Escape from the cold

As New England braces itself for an arctic blast and more snow, I am left dreaming about the summer. I shouldn’t take all of the credit for the idea of this post—it was my husband’s suggestion. He asked me to think about places I want to travel to this summer. Since we will be taking our honeymoon in April, we will be staying local this summer. With that said, there are always great places to visit in your own “backyard.” These places are a drive away, but make you feel as though you have traveled far and wide. As I did some researching, I found three amazing places only a few hours from where we live. If you are ever traveling to New England, the following would be great pit-stops for you as well. Trust me-- there are more! These are just on my "definite" list this summer :) (right Jim????)

1    1. Burlington, Vermont

I have been to a few places in Vermont, but I have never experienced Burlington. Many people have recommended visiting this great little city, and with so many activities available, I can see why. It isn’t just the beautiful scenery, but the bike paths, parks, lakes, history, culture, and arts that attracts people.  The downtown area is filled with beautiful buildings, great outdoor spaces (restaurants), and lots of action. I think this would be the perfect day-trip or weekend get-away trip for the summertime. Along the way you could even tour the Green Mountain National Forest (Vermont). There are also many brewery tours in Vermont (which my husband and I love going on), which might be a fun addition to the trip as well.  

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2     2. Nantucket, MA

Although my husband and I have gone to Nantucket Island together (our proposal site), I would love to go back to Nantucket on a nice spring or summer day. I love history (thank you mom J), and Nantucket is just filled with historical sites, trails, and buildings. I love that the cobblestone has been preserved. I love that it is secluded and that you have to take a ferry there. I love the shops, dining, and how you can smell the ocean no matter where you are on the island. I am a beach girl (if you haven’t already guessed).  My dream is to one day either live right on the beach or live on Nantucket. Yes- I know it is not practical, but it’s the perfect island. For some reason, I feel a calmness when I am there. The salty winds, the cool water, the shingled houses, the hydrangeas blooming, the lighthouse beaming, they all speak to me. If you've never been to the Cape or islands—you should put those destinations on your bucket list. They are unmatched.

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3    3.  Cape Elizabeth, ME

The last place (well the last place that I can think of today) I would love to visit is Cape Elizabeth in Maine. While I have spent many summers in Maine on vacation (York Beach), I have never gone to Cape Elizabeth. I have a slight obsession with not only the beach, but lighthouses. I would love to travel to this lighthouse in Cape Elizabeth and see it in person! Besides visiting the beach and water, you can tour multiple light houses, historical mansions, and parks. It seems like the perfect day trip destination to me.

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Thank you for reading today! If any of you have been to New England, and have really enjoyed visiting a particular city/town/attraction, feel free to add your comments below! I am always looking for more places to visit! If you haven’t been to New England, but you have a great attraction to mention near your town, feel free to place it in the comments section also! I am always looking for fun places to visit around the US. 

The Middle of the Road

Another day off from school due to Juno (blizzard), and this morning consisted of lesson planning and scheduling, and setting up the crock pot for dinner tonight (thanks mixandmatchmama for the AMAZING crock pot recipes!!). I am starting to feel more comfortable in the kitchen, and who knows-- maybe I will be creating my own recipes soon?? ;) (wishful thinking!).

Anyway, as promised, here is more of my journey towards true love. We left off with my first glimpse at my future husband on eHarmony. As I had stated before, I had been on the site for about seven months at that point, and I had met A LOT of guys through the site. Some, I knew right away from reading their profiles, they were not the ones for me. Anyone who is thinking about joining eHarmony (or any other dating site), I HIGHLY recommend it if you are in your mid-twenties or older. It is such a great way to meet people, especially if you are working a full time job and feel as though you have no time to meet people. I would also recommend this if you have explored all of your "known" options. You know what I mean-- you have met every single person that everyone in your life knows and has tried to set you up with. I am not saying that people don't meet the "one" that way; I am just saying that while people have the best intentions, sometimes the only thing you have in common with the people that you are set up with is the fact that you are both single! I was set-up on a date by my cousin with someone that her husband worked with (this was before eHarmony). To be honest, I don't remember his name, but he was nice-- a theme you will see pop up a lot on my journey. Too nice? No, not really, but I just didn't "feel" it. On the first date. And I was done- that quick! First impressions (I unfortunately found out) are extremely meaningful to me! I just had a feeling that he wasn't it, and I didn't want to waste my time or his. I did feel bad, but neither of us had any real investment in it yet, and I figured, why not just end it before it starts. My cousin then (almost immediately) set me up with another nice guy-- a fellow teacher, who was extremely nice. We had a great conversation at one of my favorite places, Barnes and Nobles. He also was a coach, and seemed so devoted to his school and his students-- I was really impressed. Was I interested? No-- again, I felt bad about it. He tried to keep in contact, but I had to be honest with him, and tell him that I didn't think it was going anywhere. Around that same time, I also became somewhat interested in someone at my church. He was lector and my family and I always thought he was cute. I, embarrassingly, introduced myself after church one day and "pretended" that I wanted to become a lector, and asked him how to go about doing that. Hindsight-- honesty is best, and was I honestly trying to become a lector? No-- not at all. I should have just walked away at that point. After our "forced" meeting, we starting texting each other. It was fun, and I loved the attention. Our first (and only) date, we met up at another one of my favorite coffee places: Starbucks! We started talking, and it was so easy to talk to him. I found myself smiling, genuinely smiling and having a good time. I thought to myself-- could it be? Could I have found someone that I actually could date? And then, came the STORY-- for privacy for that person, and because I don't want to be extremely mean, I am only going to give you the highlights. He had been in the army, and there was a breakdown of some sorts. And then I started to get a little freaked out-- he was so vulnerable, and I feel so bad because I know he was just trying to be honest. However, I got the feeling as though he wasn't quite ready/stable? :( to be in a relationship at that time. After our date, I knew I wasn't going to see him in a dating setting again. He did contact me after the date, but again, I had to be honest, and I told him I wasn't interested. It was SO difficult-- and yes I still see him when I'm at church (as I slowly, slide down towards the edge of the pew). Super mature Kaitlin.

Image Courtesy of: Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

There was, at one point, in between all of these set-ups when I actually reached out to my ex (BAD, TERRIBLE, STUPID, did I say BAD idea). There is a reason they are called an ex by the way-- as I learned from a great book  He's Just Not That Into You  (side bar-- amazing book! Everyone should read it!) given to me by my cousin during my "difficult" time. We met up, and I thought we could be friends again-- until he mentioned his new girlfriend (run, girl, run!). And then I realized, we couldn't be friends. We weren't in high school or college anymore. We were adults, and just like that old adage "People come into your life for a reason, season, or lifetime," I came to the understanding that he was not meant to be in my life for a lifetime; he taught me a valuable lesson about self-worth, unrequited love (me not him), and letting go. I know everyone is different, and has their own way of getting through a breakup, but talking to your ex (in my opinion) is never a good idea. It only brings up hurt and frustration. You can't go "back" to the way you two were-- it just doesn't work like that. And in some cases, I know people do get back together and it works out amazingly, but in many cases, both people try to get it back to the way it was. And that can be a very challenging thing to do.

Image Courtesy of fotographic1980 at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The setting up/dating people you know aside, if you are not quite the type to go to bars, or you are hesitant to get involved with LivingSocial events that include only single people, or you really don't want to date someone that you work with, then online dating may be perfect for you! It is a great way to meet a lot of people in a short amount of time. One of my favorite parts of online dating was getting to make the decision to either talk to people or move on! I had the power! I got to reject those that I didn't want to date (keep in mind-- I kind of always felt stifled in my previous relationship), and although I did feel bad at times, it was also mutually understood that because I was looking for love and commitment, I didn't want to waste my time. So, therefore, I rejected a lot of guys! The nice part of eHarmony, is that you can talk to many people at one time. There are always new matches, and therefore, you never feel as though the pond is too small. When I tried the bar scene, I always felt as though there weren't enough options, online dating is definitely the opposite. Some of the first people I met that I liked, I became attached to very quickly (try not to do this, okay?). I didn't quite understand the concept that there were always going to be new matches, so when someone I liked, didn't respond back to me, I was genuinely hurt. But, I also had to remember that I was doing the same thing! Trust me, it just takes time to adjust to the newness of it all!

Fast forward to my first date with my husband, and we had gone bowling (so fun for a first date! I would definitely recommend doing something fun for the first date!) and then we realized we still wanted to talk and hang out with each other (a pretty good sign). So, we ended up going to "UNOs" so we could get to know each other better. When we sat down at the bar, one of the first questions he asked me was "So how many dates like this have you gone on so far?" and I had to think about it for a moment. How many people had I gone on dates with from the site? I wanted to be honest! It took me a minute, but I told him-- "Oh, I don't know about 10? Maybe 11? How about you? How many dates have you gone on?" His response:" Oh, you're my first." Cue blushing, my insides freaking out, and a smile on his face. I didn't know what to say! And I guess before you learn more about my husband, and our first date, I should probably tell you about the others.......the other 10......or so.....but you will just have to wait for that until tomorrow!

Being Married: Post 1

Since returning from Christmas break, so many people have asked how the wedding was and how it has been being married so far. We celebrated our one month (well we didn't really celebrate it- so much as to notice the date) anniversary this week, and due to how many people have asked me that question, I figured I would try to explain it on here as best as I can. My hope is that even if no one reads this blog, I will at least be able to look back on these posts in the future and reminisce about the early days of our marriage and how I felt. Since we are also starting to plan our future (to include babies of course!), I think it will be so nice to re-read these posts 5, 10, 15 years from now to see how much has changed in our lives. I will break down the wedding and our marriage in a few consecutive posts, and I may even go backwards a little bit and talk about when we first met. This is our journey, our love story, and I am sorry to say , it is going to be out of order ;)-- but I promise you it will be a fun read. Enjoy and I hope you can follow my tangents!

Part I: Preparation for the Wedding

Jim and I were married on December 12, 2014-- why no one told me that the date  PROBABLY , DEFINITELY, wasn't the best choice for a wedding I am still not sure (j/k ;)--kinda). All I remember is thinking in the summer how far away the wedding was, and how I just wanted to speed up time. There were three weddings in my family last year: my sister's, my aunt's, and mine. In addition, Jim and I attended two other non-family weddings, and by the time fall came around, we were ready for ours! No matter how many people tell you that the planning really doesn't become intense until the month before the wedding, you still don't believe it until you are in it! Our biggest countdown to the wedding was not actually our wedding day, but Thanksgiving-- we knew once Thanksgiving hit, it was going to be full steam ahead for the wedding. Those two weeks from Thanksgiving to the wedding were a whirl-wind-- I hardly remember what I taught, I hardly remember what we did to prepare. And just like everyone always tells you, everything fell into place. Everything was set to go-place cards, favors (thanks to my family!), table names, memory table pictures, bridesmaids gifts, etc. If I am honest, I did not enjoy planning my wedding. Crazy, right? Isn't everyone supposed to love every minute of planning? Choosing all of the details? Getting all creative? Not me! I just wanted to be married to Jim-- sure I cared that my flowers went well with my dress and my bridesmaids dresses, but the specific flowers? That's why I had a florist! Well-- my uncle did my flowers-- but you get the point. Did I care about what my cake looked like? Not really-- I chose the simplest pattern, and had everyone especially Jim ask me if I was really sure that is what I wanted. Did I care what color the napkins were? No! All I cared about was that on December 12, I would marry my best friend, my partner in life, the guy who always has it all together, the guy that can calm me down when I start getting stressed. I am not saying that the details aren't important, or that if you like planning all of the details than you are missing the "bigger picture," all I am saying is that for me, the best moment of the day would be reaching him and seeing him at the altar.

Back to Normalcy and Unexpected Fun

I don't know about any of you, but there is some sense of getting back into a routine  after the holidays. While I begrudgingly did not want to head back to school yesterday, I craved normalcy, a routine, and getting back to the day to day chores. Let me be perfectly clear-- I absolutely loved the time off from school, but on the other hand, I had a difficult time keeping active during vacation. It wasn't just that it was gray outside, or starting to get cold, or that my husband was also home with me, I just had no desire to keep busy! After rushing around pretty much all fall in preparation for my wedding, then having Thanksgiving, only to have my wedding two weeks later, and then Christmas two weeks after that, I think I was just beyond exhausted! (Although my family will claim that I am always tired haha). I truly think my body needed time to just, well, be at home doing absolutely nothing! And school vacation offered me that time, and I most certainly took advantage of that. However, here we are, start of a new year, a new week, and I am ready for it! (sort of-- remind me of this post in February when I am counting down the days until February break).



While on vacation, my husband and I did visit a very cool brewery in Westminster, MA called Wachusett Brewery. I always have so much fun heading to brewery tours or wine tours/tastings, and I have nothing but good things to say about this local brewery! It was an inexpensive way to spend our last weekend of vacation, and I am always interested in how different breweries brew their beer and what their overall process is.  Wachusett Brewery keeps their beer local, and I love supporting local businesses. What are your favorite brewery and/or winery tours in the New England area? What is your favorite "inexpensive" fun activity to do? Let me know your thoughts!