Back at Stowe

Here I am, back at Stowe, watching the sun rise. Last time we were here, that certainly didn't happen, since Drew and I didn't get up until at least 8 AM. (Hey, that's allowed, it was our honeymoon.) But this morning I woke up at 5:30 and couldn't fall back asleep. I did conk out at 10 last night (I blame the Bahama Breeze I drank at the Shed), so I've gotten plenty of sleep.

We've had quite an eventful trip so far. Sunday night, Drew's mother's purse went MIA. Not cool. Needless to say, there were numerous trips retracing steps, visits to the police, calls to the credit card companies. In fact, they were getting ready to head back home to NJ to straighten things out when the front desk at the Trapp called saying someone had found it. It was the pizza place that we had suspected, but they're communication system stinks. The waitress had seen it and put it in a safe place... just not the right safe place. Then, they didn't inform all their staff of the situation, so when Mum and Dad went to check (several times), the woman who said she was the manager (she wasn't) insisted that it hadn't been found. All in all, it wasn't returned until Tuesday after noon, after about four trips to the place. Stoooopit.

On Sunday, we shopped and hung out. On Monday, Drew and I went snowshoeing while the 'rents went purse hunting. It was great! (The snowshoeing, not the purse hunting.) I didn't think I'd like it as much as I did, since it is a lot of work. We took some of the same trails that we hiked in the summer while we were here, it's just that this time, we did it on top of a foot of snow with silly contraptions on our feet. And no, they're not tennis rackets. They are much more modern than that now. Stop thinking of old Looney Tunes episodes. We were actually able to help someone out, which made us pretty happy.

The night before, we had watched a movie at the Trapp. (Side note: The movie was Mamma Mia!, which was hilarious. I don't think all of the parts that I laughed at were supposed to be funny, but they certainly were. As another guest put it, "It's worth it just to listen to Pierce Brosnan sing. He obviously was cast for his looks." One side effect I didn't expect is that I now want to grab a hairbrush and jump on the bed singing "Dancing Queen. End side note.) We got there early to grab some good seats, cause y'all know how I hate it when the tallest person on the face of the Earth plops his butt right in front of me. Drew and I chatted with the one other person who was there for a little while. We discovered that she was scheduled to snowshoe the next day, too.

Monday morning, we rent the snowshoes and ski poles and wait outside for our guide. We test out the shoes. We wait. We see our friend from last night with her friend. We mosey on over to say hello. They have another friend with them, a lady about the same age. Cool. They must be waiting for the guide, too. As we sidle up, they leave. Oh, okay. They must have decided to go it on their own. Saves them the five dollars for the guided tour. The trails are pretty obvious. Maybe we'll do that, too. The guide isn't here yet and it's five after... Hmm. Let's wait until ten after. Doo dee doo dee dooo. I think I'll poke Drew with my pole. Haha. Poke! Where is this guide? Oh, forget it. Let's go it on our own, too. Crunch, crunch, crunch... we take off through the crusty snow.

This is fun! It's a lot of work, but weeeee! What a great way to hike and enjoy the woods. We trek up to the chapel in the woods. Hey, we caught up to the other ladies. Is that third lady explaining things about the chapel? Why is she speaking with such authority? Wait, SHE is the guide! She left us! Fine. No money for you! Seriously, if you were a tour guide and knew that you had four people sign up for the snowshoe tour, wouldn't you ask the two schmoes standing around on showshoes if they were with you?!

Anyhoo, our friend from the movie discovered she had a hole in her jacket. Her glasses were missing. We had come the same way they did, but we didn't see them. They decided to check back at the rental area when they returned to see if they had fallen out there. On they trudged as we caught our breath from the steep climb. We decided that we would save most of our energy for the afternoon tour we signed up for, so we headed back down the way we came. About two minutes down the hill, I spot something shiny. A dime! Woo hoo! Not only did we tour without having to pay a guide, we made out on the deal. A step later, a quarter! I'm rich! What luck. Another three steps and Drew spots... glasses! And luck upon luck (I don't believe in luck), they were still intact. Drew pockets them and we race up the hill. The ladies taking tours were beginners and older than us (no offense to all middle-aged people), so we were sure we could catch them. Thankfully, we had traversed most of the uphill terrain on the trail, so it was easy going. It was about twenty minutes before we found them, but we made it. She even let me keep the change as a reward! Doing good and making moolah. Niiiiice. We walked back with them for a while, but broke away from them about a half mile from the end of the trail. We had a solid, brisk pace that we didn't want to break... and we wanted to make sure we weren't charged for the tour once we got back. It was a great workout, and I'm thinking of putting showshoes and poles on my birthday list. :)

The rest of the day was spent around town. We had an excellent lunch at the Whip at the Green Mountain Inn. The corn chowder is deeeeeeeelish. Very nom. We also visited Cold Hollow to get some cider doughnuts, the visitor center to check out the lantern tour schedule, and a bookstore where I got a small sketchbook for my new cupcake ideas. My latest brainstorm is something I want to call "Chocolate Coma." I can't wait to try it.

Yesterday was a puzzle day. Dad and I spent the whole day doing a puzzle. Drew had gone off to do some downhill, so we puzzled. It made my back hurt, so I did head over and work out at the fitness center. Then we went out to dinner at the Shed with the whole group - all 13 of us.

Today, we will attempt cross-country skiiing. Less risk, great workout. Hoping that I like it a lot. I also signed up for the baking class with the pastry chefs here at the Trapp. I have no idea what I will learn, but I'm really looking forward to it. I've never taking any kind of cooking class before, save for Home Ec in middle school. That was when I was paired with a kid who would tell me, "I'm Betty Crocker! Look, I'm gonna be Betty Crocker mixing up this cake!" He had a stay at home mom and about four older sisters. He barely knew how to turn an oven on.