Becoming Me: Vacation in Vermont

My family seems to live in one speed… fast. Only five days after moving into our Georgia house, we loaded our suitcases back into the car and headed for the Atlanta Airport. Every summer, the company Dad works for takes the company executives and their families to some nice vacation spot. This year, we have been privileged to travel to beautiful Stowe, Vermont. It’s been seven years since we’ve been to this part of the country and it is sure a pleasure being back! To top things off, a visit from a dear friend helped make the beginning of this trip extra special. Temple lives only 2 ½ hours away in New Hampshire and made time to drive over here and meet us at our hotel Friday evening. Everything is more fun when Temple is around. Sabbath, we enjoyed a Sabbath school service presented by Don Jernigan, President of Adventist Health Systems. For the past three years, my family, along with a couple of other families, has come 3-4 days earlier than everyone else to practice choral music for the following weekend’s meetings. 30-40 hours over 8 days are spent learning and practicing music. Sabbath after worship service was their second practice, so Temps and I went for a hike. We couldn’t find the trail we were looking for, so our hike was shorter than we had hoped for, but still great fun. After lunch, our family loaded into the car and drove around, stopping in Smuggler’s Notch for some sight seeing and photo ops. Dinner that night was hosted by the Jernigans at the delicious Fox Fire Restaurant. The setting was picturesque, the company fantastic, and the food delectable. Sunday, Temple and I went swimming while Mom, Dad, and Dave went to music practice. By the time we had showered, they were finished with practice and ready to go. We started out with a ride up the ski lift and down the alpine slide. Next, we loaded into the car and headed over to Shelburne Museum. We’d visited there seven years earlier and enjoyed it, so it was fun to check out the fun exhibits again. Also, another favorite for me were the Peonies. Peonies are my all time favorite flowers, and the Peony gardens at Shelburne Museum were luscious and to die for! Temple had to leave as soon as we got back to the hotel. And Sunday night, it was back to practice for the other three members of my family. Monday morning was spent mostly in music practice. Following lunch, however, the Bechards, the Cook Family, the Madisons, and our family embarked on a river journey. Most everyone rented canoes, but Dave, Jake, and I decided on kayaks, David and I going tandem. We had a blast! The scenery was spectacular and the river’s speed perfect. By the time we finished, our stomachs were empty. The Cook and Weber families chose Pie in the Sky pizza parlor, recommended by Temple, for our dining location. The Cooks are such neat people! We always have a blast together. Practice started again at 7:00 PM, so we went straight back to the hotel following dinner. Tuesday after practice and lunch, Mom, Dave, Ms. Linda Knutson, and I headed into Burlington to look through little shops while Dad spent the afternoon in meetings. That evening was the Service Award Banquet for all of the AHS executives and their families. I made the tough decision to skip the banquet, even though I wanted to see everyone, so that I could babysit the four adorable Ottati children. Those kids get cuter and more fun every year, and we had a ball together. We swam, sang songs, and marched through the hotel so they could take a peek at my family’s hotel room. I left their room exhausted, but surprisingly recharged by their energy and childlike joy. Wednesday morning, David and I were chaperones for the Ben and Jerry’s tour. While the Dads were in meetings and the Moms were enjoying the spouses brunch, most of the kiddos loaded onto buses and made our way to the Ben and Jerry’s factory for a tour and some free ice cream. The Ottati kids were assigned to me, so I was privileged to spend my morning with them. When we got back, Mom and Dave were full, but Dad and I were starved. Pie-Casso had been a recommended to us by friends as a great place to eat, so Dad and I chose to eat there. We spent the afternoon hanging out as a family before Mom, Dad, and Dave headed off to practice music again for the evening. I spent the evening on the phone with Vivian Seiler, the YFJ girls’ dean, planning worships and the like for Youth for Jesus. Thursday morning was laid back due to practice being directly after lunch. Once Mom and Dad were done with practice, Dave went mountain biking while Mom, Dad, and I went for a ride around the countryside. Deryl and Linda Knutson took us out to dinner at the fabulous Fox Fire. The food was delicious, as usual, and the company was marvelous. Following dinner, there was a party in the Cook room. We played several hilarious rounds of Mafia and spent most of the evening laughing hysterically. And now today, Friday, the other three member of my family have already spent two hours practicing music. Dave is now working on his sermon preparation while Mom and I play Farkle. This afternoon, we plan to rent bicycles and enjoy the wonderful walking/biking trails around Vermont. Tonight is the special music performance.

It is now Friday evening and I am about to make my way down for the vespers program. Our bike ride was exhilarating! I only wish we had more time to ride around this beautiful town. Happy Sabbath one and all!

Here is a boatload of pictures for those of you who have been waiting:

Temps and I before our hike