out.  (Again, darn COVID spoils the full-experience again.)  Still, I have to mention this restaurant because I had one of the BEST foodie experiences ever!  I ordered the Mendon Grilled Cheese because I just had to try it--a house specialty with Vermont Cheddar Cheese, maple bacon, maple syrup, and apple served on sourdough bread.  The sandwich was one of the best I've ever had in my life--it was like a dessert sandwich.  I'm honestly thinking about making this trip again, just so I can come back and have this sandwich!!

Mountain Top Inn and Resort, Chittenden, VT:  On our last day in VT (Sunday), we decided to go snowshoeing and have lunch before our 3.5 hour trip home.  A blog had recommended this resort for winter activities, and they weren't kidding.  This resort has EVERYTHING winter--cross country skiing, snowshoeing, sleighrides, ice skating, and sledding.  (They also have snowmobile trails for those with their own.)  We rented snowshoes for the morning and had access to their trail system, which included soft, groomed snow.  It was just glorious to walk in the snow on a 60 degree day!  In fact, Little Lewie became so warm, he asked if he could remove his sweatshirt and just wear his t-shirt while we were hiking up the trail.   

In the beginning, the "peanut gallery" (that's my husband and Little Lewie) complained a little about having to stop and go snowshoeing.  They seemed to be satisfied with the snowmobiling experience; however, after about 10 minutes of walking on the trails, we were all so glad we did it.  There's something so rejuvenating about the fresh mountain air, and we laughed and laughed, mostly at daddy's antics, as we tried climbing to the peak of the mountain.  (Spoiler alert: we were supposed to walk up to the "lookout," but after all our climbing, we never found it!)  

Hubby jumping on the ice.  I told him I should have bought a life insurance policy.

Going down the trail was a lot easier than going up, and we were back to the "activities building" in no-time.  Before leaving, I suggested we grab take-out at their tavern, but when we went downstairs to the tavern to place our order, we discovered they had a beautiful patio with some tables and chairs.  "Can we eat outside?" I gushed.  The weather was so warm.  The answer, or course, was yes, and we spent the next 40 minutes looking at this view (below) before leaving.   

The scenery from the patio.

My favorite picture of the trip.  Little Lewie and I look so happy here.

It was quite honestly the perfect end to the perfect trip.  I didn't know how we got so lucky with EVERYTHING, but we did.  The year of quarantine was worth it.  I couldn't have asked for a better experience, plus, I left knowing we were SAFE about everything to boot.  My cup is full.