Vermont - Day 1

This is an excerpt from an email I sent to 3 of my girlfriends about our day yesterday:

I miss the warm sunshine! Holy cold air batman - Vermont is for those who enjoy sweaters in the summer! We got here, and granted that front moved through last night so CT was cooler and dry, but VT is downright fall-ish. You could wear cozies during the hottest part of the day with UGGS. And I brought neither cozies nor UGGS. The children each have 1 long pair of pants and sweatshirts and sweaters ... I also brought raincoats for them b/c the predicted forecast for Saturday is RAIN! Oh no.

Starting temps supposed to be about 49!!!! And the first 10 miles is downhill, so that outta be a chilly start!! I got in touch with Kurt--he's going to being me some cold weather gear - we're probably the same size!

The drive through the beginning of VT until we got here was gorgeous. I have my big camera with me and I went nuts shooting building after building, oodles of different houses randomly placed and the fun out house structures adjacent to them. Seriously, it's like someone decided to build a house and just popped it down right in the middle of nowhere. We didn't see a store for miles and miles, and then, came upon this town that was so small, I could have run through it on foot in 7 minutes! There have been some narrow passages with signs warning of falling rock. I know I am not well traveled and this is probably common knowledge for those that are, but Speedo and I were gitty with the new roads and new sights! We were cracking up the whole ride through VT. Tourist dorks with camera hanging out the window!!

At one point there was this row of stone houses , maybe like 8 of them. One right after the other. Similar styles, some larger than others, none bigger than my little cottage back home, but odd and out of place none the less. Speedo joked and said, "Looks like someone hit a quarry and made out with stone!" Sure enough, about 1.5 miles down the road, there's a quarry!!! We almost peed our pants laughing!

I'll have to grab a snapshot of them on our way home!

So we got settled, I checked in, registered, grabbed my t-shirt (gray --ehhhh in the 'wow' department. You know me and the t-shirts!) and checked out our condo! The children are beside themselves. Whenever we go away we always get 1 room. Always. It's now a running joke. So we get here, it's essentially "free" and the children see a set of stairs, they about died!!! They went running up, screaming! "There's 2 bedrooms!" "There's a bathroom with 2 doors!" "We have stairs!" "We don't have to all sleep on the floor" And then Betsey b-lined it for the biggest bed and started jumping on it! (Thanks Gini!) They act like we live in a dive and they've never seen more than 1 bed before!

It's the little things I tell ya. And they appreciate them, I love that.

I have to wear this bracelet (like REV 3, Amy) and a thing around my neck with my name on it so when we got to the events this weekend, they know I am a rider. I didn't know how it worked with the kids and Speedo and food and stuff, but you know me, anything I can get for free.

The kids really wanted to swim! The outdoor pool was heated so we got suits on and headed out to the pool. The pool in our complex area is NOT the pool pictured on the brochure. Oh no. This pool was in the shade, about the size of a puddle and not at all like what we envisioned. So Speedo called the main number and asked about the pool at the main lobby. Immediately they asked where he was staying, and when he told them our building, they said, "Oh you have a pool right there on site in the parking lot."

Yea, we knew that! We're not using that pool. I want to swim in the pool with the grandious mountains in the background, elegant blue tiles....

So we hiked it up to the main lobby and walked straight through to get to "the" pool. There was a sign pointing us in the direction, and we had to go through the Health Club. Well they had one of those doors with the slide key - it was for guests of that hotel only. Darn it. Fortunately some little kid walked in the Health Club area where the towels were visiable to the glass door that seprated us and I knocked and motioned for him to open the door. He did. Nice little guy. Suckaaaa. This sent Speedo into hysterics. He was finding it so amusing.

So we swam for a few, the pool was heated, and it felt good for about 2 minutes. The air was SO cold, that I didn't put my head under b/c my hair would have grown icicles. Freezing! It didn't bother the kids so Speedo and I sucked it up for AN HOUR!??

On the walk back through the Health Club there was a Steam Room. I brought Hayls in with me and it was heaven.... until we heard lots of knocking on the glass door from the kids saying, "What are you doing in there?" "Why are you in there?" "Is it too hot, Mommy? Mommy?!" And Speedo yelling over them, "Stop, don't open the door! Margot, get back here! Tucker, hand out of your pants! We'll go in a second! Let Mommy sit in there for a minute!" And the noise the machine made to pour hot water onto the floor to make the steam was obnoxiously loud. Hayley and I got the giggles every time it went off b/c it was SO not spa-like.

There was a welcome dinner in the ballroom which we reluctantly attended with the 6 children in tow because they were tired and hungry, and it was 7pm by this point. But there was a long row of tables with food, and it smelled good, so we were all over it. We have a system for these types of events; we grab all the plates, and I have H, B & L come up with me to stack up the plates with different foods, and then we distribute at the table. Plus, we weren't sure as to whether or not Speedo and the littles and middles and Hayley were allowed to be eating.

Well we found out soon enough.

A speaker got up and did some 'thank yous,' talked about the ride, and then he mentions the breakfast in the morning and that all riders and their guests and family that PAID for the BLUE BRACELETS on and NECK NAME TAGS will be allowed to eat. SO please wear your blue braclets.

When we go to the parking lot Speedo cracked up and said, "Guess our freeloading for meals is over!"

He is terrible.

It wasn't clear as to whether or not spouses and/or children were allowed to partake in the feastings.... So be it. There are various yummy restaurants around. We had lunch from a small market today that made the BEST chicken ceasar wrap I have ever had!

There is the smell of insulin everywhere! I actually have caught each of the chidlren, GoGo included, noticing someone with a pump!!! There's tubing hanging around pants, people fidgiting with their pumps, testing... it's a diabetes haven. I think Betsey feels like just another diabetic in the fishbowl of diabetics. I'll have to ask her how she actually feels about it, b/c I am just guessing.

So far it's been fun. The 2 littles and 2 middles are sleeping already and tomorrow is a big breakfast (for me) and I hope to hook up with some other riders that are here from our chapter.

Day 1 down.