My husband is the youngest of 5 boys and all of them are now married with children. The "brothers" are very close and spend a lot of time together in social and family situations. It's special being a part of a big family and I adore each of my brother-in-laws and four sister-in-laws. Sister-in-laws are special people because we all come from very different places and environments, but we all have one common denominator... we married into the same family. Does that mean that we automatically will get along? As I have heard from my other friends and family... not so much, but I'm lucky. I have four sister-in laws who I consider my siblings and I love each of them because of our differences. Early in the summer the "brothers" planned a weekend getaway with their father to Saint Louis to see the Cardinals play some baseball. They planned, the went, they had fun at the games, they ate and drank. They had a blast... which got all of us girls thinking. How about an annual girl's getaway for the "sistahs?" Hell yeah... and that's exactly what we did last weekend up in Jackson, New Hampshire. The planning of this trip was far from easy. Remember, we are all very different people. June is almost 50 and she has 3 grown sons and works in a pharmacy. She has not been on an airplane in 33 years! Maureen is in her 40's and is a mother of 6children! The oldest is 21 and the youngest a mere 11 months! Lori is a working mother of 2 in her 40's and has such a cool government job... we don't even know what she does. Kathleen is 40 and she is a mother of 3 and is a labor and delivery nurse. Kathleen was in the room when I had Eva. Then, there's me... 34 with a 2 year old who travels the world for work. My idea of a getaway is certainly different from June's or even Kathleen's! So, Kathleen took on the job and planned a girls weekend in the White Mountains of New Hampshire during the peak of the fall foliage. Sounded great to me because (1) there was a spa and (2) someone else did the planning for me. Just pack me a suitcase and I am there.
Kathleen, June and I flew from Baltimore up to Manchester and we then met Lori up at the Manchester airport because she was up in Boston for business. The four of us then drove 5 hours (should have been 3) to the beautiful little town of Jackson, New Hampshire. Someone forgot to make a turn and we wound up at a Dunk'n Donuts and finally used the GPS on my blackberry to get us back on track. (see video below)
Jackson is a quaint little town in the heart of the White Mountain ski resort area. You arrive into the town after passing under the historic wooden covered bridge. We were staying at the Christmas Farm Inn and before winding up the hill to our hotel, we noticed a buisling with a sign that said "Jackson Grammar School" - Who calls an elementary school a grammar school anymore? The people of Jackson do!
We checked into the Christmas Farm Inn and drove up the windy path to the two bedroom "Smokehouse" cottage that we booked for our stay. On the way up the path, we found that we were not alone... there were several wild turkeys (among other guests - see video) at the inn. The cottage was small and cozy with two nice bathrooms and a large living room area with a nice gas fireplace. (Did I mention that it was 50 degrees outside?)
Maureen, the missing "sistah" was already at the cottage waiting for us. So, we all got settled and headed out for a much needed cocktail and some dinner. We went to a local pub and got all caught up on the kids and life over wine. The fireplace was lit in the main dining room and it was very cozy.
The next day we drove into the town of North Conway where we browsed the little boutiques and country stores that line the main drag of the town. I loved Jeb's Country Store with its beautiful old fashioned candy counter where I found a baseball sized gobstopper. WHAT? You know I pulled out a $10 bill for one of those babies! We then stopped for a light lunch at Delaney's Pub before heading down to their outlet area where I paid my monthly dues to Banana Republic.
After our day of shopping, we really did not want to go out for a big dinner. So, we rested up, drank some wine and got all dolled up and went over to a popular joint that just happens to have karaoke on Friday and Saturday nights. Maureen has a beautiful voice, so it is always fun for us to go to karaoke with her. She is like our own free live entertainment! So, we put on our jeans and went out for the night. Karaoke was in a place that Maureen called "the Peking" and it looked exactly what I thought it was going to be... a Chinese Restaurant. We walked in and went to the back of the restaurant where there was a door that led us right into a full-on bar with pool tables, darts and a big area for karaoke. With our group included there was about 15 people in the place ... so, that, plus a few cocktails later... you know who was up singing like Mariah? Yup. It was a real mess that kept up into the wee hours of the morning. We laughed so hard that my stomach was sore the next morning!
The next day, we were all nursing a hang over and decided to "detox" with a healthy breakfast and a hike to a waterfall. Lori and I decided to head out early and we hiked the amazing Jackson Falls which were only a few minutes from our Inn. It was beautiful... and I could have sat on the rocks in the middle of the river for hours. We met up woth the girls a few hours later and we headed to another waterfall called the Glen Ellis Falls where we were able to easliy navigate a path to another amazing waterfall. Lori and I cut the path and again found some amazing rocks in the center of the ice cold river to play on. The clean air was dusting all of the smoke out of my lungs and it just felt awesome to play outside like a kid.
Later in the afternoon, Lori and I went to the spa for a massage and steam while the other girls napped. The Christmas Farm Spa is very nice and the massage was welcomed after a long day of hiking. However, I hear that you can get a better massage in town for half the price. So, traveler beware!
That night, we decided to go up to the Wentworth Inn to have dinner in their restaurant. Maureen's oldest son is a chef there and we were all very proud to see him in his chef whites! The Wentworth is a beautiful historic property that sits right up next to the Jackson Falls. The campus is exquisite and certainly worth the time to stop in for a cocktail, tea or for the rest of your natuaral life. Dinner was very nice and it was a great way to cap off our "sistahs" weekend in the mountains.
Overall, our weekend was full of fun and a big "hot mess" of karaoke. There was a bit of tension in the group... one of us was on a strict diet and found it hard to eat at the places we chose.... I had a problem with one of the servers at a restaurant called The Thompson House Eatery and Kathleen almost crawled under the table when I opened my Rothschild mouth. (The food was great... the service... not so much) But, we were all fine and at the end of the trip we were already thinking about what our next trip should be. The entire experience got me thinking about women's relationships with each other and how very different we are with other women than we are with men. We had some pretty healthy discussions about politics, our kids, and our families. We talked about how hard marriage is for all of us... at all stages of our lives and the joys that come along with it. So, what is it about being around women that is so special for other women? It's the understanding and perspective that only a female friend can give you. Women need women to get through the best and worst times and what I found in a small town in New Hampshire... is that I have four of them that I can count on for the rest of my life. Travel On Lori
My husband is the youngest of 5 boys and all of them are now married with children. The "brothers" are very close and spend a lot of time together in social and family situations. It's special being a part of a big family and I adore each of my brother-in-laws and four sister-in-laws. Sister-in-laws are special people because we all come from very different places and environments, but we all have one common denominator... we married into the same family. Does that mean that we automatically will get along? As I have heard from my other friends and family... not so much, but I'm lucky. I have four sister-in laws who I consider my siblings and I love each of them because of our differences. Early in the summer the "brothers" planned a weekend getaway with their father to Saint Louis to see the Cardinals play some baseball. They planned, the went, they had fun at the games, they ate and drank. They had a blast... which got all of us girls thinking. How about an annual girl's getaway for the "sistahs?" Hell yeah... and that's exactly what we did last weekend up in Jackson, New Hampshire. The planning of this trip was far from easy. Remember, we are all very different people. June is almost 50 and she has 3 grown sons and works in a pharmacy. She has not been on an airplane in 33 years! Maureen is in her 40's and is a mother of 6children! The oldest is 21 and the youngest a mere 11 months! Lori is a working mother of 2 in her 40's and has such a cool government job... we don't even know what she does. Kathleen is 40 and she is a mother of 3 and is a labor and delivery nurse. Kathleen was in the room when I had Eva. Then, there's me... 34 with a 2 year old who travels the world for work. My idea of a getaway is certainly different from June's or even Kathleen's! So, Kathleen took on the job and planned a girls weekend in the White Mountains of New Hampshire during the peak of the fall foliage. Sounded great to me because (1) there was a spa and (2) someone else did the planning for me. Just pack me a suitcase and I am there. 
Kathleen, June and I flew from Baltimore up to Manchester and we then met Lori up at the Manchester airport because she was up in Boston for business. The four of us then drove 5 hours (should have been 3) to the beautiful little town of Jackson, New Hampshire. Someone forgot to make a turn and we wound up at a Dunk'n Donuts and finally used the GPS on my blackberry to get us back on track. (see video below) 
Jackson is a quaint little town in the heart of the White Mountain ski resort area. You arrive into the town after passing under the historic wooden covered bridge. We were staying at the Christmas Farm Inn and before winding up the hill to our hotel, we noticed a buisling with a sign that said "Jackson Grammar School" - Who calls an elementary school a grammar school anymore? The people of Jackson do! 
We checked into the Christmas Farm Inn and drove up the windy path to the two bedroom "Smokehouse" cottage that we booked for our stay. On the way up the path, we found that we were not alone... there were several wild turkeys (among other guests - see video) at the inn. The cottage was small and cozy with two nice bathrooms and a large living room area with a nice gas fireplace. (Did I mention that it was 50 degrees outside?) 
Maureen, the missing "sistah" was already at the cottage waiting for us. So, we all got settled and headed out for a much needed cocktail and some dinner. We went to a local pub and got all caught up on the kids and life over wine. The fireplace was lit in the main dining room and it was very cozy. 
The next day we drove into the town of North Conway where we browsed the little boutiques and country stores that line the main drag of the town. I loved Jeb's Country Store with its beautiful old fashioned candy counter where I found a baseball sized gobstopper. WHAT? You know I pulled out a $10 bill for one of those babies! We then stopped for a light lunch at Delaney's Pub before heading down to their outlet area where I paid my monthly dues to Banana Republic. 
After our day of shopping, we really did not want to go out for a big dinner. So, we rested up, drank some wine and got all dolled up and went over to a popular joint that just happens to have karaoke on Friday and Saturday nights. Maureen has a beautiful voice, so it is always fun for us to go to karaoke with her. She is like our own free live entertainment! So, we put on our jeans and went out for the night. Karaoke was in a place that Maureen called "the Peking" and it looked exactly what I thought it was going to be... a Chinese Restaurant. We walked in and went to the back of the restaurant where there was a door that led us right into a full-on bar with pool tables, darts and a big area for karaoke. With our group included there was about 15 people in the place ... so, that, plus a few cocktails later... you know who was up singing like Mariah? Yup. It was a real mess that kept up into the wee hours of the morning. We laughed so hard that my stomach was sore the next morning! 
The next day, we were all nursing a hang over and decided to "detox" with a healthy breakfast and a hike to a waterfall. Lori and I decided to head out early and we hiked the amazing Jackson Falls which were only a few minutes from our Inn. It was beautiful... and I could have sat on the rocks in the middle of the river for hours. We met up woth the girls a few hours later and we headed to another waterfall called the Glen Ellis Falls where we were able to easliy navigate a path to another amazing waterfall. Lori and I cut the path and again found some amazing rocks in the center of the ice cold river to play on. The clean air was dusting all of the smoke out of my lungs and it just felt awesome to play outside like a kid. 
Later in the afternoon, Lori and I went to the spa for a massage and steam while the other girls napped. The Christmas Farm Spa is very nice and the massage was welcomed after a long day of hiking. However, I hear that you can get a better massage in town for half the price. So, traveler beware! 
That night, we decided to go up to the Wentworth Inn to have dinner in their restaurant. Maureen's oldest son is a chef there and we were all very proud to see him in his chef whites! The Wentworth is a beautiful historic property that sits right up next to the Jackson Falls. The campus is exquisite and certainly worth the time to stop in for a cocktail, tea or for the rest of your natuaral life. Dinner was very nice and it was a great way to cap off our "sistahs" weekend in the mountains. 
Overall, our weekend was full of fun and a big "hot mess" of karaoke. There was a bit of tension in the group... one of us was on a strict diet and found it hard to eat at the places we chose.... I had a problem with one of the servers at a restaurant called The Thompson House Eatery and Kathleen almost crawled under the table when I opened my Rothschild mouth. (The food was great... the service... not so much) But, we were all fine and at the end of the trip we were already thinking about what our next trip should be. The entire experience got me thinking about women's relationships with each other and how very different we are with other women than we are with men. We had some pretty healthy discussions about politics, our kids, and our families. We talked about how hard marriage is for all of us... at all stages of our lives and the joys that come along with it. So, what is it about being around women that is so special for other women? It's the understanding and perspective that only a female friend can give you. Women need women to get through the best and worst times and what I found in a small town in New Hampshire... is that I have four of them that I can count on for the rest of my life. Travel On Lori
1 comment:
Ahh Jackson, NH : ) I love New Hampshire!
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