What happens in Vermont stays in Vermont, althought nothing ever happens

This past week was our annual trip to Lake George, NY with Paul's family. This year we added a few days in Vermont before heading down to the Lake. We had an early morning flight to Albany and drove to Rutland, VT for our first night. Rutland was probably the most commercialized town we were in our entire trip, although it was still pretty small and picturesque. I think the GPS we borrowed was set on secondary roads only b/c we never got near a highway. It was amazing how cute the little towns were, each with a historic general store and huge colonial houses and farms. Our next stop was Quechee for a hot air balloon festival where we met up with my parents (who happened to be taking a very similar vacation a the same time). We did some hiking, ate some local farm-fresh food, and had a very relaxing time wandering through Vermont with no schedule. Our last stop was Stowe/Waterbury where we hit up the Ben & Jerry's factory and the Von Trapp family lodge. We ended the trip with lunch with one of Paul's fraternity brothers in Burlington and then took the ferry across Lake Champlain into New York.

Lake George was warmer than its ever been so we spent a lot more time in the water. I learned to drive the new jet ski and Paul and I got the crap beat out of us on the new two person tube. We did some golfing and had a great breakfast at the Sagamore. After some arguments with the cranky guests upstairs and a visit from the Lake George fire department (for a carbon monoxide alarm with a bad battery), Noel was the winner of the annual Sponge Bob Square Pants Putting Invitational.

Overall the weather was great, and it was a fun an relaxing week. Now we just need to buy a vacation place in Vermont!

Engagement Party

Last night I had the pleasure of co-hosting an engagement party for my sorority big sister, Jenn, and her girlfriend, Austin. The party was at a coffeehouse/winebar in downtown Jacksonville. We had lots of yummy cakes (with lots of leftovers) and champagne. I think Jenn & Austin had a good time and it was nice to see some old friends too. Here's just a few photos.

Baby It's Hot Outside!

After two weeks of temps in the 90's the heat is here to stay...at least until November that is. Paul has adjusted to it much better than me since he has been spending nearly all of his free time working on the yard, the pool, or the pond. The backyard has been sodded, the pool has been cleaned, and our garden is growing nicely. Unfortunately it is so dang hot outside now that we mostly enjoy it from the view from the living room. Paul is going to start freezing bottles of water to put in the pool to cool it down.
Since we watched the documentary, Food Inc., we've been focused on eating organic dairy, wild seafood, and grass fed meat, so we've been hitting up the Fernandina Farmer's Market for the past two weeks. So far we've had all natural grass fed beef and pork and it was delicious! We've been bringing Mr. Tups with us to the market to try to get him socialized and I think he really enjoys his Saturday morning outing.
My parents came up for a quick visit last weekend to bring their new doggie, a rat terrier-chihuahua mix, to meet Stelly & Tups. As of now the dog's name is Sushi, but changes pretty frequently. Stella largely ignored Sushi but Tups was not so welcoming. They'll get to like her soon enough when she and Dixie (my parents' springer spaniel) come to visit in a few weeks.
This weekend I'll be co-hosting an engagement party in Jacksonville and we'll be getting ready for our trip to Vermont and Lake George. We're looking forward to the low humidity and chilly lake!