A Breath of Fresh Air

This past weekend was a breath of fresh air... literally. Not only did I need a break from work (which I know I just started, but it's been exhausting!), but I've been needing some warm, sunny, relaxing outdoor activity action for some time now.

Patrick and my friend, Will, decided last minute to drive up from New York this weekend, and I'm oh-so-glad he did. Since they both love to hike, we decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather and venture on to Acadia. I went last month with my friend who came in town (which you can check out here), but it was still very cold and snowy, so we just drove around the island for some scenic fun. This time we decided to strap on our hiking boots and go to the top of Dorr Mountain (one of the peaks in Acadia). 

It started off a bit chilly, but the steep steps warmed up our legs in no time. As we climbed higher, we started to get warmer even though the ground was still cover in snow. It made for a very unique hike. One that none of us had ever experienced before. As we were hiking through the slick, deep snow, we could see the ocean the entire time. It was absolutely incredible and rewarding.

I've gone on several hikes in the South, but none compared to this. It wasn't that it was any greater than the southern Appalachian or Cumberland mountains that I've hiked, it was just a completely different kind of beautiful. One that I'm so blessed to have gotten to experience. 

This is one of the many times my slow, heavy foot fell through the snow. Patrick and Will are so swift and light on their feet that they didn't seem to have a problem, but I was falling through every few steps. It didn't take long for the snow to make its way in my shoes, which caused for one of my all time greatest annoyances, wet socks. 

Don't you just hate when you're walking around the house with your warm, cozy socks on and all of a sudden you step in a puddle of melted ice that fell from your ice maker, or the pool of water that your significant other left in the bathroom when he or she jumped out of the shower soaking wet on the floor and not the water absorbing rugs you specifically bought to keep the bathroom floor from getting wet...or cat pee. Oh, you've never stepped in cat pee? Just come visit us because Walter pees all over everything ONLY when we have company. He's extremely territorial and rules the roost at all times, so when someone new intrudes in his space, he'll show you who's boss by peeing on all of your belongings. 

Okay, enough about my wet sock frustration and cat pee. Here's a few more shots from our hike. 

After we made it back down the snowy trail, we decided to explore the rest of what Acadia had to offer. We seriously couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day...well, I wouldn't have minded if it was about ten degrees warmer, but the sun made all the difference. We stopped by Sand Beach and the cliff rock overlook area while we were taking a cruise around the island. 

Being the weirdos that they are, they decided to advertise their employer by wearing mesh and blue jean matching hats.

 Out of all the pictures Patrick and I took this weekend, this is my favorite. The hubs snapped this one on our final stop. I didn't need to edit it or anything. It definitely sums up the beauty of Acadia.

After an exhausting, adventurous Saturday, we joyfully celebrated Easter on Sunday. We worshiped at a local church and I prepared my first Easter dinner, ham and all! Though I wish we could have celebrated the risen Lord with our families, it was special to spend this Easter with just my husband, Will, and of course, Walter. 

What a breath of fresh air!

Maine Maple Sunday

Besides training for my new gig, watching the snow melt, and participating in Maine Maple Sunday, there hasn't been much else going. So let's focus on the last one today.

I've heard a lot about Vermont maple syrup before my days in Maine, but I never tried it because who wants to pay 15 bucks for syrup? I never thought about Maine being just as popular for their syrup making. It all started a couple weekends ago when Patrick and I went to a co-worker's house for a pancake breakfast. This man makes gallons of maple syrup every year. I now understand why it's so expensive. Not only does it taste like liquid gold, the process alone takes longer than my tiny attention span can fathom. Since I'm far from being a "maple syrup making expert", and the fact that I was just smiling and nodding and thinking about Walter (our cat) while the kind man was explaining the process, I'll just briefly,and probably incorrectly, explain the process.

1. Put a tap in a maple tree. 
2. Let the sap from the tree pour into a bucket.
3. Boil the sap (which looks like water) for hours, maybe a day.
4. Then you put it over some other kind of wood-burning stove for a day or so.
5. Then something else happens.
6. Finally, you bottle the yummy goodness.

Now you can all go make your own maple syrup. 

After experiencing the best pancake breakfast we've had in 24 years, we decided to find a local sugar shack on Maine Maple Sunday. The closest place was a farm about 15 miles away. Once we found a place to park among the massive line of cars, we realized all we had were debit cards. Ugh! We couldn't even buy any of the syrup. We weren't going to let the ruin our trip though, so we toured the farm and even got a free cup of ice cream with maple syrup drizzled on top. That made it all worth it. 

Here's a little visual of our maple syrup adventure. 

The farm is a Christmas tree farm as well.

Part of the syrup making process

The sap travels through this maze of tubes to the boiler.

Tapped tree with bucket

Enjoying some ice cream in the freezing temperatures.

Back on Track

We all have a routine. Even the most free-spirited, go-with-the-flow kind of people typically start their day the same way...roll out of bed, go for a pee, pour a bowl of cereal, repeat.

Since moving to Maine, I've fallen into somewhat of a routine. I don't have a strict schedule (it's the least strict schedule since young adolescence actually), but I still have a few things to achieve on a daily basis. I do the dishes, apply for jobs, clean the apartment, cut coupons, go to the store, cook supper, go to the gym, watch The Chew. These things happen every week. Some may consider this boring...I consider this boring on many days, but it's life right now. That's why this week has been a much needed vacation from the humdrum routine I've adopted. 

Lyndsay was in Maine for the past 7 days, and we definitely took a tour of some amazing places. I would give you a day-by-day detailed journal, but unless you're one of our mom's, I would probably lose you by the second day. I'm not saying our week was boring, but I feel as though highlights are plenty good enough for your reading pleasure. 
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We started our week with a U Maine hockey game.

                                          

There were fights, pucks hitting the glass, the band playing in the background, and the crowd roaring. A typical hockey game for those hockey enthusiasts out there. 

Obviously, we're not one of them, but we really did have a great time. Don't let our expressions fool you. By the way, the game ended in a tie. What the heck?! Two and a half hours for no winners. Or, if your glass is half full, everyone won. That's the way I'm choosing to look at it. 

After some frivolous antiquing the next couple of days, we decided to check out Freeport on Tuesday. It's the LL Bean headquarters, and it has some great outlet stores...and I'm a sucker for a good outlet store. We made a detour to Cousins Island on the way home to check out some of the coast.

 It was basically a lake, but there was no need to be disappointed because the next day we got to experience this...

and this...

We drove through Acadia National Forest, and it absolutely took my breath away. There were snow-covered mountains on my right and a beautiful sandy beach on my left. Incredible! You may notice that we're the only ones on the beach. I'll give you a little hint to why...

                                                                  
It was around 30 degrees and snowing. This may seem miserable to some, but the solitude of the beach was well worth fighting the frigid temperatures. It was really neat to experience this place with no one else around. This  day was by far the highlight of the week.

I absolutely loved having a friend in town and a new face in our apartment, but after she left, I realized how much I missed my husband. He had to work all week, so the only thing he got to do with us was go to the hockey game last weekend and dig into a real Maine lobster (no pictures, unfortunately). I felt bad doing all these fun things without him, but it makes me appreciate his hard work that much more. So after cleaning the house, doing the dishes, and going to the store after Lyndsay left, we had a Batman and Breakfast night. (Breakfast for dinner and The Dark Knight Rises if you're wondering)

A boring Friday night fits perfectly in my routine. It's nice to be back on track. 

Snow, Spooks, and Spectacular Skiing

What an adventure!

Patrick and I had an amazing time this weekend. Our trip started at The Brewster Inn in Dexter, ME. We were greeted by an overzealous Englishman with a blunt personality and a mean hash brown egg casserole. Besides trudging up a snow-packed hill and getting spooked at about 2 a.m., we had a pleasant stay. 

Am I the only one who over-exaggerates thoughts and dreams in the middle of the night? Everything seems so real, even if it was just a scary dream. Anyways, I woke up with the sound of water running and my immediate thought was: ghost (which I don't even believe in in real life). We were staying in the maids quarters, so I was convinced that a maid died painfully in the room next to ours and would return to wash the blood off the bath tub every night. I may have a sweet face people, but don't let it fool you. I have abnormally crazy stories that run through my head at the wee hours of the morning (I need to keep a journal next to my bed). I tossed and turned for the next few hours, and then remembered the inn keeper telling us that a couple was leaving "dreadfully early." What a relief!

Once the sun came up, and my fear just magically disappeared, we woke to about five added inches of snow. UGH! A snow day is great in the South, but it's just an annoyance up here. The ski resort was about two hours from the B&B, and we already paid for the tickets so there was no going back. Needless to say, it took around three hours of holding my breath and narrow back roads to get to the mountain. But once we got there, the sight of the snow and fog took my breath away.

I wouldn't call myself a "beginner" skier. I've skied a few times in my life and would like to think that I've sort of caught on to the sport a little bit. Don't go thinking I'll be in Sochi next winter or anything, but I can make it down the mountain one way or another. I say all of this to explain my confidence going into this trip. I've never been to a mountain this big. It doesn't even compare to Snow Shoe (The biggest ski resort I've been to), so I was immediately intimidated. The 141 slopes were filled with fresh snow and moguls. A seasoned skier's paradise. After the first slope, I turned into your typical timid Tammy for the rest of the day. While riding the roller coaster of a lift, fear rushed over me every time I looked up the mountain. "What am I thinking?" "I shouldn't be here." Those were a few of the many frantic thoughts rushing through my mind.

Patrick was eating it up...cutting through the snow, racing down the mountain. He even landed a jump at the end of the day. I, on the other hand, was slowly cutting through the snow trying my hardest not to break a leg. By the end of the day, I finally started to breath a little and let loose. 

Overall, it was an incredible experience and was well worth the ghost scares and snowy roads. 

Here's a little collage action for your Monday.

The fog is covering at least 2/3 of the mountain. It was ginormous.