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7.28.2011
Travel Adventures: June Edition
Back in March, my boss decided that we had all worked really hard this year, so she decided to gift us with an extra week of paid vacation time. Now I know a good deal when I see one, so I took her gift and didn't think twice about it. I told my best friend, Heather, that I had a week I was required to take in June, and that we should plan a little trip somewhere. One of the benefits of my job is the insane amount of hotel points I accrue throughout the year, pretty much enough to take me almost anywhere in the world I want to go for at least a week. Again...off I run with my free hotel points.
So we were throwing ideas back and forth. Bar Harbor, ME, North Conway, NH...then it started to get real adult. Heather suggested Sanibel Island, FL, I suggested Germany and Yellowstone...and so on and so forth. I figured we were just kidding around, when one Sunday night at her house (we get together almost every Sunday night for dinner/HBO, it's pretty awesome) and she suggested Marco Island, FL. I had never heard of it so I looked it up and found it to be breathtaking. Well wouldn't you know it...I looked up ticket prices on Trip Advisor and round trip tickets were just about $250 bucks...HELLO! The next morning we had 2 round-trip tickets and 5 days/4 nights booked at the Marco Island Marriott Resport, Spa, and Golf Course. It has been 5 years since Heather and I had gone on a trip together, and we felt we were long overdue.
The trip was exactly what I/we needed. And while we missed our loved ones at home, it was nice to experience something new. On the morning of June 5, we woke up at 5am and made my mom cart us to the airport in Boston. I am pretty sure I slept about 45 seconds that night because I was so excited to go lay on a beach for five days and work on browning my skin. We had a 30 min. layover in Newark, and then we were on our way to Ft. Meyers! Heather's Auntie Sandy was gracious enough to come pick us up at the airport and bring us to our hotel.
When we pulled up to the hotel, I literally had no words. It was gorgeous! The hotel staff was super friendly and gave us an awesome room with an even more awesome view. Heather's aunt took us to this restaurant right on the beach, appropriately named Quinn's on the Beach, where we enjoyed lunch and cocktails before she took us to the grocery store so we could buy stuff to eat breakfast and lunch. She left shortly after and from there Heather and I decided we wanted to explore the hotel and beach area for a little while.
We decided to go to the beach right away, as it was literally right out the back door of the hotel. They had a little hut set up where you could get towels and beach chairs and once again, the service was excellent. While we didn't use it at that time, on other trips to the beach the staff really went above and beyond. And nothing could describe the feeling I felt when I stepped into the 80 degree water and was able to enjoy relaxing time with one of my very best friends. The water was an absolutely gorgeous blue color and I literally could have swam for hours. We spent about an hour looking for the "perfect" shells and then headed off to go to dinner. We decided to go back to Quinn's and listen to live music while eating dinner.
In addition to the gorgeous view, the whole facility was awesome. They had outdoof fire pits, two pools with waterfalls, palm trees, and sand sculptures in the hotel! I honestly couldnt believe that we were able to stay there for almost a week. There were 5 restaurants, shops, a cafe, and a shopping plaza right down the road where we had the most amazing mexican food on Wednesday night.
The next day was an unexpected and welcome surprise by Heather's Aunt and Uncle. We were all prepared to spend the day by the pool when Heather's Aunt called and said we were being picked up at 2:00 to go sightseeing around Marco Island and Naples. Her uncle took us all around the mansions and showed us how the locals live. It was awesome! He also took us to the Naples pier and to the downtown Naples area where all of the expensive and completley out of my budget shopping was. It's nice pretend though, right? :)
We headed to Tin City for dinner and shopping. We ate at this amazing restaurant called Riverwalk, where I had an incredible tilapia dish. So. good. I highly recommend it if you are in the area! Our waiter was okay, but the food was excellent and made up for him being kind of a tool. After dinner, Sandy and Dave took us on a sunset cruise...it was breathtaking. We cruised around Naples Bay, so more ridiculous homes that I will never own in a million years, and enjoyed the gorgeous weather. The best part of the tour was not only did we go out pretty far on the ocean to see the sunset, but we also saw tons of dolphins on the cruise! Heather got an awesome video of them jumping out of the water :) All in all, it was an absoluely amazing day!
So we were throwing ideas back and forth. Bar Harbor, ME, North Conway, NH...then it started to get real adult. Heather suggested Sanibel Island, FL, I suggested Germany and Yellowstone...and so on and so forth. I figured we were just kidding around, when one Sunday night at her house (we get together almost every Sunday night for dinner/HBO, it's pretty awesome) and she suggested Marco Island, FL. I had never heard of it so I looked it up and found it to be breathtaking. Well wouldn't you know it...I looked up ticket prices on Trip Advisor and round trip tickets were just about $250 bucks...HELLO! The next morning we had 2 round-trip tickets and 5 days/4 nights booked at the Marco Island Marriott Resport, Spa, and Golf Course. It has been 5 years since Heather and I had gone on a trip together, and we felt we were long overdue.
The trip was exactly what I/we needed. And while we missed our loved ones at home, it was nice to experience something new. On the morning of June 5, we woke up at 5am and made my mom cart us to the airport in Boston. I am pretty sure I slept about 45 seconds that night because I was so excited to go lay on a beach for five days and work on browning my skin. We had a 30 min. layover in Newark, and then we were on our way to Ft. Meyers! Heather's Auntie Sandy was gracious enough to come pick us up at the airport and bring us to our hotel.
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| Cabin Fever on the plane...get it?? |
When we pulled up to the hotel, I literally had no words. It was gorgeous! The hotel staff was super friendly and gave us an awesome room with an even more awesome view. Heather's aunt took us to this restaurant right on the beach, appropriately named Quinn's on the Beach, where we enjoyed lunch and cocktails before she took us to the grocery store so we could buy stuff to eat breakfast and lunch. She left shortly after and from there Heather and I decided we wanted to explore the hotel and beach area for a little while.
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| View from our balcony. Thank you Marriott. |
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| Hello, Gulf Coast :) |
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| I dont know who the heck is in my picture. |
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| Firepit |
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| Yep. That's sand. |
The next day was an unexpected and welcome surprise by Heather's Aunt and Uncle. We were all prepared to spend the day by the pool when Heather's Aunt called and said we were being picked up at 2:00 to go sightseeing around Marco Island and Naples. Her uncle took us all around the mansions and showed us how the locals live. It was awesome! He also took us to the Naples pier and to the downtown Naples area where all of the expensive and completley out of my budget shopping was. It's nice pretend though, right? :)
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| Naples Pier |
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| Flipper |
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| Beautiful end to a perfect day |
The next two days went by quickly, but were filled with lounging by the pool, catching up on some much needed pleasure reading, and just spending time with my woman. I wont argue with going from the pool, to the beach, back to the pool, and maybe back to the beach one more time. We headed to FL with two objectives: to relax and to spend time together. I think it was a successful trip for sure.
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| Beautiful |
I would love to go back there again some day and truly recommend it to anyone who just wants to get away with no agenda. There were plenty of little shops in the area, but I don't know if I would recommend it as being too kid friendly. Our hotel absolutely was, with activities and children's pools that made kids and adutsl alike scream like they were being murdered, but the surrounding area as a whole is more of a lazy retirement town. We were sad to go home on Thursday, but happy to have had such a great experience. I can't wait until our next adventure. Love you, Heather Marie, thanks for making that trip on of the best I've ever had. Happy 15.5 years of friendship, here is to at least 84.5 more! (You're on your own at 100, I cant be bothered at that age.)
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| Est. 1995 |
Until next time.
Sunshine and smiles,
Cassie
7.26.2011
Friendship, Gettysburg, and Getting Medieval
A few weeks ago I was fortunate enough to have some time to go visit one of my very best friends, Jen. And if you haven't picked up on this already, I travel A LOT. So expect to see a lot of stories here about my adventures :)
Long story short, we met almost 2 years ago when we both started working as temps in the Office of Admission at Bryant. It was love at first sight... kind of. She thought I had too much energy and I thought she had a horrible gas problem because she farted in front of me within the first 72 hours of our friendship...ha! At the end of our contract, I stayed back here in Little Rhody and she made her way back to the bowels of PA (just kidding....your area of PA is lovely, Jen!) Until a few weeks ago, the last time I saw her was in September!
Back in May, I decided to be spontaneous and buy a plane ticket to go see her. Tickets were dirt cheap (thanks, Southwest!), and it actually was going to cost me less to fly down to see her than it would for me to drive. So I booked a ticket, sent my itinerary to her, and then asked if I could come visit. Oops :) I left July 7th after work with plans to snuggle, hang out with her best friend Rachel (who I met in May of 2010 and she is lovely) and her roomie Grace, go to Gettysburg on Friday, and then head to Baltimore on Saturday for some Medieval Times. A whirlwind trip for sure, but undoubtedly going to be an absolute blast.
The trip started off okay, with an hour delay at the airport. Normally I don't mind, but I hadn't seen one of my best friends in almost a year so I was a little anxious and needless to say, a little bit crabby. Not to mention, Jen was kind enough to hang around in MD after work to pick me up and then drive me almost 2 hours back to her home in Waynesboro, PA.
I only had a few requests for when I went to PA. To meet her parents (from the stories she has told...the Barry's are LEG-EN-DARY,) to go to a Sheetz and a Wegman's, and to spend some much needed time with my woman. After an absolutely epic reunion with Jen, complete with hugs, screaming, and maybe a tear or two, we were on our way to PA. We were both absolutely starving at that point, so we did what any health conscious twenty-somethings would do at 10:30 PM and we headed to Sheetz. For those of you who don't know what Sheetz is, it is basically a gas station with an amazing convenience store with Meals-to-Order. It is kind of like a Wa-Wa for you Mid-Atlantic-er's, but with a lot of food selections. I find it interesting that in New England, it is pretty much a no brainer that you don't really eat the food from gas stations. It was a whole new ballgame down there. All the food was prepared fresh, and they had every single possble bad-for-you food item you could imagine (like fried mac and cheese! Um, what?!) as well as sandwiches, wraps, etc. Needless to say, it was absolutely glorious and I made Jen take me there on my way to the airport on Sunday morning, too. :)
We got to her apartment around 11:30 after driving through a horrific lightning and rainstorm, and I finally got to meet the lovely Grace. Jen has always said awesome things about her, and I knew just minutes after meeting her that she truly was an awesome person. [Hi Grace! Thanks again for a great weekend :).] We went to bed shortly after getting to her house to prepare for the next morning. Jen had arranged for the three of us and Rachel to do a "Day for Divas" (check out our pictures!) in downtown Gettysburg, which was a full day event where we visited the local shops, did activities, and were pretty much pampered for about 8 hours.
Our day started at The Ragged Edge coffee shop. I absolutely fell in love with this little shop, which had a bakery, tons of coffee and drink specials, and also featured art from local artists.
We were able to enjoy our morning and start the day in their beautiful outdoor courtyard. The coffee was delicious and our event coordinators from Pages of the Past were amazingly warm and welcoming. They greeted us with gift bags and itineraries for the day.
Our next stop was to the True Friends Boutique where we learned to make earrings with the store owners, Cathy and Deb. They were seriously so much fun and really made the experience enjoyable. We each made two pairs of earrings, which was included in the cost for the day.
On the way to our next destination, wouldn't you know it...we met ABRAHAM LINCOLN! Hello, Gettysburg! ;) All this time and I thought he wasn't around anymore.
The next stop was to the Pages of the Past bookstore, where we were again greeted by the coordinators of the day Lucas and Julie Cade. They had sweet tea, a book discussion, and chair massages as part of their activity. I am a total bookworm, as are the other girls, so we were in heaven here. They highlighted 5 books for us, one of which I bought, called "The House at Riverton" by Kate Morton. I can't wait to finish reading it. They chair massages were incredible and we really enjoyed ourselves here.
Next top was lunch at the Gettysburg Hotel at McClelland's Taven, where we had delicious sandwiches and had a little bit of downtime to just relax and prepare for the rest of the afternoon. From there we went to The Spirited Ladies Gift Shop where we made pictures frames and had hand massages. A-mazing!
Our final stop was to the Adams County Winery Twenty-Five C Downtown Wine Shop where we did a wine tasting. I was devastated to find out that they can't ship their wine to RI, and unfortunately I was not checking my bag on the plane :( My favorite wine of the day was their Fireside Memories, which was a sweet red and nearly turned me into an alcoholic. Our host had us sample 5 different red and white wines and then we got to pick two that weren't featured. It was amazing.
After our day of pampering was over we headed to one of Jen's favorite restaurants, Montezuma, and then spent the rest the night getting a spin-pin demo by Rachel and Grace, drinking wine, and playing board games. Snookie also made an appearance right around midnight. All and all? A successful day!
The next day the four of us went to lunch in Chambersburg with the legendary Barry's! Jen's parents are two of the loveliest, funniest people I have ever met. We had a great time and it was so nice to finally meet the people who made Jen the person she is. After that, it was time to head to Baltimore where we, as Jen would say, watched grown men hit each other with sticks and ate with our hands. There was a group of 8 of us who went, and if you were wondering if we lost our voices during the 1.5 hour joust, the answer is YES! I had an absolute blast, everyone in the group was hysterical, and it was seriously an awesome experience.
I think what made the experience more fun was that we all got so into it. Jen had been amping us up for hours about how we were going to go, cheer on the Green Knight, and just enjoy our last bit of time together. I had been to King Richard's Faire before, (which I loved) so I was expecting a similar experience. I even got to be royalty for a few hours, as we were crowned Princesses for the Green Knight's Court.
A little known fact about me is that I HATE when people lick their fingers after eating. It grosses me out to no end, so you can imagine the issue I was encountering in a place where there were no utensils to be found. I dug down really deep inside and decided to get Medieval. Yes folks, I too ate with my hands. And the food was OUTSTANDING!
Sadly, no matter how much yelling, cheering, and cursing out the other knights in the Kingdom, our knight lost. He fought hard until the end and really showed those other knights what was up. At one point, I think the knights were more scared of our section than they were at their impending deaths on horseback. All was well, because at the end of the show we got to meet our knight and wish him better luck next time.
From here we sadly parted ways and I said goodbye to my new and old friends. Jen and I then headed to the lovely Christian's house for our final night. She brought me to the airport on Sunday morning and we said "see-ya later" until September. I hope she realizes how much I appreciated the weekend spent with her, getting to see where she lived, and just having the opportunity to experience something new. I am so happy that I will get to see her soon...her, Sean, and I have a sushi date when she comes to visit in September during fall travel! And while I miss her all the time, I am glad she is kind of a nomad and for that reason, will always have a new place to go.
Until next time.
Medievally yours,
Cassie
Long story short, we met almost 2 years ago when we both started working as temps in the Office of Admission at Bryant. It was love at first sight... kind of. She thought I had too much energy and I thought she had a horrible gas problem because she farted in front of me within the first 72 hours of our friendship...ha! At the end of our contract, I stayed back here in Little Rhody and she made her way back to the bowels of PA (just kidding....your area of PA is lovely, Jen!) Until a few weeks ago, the last time I saw her was in September!
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| Jen and I on my mom's birthday last year. My favorite picture of us. :) |
Back in May, I decided to be spontaneous and buy a plane ticket to go see her. Tickets were dirt cheap (thanks, Southwest!), and it actually was going to cost me less to fly down to see her than it would for me to drive. So I booked a ticket, sent my itinerary to her, and then asked if I could come visit. Oops :) I left July 7th after work with plans to snuggle, hang out with her best friend Rachel (who I met in May of 2010 and she is lovely) and her roomie Grace, go to Gettysburg on Friday, and then head to Baltimore on Saturday for some Medieval Times. A whirlwind trip for sure, but undoubtedly going to be an absolute blast.
The trip started off okay, with an hour delay at the airport. Normally I don't mind, but I hadn't seen one of my best friends in almost a year so I was a little anxious and needless to say, a little bit crabby. Not to mention, Jen was kind enough to hang around in MD after work to pick me up and then drive me almost 2 hours back to her home in Waynesboro, PA.
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| I see you waiting plane, don't pretend you don't see me too. |
I only had a few requests for when I went to PA. To meet her parents (from the stories she has told...the Barry's are LEG-EN-DARY,) to go to a Sheetz and a Wegman's, and to spend some much needed time with my woman. After an absolutely epic reunion with Jen, complete with hugs, screaming, and maybe a tear or two, we were on our way to PA. We were both absolutely starving at that point, so we did what any health conscious twenty-somethings would do at 10:30 PM and we headed to Sheetz. For those of you who don't know what Sheetz is, it is basically a gas station with an amazing convenience store with Meals-to-Order. It is kind of like a Wa-Wa for you Mid-Atlantic-er's, but with a lot of food selections. I find it interesting that in New England, it is pretty much a no brainer that you don't really eat the food from gas stations. It was a whole new ballgame down there. All the food was prepared fresh, and they had every single possble bad-for-you food item you could imagine (like fried mac and cheese! Um, what?!) as well as sandwiches, wraps, etc. Needless to say, it was absolutely glorious and I made Jen take me there on my way to the airport on Sunday morning, too. :)
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| Ommmm nom nom nom nom |
We got to her apartment around 11:30 after driving through a horrific lightning and rainstorm, and I finally got to meet the lovely Grace. Jen has always said awesome things about her, and I knew just minutes after meeting her that she truly was an awesome person. [Hi Grace! Thanks again for a great weekend :).] We went to bed shortly after getting to her house to prepare for the next morning. Jen had arranged for the three of us and Rachel to do a "Day for Divas" (check out our pictures!) in downtown Gettysburg, which was a full day event where we visited the local shops, did activities, and were pretty much pampered for about 8 hours.
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| Farm country. It was so beautiful in Southern, PA. |
Our day started at The Ragged Edge coffee shop. I absolutely fell in love with this little shop, which had a bakery, tons of coffee and drink specials, and also featured art from local artists.
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| The Ragged Edge |
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| Delicious coffee courtesy of The Ragged Edge |
Our next stop was to the True Friends Boutique where we learned to make earrings with the store owners, Cathy and Deb. They were seriously so much fun and really made the experience enjoyable. We each made two pairs of earrings, which was included in the cost for the day.
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| Pretty good for my first attempt! |
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| Starstruck |
The next stop was to the Pages of the Past bookstore, where we were again greeted by the coordinators of the day Lucas and Julie Cade. They had sweet tea, a book discussion, and chair massages as part of their activity. I am a total bookworm, as are the other girls, so we were in heaven here. They highlighted 5 books for us, one of which I bought, called "The House at Riverton" by Kate Morton. I can't wait to finish reading it. They chair massages were incredible and we really enjoyed ourselves here.
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| For us? You shouldn't have! |
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| The "divas" before hand massages |
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| Wine Checklist |
After our day of pampering was over we headed to one of Jen's favorite restaurants, Montezuma, and then spent the rest the night getting a spin-pin demo by Rachel and Grace, drinking wine, and playing board games. Snookie also made an appearance right around midnight. All and all? A successful day!
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| Looking good, Snooks. |
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| Enter if you dare |
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| Don't hate |
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| Excuse me, miss, can I get a fork? |
Sadly, no matter how much yelling, cheering, and cursing out the other knights in the Kingdom, our knight lost. He fought hard until the end and really showed those other knights what was up. At one point, I think the knights were more scared of our section than they were at their impending deaths on horseback. All was well, because at the end of the show we got to meet our knight and wish him better luck next time.
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| "GREEN KNIGHT!" |
From here we sadly parted ways and I said goodbye to my new and old friends. Jen and I then headed to the lovely Christian's house for our final night. She brought me to the airport on Sunday morning and we said "see-ya later" until September. I hope she realizes how much I appreciated the weekend spent with her, getting to see where she lived, and just having the opportunity to experience something new. I am so happy that I will get to see her soon...her, Sean, and I have a sushi date when she comes to visit in September during fall travel! And while I miss her all the time, I am glad she is kind of a nomad and for that reason, will always have a new place to go.
Until next time.
Medievally yours,
Cassie
7.25.2011
Squam Lake
Back in high school, my best friend's boyfriend Cody introduced our group of friends to a place which, as corny as it sounds, I feel would forever change all of our lives. It started out as an excuse for about 10 of us to celebrate high school graduation by heading deep into the woods of Northern New Hampshire to drink (sorry, mom) and bond before we all headed off on our separate paths towards college, careers, marriage, babies, etc. It is a place that many of us have grown to love and see as paradise and a retreat away from home.
I have been fortunate enough to go up to the cabin on Squam Lake around 10 times since that first weekend in May of 2005. Last summer, Heather (one of my very best and dearest friends) decided to organize a huge group trip to Squam for all of our friends as a way to regroup and spend some time together now that we are all scattered throughout New England. The weekend included many of us going up from Thursday night-Sunday afternoon to hang out, relax on the lake, and rent a party boat to cruise around the lake on for the day on Saturday. We all loved and appreciated the much needed break away from reality, as we were all settling into the end of our first year as working or grad-schooling adults.
Why is it a retreat, you ask? Well for some, heading to the cabin on Squam Lake may not seem like a vacation at all. It is deep in the woods, there is no running water, and going to the bathroom requires a hike to an outhouse and/or becoming one with nature and just going outside. And while that may not sound ideal to many, the time spent with friends, the hospitality of Heather and Cody, the breathtaking views, and the ability to step away from reality, technology, and work for a little while is just what most of us look forward to by the time Squam Weekend comes around. This year, we affectionately named the weekend "Sweat Haven 2k11" for obvious reasons. Any way you cut it, it was a memorable weekend for all of us and I am so fortunate to have so many wonderful friends in my life.
The weekend started on Thursday with the 3 hour ride from RI to NH. It flew by, and soon I was spending time with my friends...including a night swim at about 10:30 pm. We slept in on Friday, cooked an amazing french toast breakfast, and "headed to town" where we hit up the Holderness General Store, as well as the grocery story in Meredith, right on Lake Winnipesaukee. I absolutely love the Holderness General Store, as it is a cute, family run business that sells tshirts, gifts, provisions, and also has an amazing deli. It really makes you embrace the idea of "supporting local" and provides an awesome tradition each time we go. After the errands were done, we spent the rest of the day floating on the lake, making a spaghetti and meatball dinner, and waiting for more friends to arrive.
Saturday morning started early with coffee, breakfast, and the arrival of the last of our friends. The boat was picked up at 8:30, and we were headed out on the lake by 10. With pasta salad, sandwiches, lots and lots of beer ;), pool floats, and our 4 puppy friends in tow, the 11 of us headed out for a day of sun and relaxation on the lake. Cody's family, along with several other families own a private island on the lake called Yard Island. We spent the rest of the morning floating, drinking, and just enjoying life. Lunch happened in Rattlesnake Cove, where many of our friends jumped off the famed "Diving Rock"--(don't forget to get your "I jumped off the rock at Rattlesnake Cove" t-shirt in the Holderness Store!) and we spent the rest of the day floating around and exploring the different coves on the lake. Cody had to bring the boat back by 5, so a few of the guys went with him, while the rest of us got some much needed rest from the sun...my polish/french skin was SCREAMING at my by the end of the day. We grilled for dinner and then enjoyed sunset and more swimming for the rest of the day
Before we knew it, Sunday morning was here, and time for another amazing breakfast, packing up, and a final swim before we all headed back home. It was an amazing weekend spent with even more amazing friends. It is weekends and experiences like these that truly make me appreciate and realize how fortunate I am so have such amazing opportunities and even more amazing friends in my life. I love each and every one of them so much, and cannot wait until next summer when we can do it all again. While we do get to see each other pretty often throughout the year, this is the one time where we can all just let go and enjoy. Hopefully next year Sean will be able to join in on the fun because this year he had to work! Don't worry...I had extra fun for him :)
Until next time.
Love and outhouses,
Cassie
I have been fortunate enough to go up to the cabin on Squam Lake around 10 times since that first weekend in May of 2005. Last summer, Heather (one of my very best and dearest friends) decided to organize a huge group trip to Squam for all of our friends as a way to regroup and spend some time together now that we are all scattered throughout New England. The weekend included many of us going up from Thursday night-Sunday afternoon to hang out, relax on the lake, and rent a party boat to cruise around the lake on for the day on Saturday. We all loved and appreciated the much needed break away from reality, as we were all settling into the end of our first year as working or grad-schooling adults.
Why is it a retreat, you ask? Well for some, heading to the cabin on Squam Lake may not seem like a vacation at all. It is deep in the woods, there is no running water, and going to the bathroom requires a hike to an outhouse and/or becoming one with nature and just going outside. And while that may not sound ideal to many, the time spent with friends, the hospitality of Heather and Cody, the breathtaking views, and the ability to step away from reality, technology, and work for a little while is just what most of us look forward to by the time Squam Weekend comes around. This year, we affectionately named the weekend "Sweat Haven 2k11" for obvious reasons. Any way you cut it, it was a memorable weekend for all of us and I am so fortunate to have so many wonderful friends in my life.
The weekend started on Thursday with the 3 hour ride from RI to NH. It flew by, and soon I was spending time with my friends...including a night swim at about 10:30 pm. We slept in on Friday, cooked an amazing french toast breakfast, and "headed to town" where we hit up the Holderness General Store, as well as the grocery story in Meredith, right on Lake Winnipesaukee. I absolutely love the Holderness General Store, as it is a cute, family run business that sells tshirts, gifts, provisions, and also has an amazing deli. It really makes you embrace the idea of "supporting local" and provides an awesome tradition each time we go. After the errands were done, we spent the rest of the day floating on the lake, making a spaghetti and meatball dinner, and waiting for more friends to arrive.
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| A gorgeous view from the car of Lake Winnipesaukee |
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| The Holderness General Store |
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| On the lake. Surrounded by mountains. My idea of paradise :) |
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| My best friend Amanda and I on the boat to Yard Island |
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| Breathtaking. |
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| My best friend Heather and I getting some much needed shade :) |
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A boat garage in the Squam marina |
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| Getting off the boat near the cabin. I believe this tree was featured in the movie "On Golden Pond." |
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| Sunset |
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| The ride home. Don't be fooled, we weren't that happy. |
Love and outhouses,
Cassie
7.21.2011
Introduction
Hi everyone! (At this point I really do have a healthy understanding of the fact that "everyone" means about 5 people.) For those of you who know me or for those of you who have been lucky enough to stumble upon my blog, my name is Cassie, and it is so lovely to meet you, too. Now, allow me to introduce myself.
Where are you from?
I was born and raised (and am a self-proclaimed lifer) in the smallest state in the country. To clear up a few rumors about the great state of Rhode Island: it is neither a road nor an island, you can, in fact, get to our state by car, and yes, it is its very own state...not part of New York. I absolutely love everything about Rhode Island, minus the corrupt government, high unemployment rate, and some of the worst roads in the country. All kidding aside, I truly love where I'm from and am a true Rhode Islander in every sense of the word (ie: packing a lunch and a change of clothes to drive 45 minutes to the southern part of the state...what if my car breaks down? What if we get a freak snow storm in July? If I don't make it back, tell my parents I love them...) I live for the summers; the sunshine, the beaches, and exploring downtown Providence. I love it all.
Tell me a little more about yourself?
I am 24 years old and a proud graduate of Bryant University's Class of 2009 where I majored in Communication, concentrated in Public Relations, and double minored in Marketing and Business Administration. Apparently I liked my experience so much, that I decided to work at Bryant after graduation in the Office of Admission. Yes, you read that right, I really do spend my days trying to understand the thought and decision making processes of 17 and 18 year olds...please leave your jealousy at the door! I also just recently enrolled in a program at Bryant to get my Human Resource Management Certificate. I love to learn and if I could find an honest way to afford to be a student for my entire life, I would. Sadly, that is not the way the world works, and with no plans to marry Donald Trump, royalty, or anyone else who will let me choose "student" as a career, it looks like sticking with higher education is the way to go.
What are your interests and hobbies?
In my free time when I am not taking classes or deciding the futures for hundreds and hundreds of students, I really enjoy/am obsessed with reading, singing with the Carillon Women's Chorus, spending time with the man who makes me the happiest woman in the world [ hi, Sean :) ], indulging in wine, board games, and laughter with friends, spending time with family, and just being a generally happy person. I love to travel, try new foods and restaurants, go camping and really enjoy everything life has to offer. I am always open to new ideas and trying new things.
What should I expect from your blog in the future?
Perhaps meeting my family and friends (looks like we got serious fast), more indepth entries about my interests, recipies, book reviews, and really anything that strikes my fancy on a daily basis.
Why did you decide to start a blog?
Because whenever my mom asked me the old "jumping off a bridge to follow your friends" cliche, I answered a loud YES. Everyone is doing it, so why not me?
All kidding aside, I am starting to realize that I truly am in one of the best places I have ever been in my life, and I am at the age where embracing my experiences and documenting my memories is very important to me. I really look forward to sharing this journey with you, I hope you enjoy it too :)
Lots of Love (or LOL as my aunt seems to think "LOL" stands for),
Cassie
Where are you from?
I was born and raised (and am a self-proclaimed lifer) in the smallest state in the country. To clear up a few rumors about the great state of Rhode Island: it is neither a road nor an island, you can, in fact, get to our state by car, and yes, it is its very own state...not part of New York. I absolutely love everything about Rhode Island, minus the corrupt government, high unemployment rate, and some of the worst roads in the country. All kidding aside, I truly love where I'm from and am a true Rhode Islander in every sense of the word (ie: packing a lunch and a change of clothes to drive 45 minutes to the southern part of the state...what if my car breaks down? What if we get a freak snow storm in July? If I don't make it back, tell my parents I love them...) I live for the summers; the sunshine, the beaches, and exploring downtown Providence. I love it all.
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| Gorgeous view of Downtown |
I am 24 years old and a proud graduate of Bryant University's Class of 2009 where I majored in Communication, concentrated in Public Relations, and double minored in Marketing and Business Administration. Apparently I liked my experience so much, that I decided to work at Bryant after graduation in the Office of Admission. Yes, you read that right, I really do spend my days trying to understand the thought and decision making processes of 17 and 18 year olds...please leave your jealousy at the door! I also just recently enrolled in a program at Bryant to get my Human Resource Management Certificate. I love to learn and if I could find an honest way to afford to be a student for my entire life, I would. Sadly, that is not the way the world works, and with no plans to marry Donald Trump, royalty, or anyone else who will let me choose "student" as a career, it looks like sticking with higher education is the way to go.
What are your interests and hobbies?
In my free time when I am not taking classes or deciding the futures for hundreds and hundreds of students, I really enjoy/am obsessed with reading, singing with the Carillon Women's Chorus, spending time with the man who makes me the happiest woman in the world [ hi, Sean :) ], indulging in wine, board games, and laughter with friends, spending time with family, and just being a generally happy person. I love to travel, try new foods and restaurants, go camping and really enjoy everything life has to offer. I am always open to new ideas and trying new things.
What should I expect from your blog in the future?
Perhaps meeting my family and friends (looks like we got serious fast), more indepth entries about my interests, recipies, book reviews, and really anything that strikes my fancy on a daily basis.
Why did you decide to start a blog?
Because whenever my mom asked me the old "jumping off a bridge to follow your friends" cliche, I answered a loud YES. Everyone is doing it, so why not me?
All kidding aside, I am starting to realize that I truly am in one of the best places I have ever been in my life, and I am at the age where embracing my experiences and documenting my memories is very important to me. I really look forward to sharing this journey with you, I hope you enjoy it too :)
Lots of Love (or LOL as my aunt seems to think "LOL" stands for),
Cassie
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