Christmas Vacation, Part II

The day after I flew back from California (read about that trip here), I returned to BWI around 5:00 a.m. for a flight to Boston. I still had several days before I had to return to work, so why not spend a little winter in New England?

Here are the highlights from my trip:

Day 1

Image found here

I took the Dartmouth Coach from Boston Logan up to Hanover. The drive up was fast and easy, and we got to watch Back to the Future, which I'm not sure I had ever seen all the way through (This may be an unpopular opinion, but I prefer Teen Wolf.).

Dartmouth Hall

As soon as we drove into Hanover, I felt giddy. I remember being on the bus after my first-year trip, and one of the upperclassmen said, "Welcome home." I truly did in that moment, and I had the same feeling on this trip, too. How could I not be ecstatic to be back on campus?

A sorority sister who is originally from NH (but now lives abroad) was visiting her family, so she and I had the chance to meet for lunch. Much of Hanover's Main Street is the same as when we were in school, but some businesses have changed. The Dartmouth Bookstore is gone, as is Canoe Club. And we had lunch at a new place called the Skinny Pancake. We tried the hash purples and some of the crepes. So good!

Baker Library (and Rauner Library next to it)

Once she headed home, I hung around town for a few hours. I did some shopping (bought some more Dartmouth gear at the Dartmouth Co-op and Traditionally Trendy, obviously), and I tried to stop by the library, but it was closed (which makes sense, since the only students on campus now are part of the ski team). Then I went to the Nugget to watch Bombshell; so disturbing as a woman to watch.

So...pretty much if you're a woman who wants to work in movies or TV, you WILL be sexually harassed. Image found here. 

Just as the movie was over, another Theta sister arrived on campus to pick me up! She and her boyfriend (along with their little dog Clio) drove me from Hanover to my family's lake house about 90 minutes north. Such good friends!

Day 2

We woke up to a beautiful sunny morning, and we discovered that the next door neighbors had shoveled off part of the lake to make a rink! So we took our skates over there and got on the ice! The neighbors were super-nice and even had skates my friend's boyfriend could borrow. It was so much fun being out there!

My friends left early, but I wasn't alone for long. The neighbors invited me to come over for a party that night. It ended up being three couples and their college-aged children, and then me, right in the middle of the age range. We spent the evening playing games like Jumbo Jenga and Left, Right, Center; dinner was a big pasta meal. It was all good fun, and it was wonderful to meet and hang out with such nice people!

Day 3

The only time I left the house this day was to visit my uncle and his wife, who live just about a half hour away. We spent the afternoon watching Rush (the serious version of Talladega Nights) and Forget Paris (the B-side version of When Harry Met Sally...). My uncle made pasta, and I had eaten lasagna for lunch, so I was really over pasta already! But any food I don't have to cook is good.

Day 4

My uncle taught me how to cross-country ski at Bretton Woods! I had never done it before, but I was excited to try it. I was most impressed by how comfortable the boots are. Nothing like downhill ski or snowboarding boots! And cross-country skiing is such good exercise: you really work up a sweat, so you don't need all those heavy layers. I had a great time! You still get to be outside doing a fun activity, but nothing hurts and you don't have the fear of breaking something. I'm thinking next season I might need to buy my own set of skis!

My new friends came up from Boston to celebrate the New Year and their 9th wedding anniversary!

This was new year's eve, so after relaxing at home for a few hours, I headed out to the New Year's Eve Gala at the Mountain View Grand Resort. I refused to spend the evening alone, and the Mount Washington Hotel's party was only for guests. So I was really happy when I came across this event! And even though I went by myself, I quickly made new friends with the other people at my table. There was a lot of food (at a buffet I always over-indulge), and while we didn't dance, it was fun watching everyone else. And then at midnight there was a fireworks show! It was strange watching fireworks from inside because you couldn't hear them (since usually it's 4th of July and you're outdoors). But the show was great: it went on for about ten minutes, and there were tons of fireworks. It was like the 4th of July finale the entire time!

The view from the house. All that snow is a lake!

It was so nice to be up in New Hampshire, even if it was just for a few days. My family calls our lake house our "happy place," and for me it always will be. When I wasn't out and about, I was perfectly happy to read a book or watch some Netflix; I can do those things at home, but it just feels different when you're on vacation. Now it's time for new adventures in 2020!