Whenever we go camping in Vermont I have to make the 25 minute drive to The Vermont Country store to get some maple syrup, fudge and candy! This time was no different. We also went to The Bryant House for lunch which is right next door. My boyfriend and I each got the malted waffle and a johnnycake (forgot to take a picture of that) and my brother got the Chicken Pot Pie. Everything was delicious!

For our trip to the store I decided to wear a more normal vacation outfit instead of my camping outfits (jean shorts or hiking gear, haha.)

Cardigan: American Eagle, Dress: Zara, Sandals: old, Bag: Fossil (similar), Sunglasses: Ray Ban 'Erika', Eyeglasses chain: Tinksky (Amazon)


And now some photos from the store and restaurant!

This past weekend I headed to Jamaica State Park in Vermont for some camping! Originally my boyfriend and I were going to go for our 1 year anniversary in July but my parents planned a family vacation to Rhode Island so we changed our plans. We changed our dates to match up with when my Aunt & Uncle were going with my cousin and youngest and then my other brother tagged along as well! We've been going to this campground since I was 9 or 10 so it's one of my favorite vacation spots.

If you're within a few hours of it, Jamaica State Park is a nice cheap option for a weekend (or longer) trip! The trip was just over $100 and we divided that by 4 people, so super affordable! I call it half-glamping because they do have bathrooms and showers - you pay for hot water. I don't usually shower while we're there because I like to live dangerously (or swim in the river.)

The trip was full of hiking, (illegally) feeding chipmunks, sitting by the fire, eating smores and grilling up tasty food! We also spent one morning in Weston, Vermont to go to my favorite store. More on that tomorrow!  Here are some photos from the trip!

Checking out the view from the Overlook

Always have to do a handstand

S'mores are the best!

Setting up the shot...

Can you see the Big Dipper?!!!

The upward view at our campsite

The mos treacherous trail. We biked 2 miles and then hiked UPHILL for 1 mile to get here.

At the falls

It's prettier than the picture shows

Watching the falls

Look, fish!!

On our last day of Disney we started our day at Animal Kingdom and then made our way to Hollywood Studios in early afternoon for a couple rides and then it was off to Epcot for the remainder of the evening! Our morning started off with one of my favorite rides at Disney, Kilimanjaro Safaris. One of my bucket list vacations is going on a real African safari but for now this shorter Disney version will do! (I'm currently saving up for the real one)

We were lucky enough to snag fast passes for Avatar Flight of Passage so we didn't have to wait in a 3 hour line. This ride is INSANELY good. So if you are planning a trip to Disney and are staying on property make sure to book your fast passes a full 60 days in advance of your stay so you can snag a fast pass for this ride! We were actually able to ride it Thursday evening when we arrived in Florida as well. WOO!

Animal Print Top: thrifted, Shorts: Madewell boyshort in Frances wash, Sandals: Ancient Greek Sandals 'Athanasia' (Moda Operandi), Bag: Disney x Coach 'Patricia' with Mickey ears, Sunglasses: Ray Ban 'Erika', Eyeglasses chain: Tinksky (Amazon)

Meeting Characters

Donald Duck

When Kristen was going to ride Dinosaur I decided to wait in a short line for a photo with the dino-digging themed Donald Duck before sitting down to wait for her. In the end she decided not to go on the ride so we took our photo with Donald and made our way out of the park.

Food

Satu'li Canteen

This was our second time eating at Satu'li Canteen this trip, we previously went on Thursday evening when we got to Florida. I love it because it's a healthier option and the price is really good. I buy the kid's meals so my meal was about $8! Kristen is also obsessed with their Blueberry Cream Cheese Mousse. Kristen's brother joined us and had the adult version of my meal.

My Chopped Wood-Grilled Chicken bowl on a base of mixed whole grains and rice with crunchy vegetable slaw from the kid's menu

Kristen's Slow Roasted Sliced Grilled Beef Bowl on a base of romaine and kale salad with crunchy vegetable slaw from the kid's menu

Kristen's Blueberry Cream Cheese Mousse

Kristen's brother's Chopped Wood-Grilled Chicken Bowl on a base of red and sweet potato hash with crunchy vegetable slaw, boba balls and charred green onion vinaigrette

Rides, Entertainment & Shows

Kilimanjaro Safaris

Unfortunately we had some annoying fellow passangers on our safari on this particular day. BUT on Thursday evening we had a really good group of travelers and our guide was amazing. We also got pretty lucky with animal sightings with some being VERY close to the vehicle. The safari is always one of the highlights of my trip. It's best to go in the morning or evening when it's not as hot so the animals will be more active. On my next trip to Disney I'm thinking about doing one of the special safari experiences, we'll see if I can save up the money in time!

Rivers of Light

When we were at animal kingdom at night we watched the Rivers of Light show on the water. I had never been in Animal Kingdom at night so it was my first time watching the show. It was pretty cool to see the interaction of lights, boats and water. Definitely a must-see at least once during your Disney travels.

Before going on this trip I researched some Disney outlets and Kristen and I stopped by the 2 near Disney on the first couple days of our trip. They are located on International Drive and Vineland Avenue for those of you that are interested. The outlets carry merchandise exclusive to the Disney parks, even items from Shanghai Disney! I actually had a gift card for the outlet chain so I was able to buy myself some souvenirs for free! SCORE! I picked up this tank top for $7.99 and it's regularly $32.99 in the parks. INSANE!

I wore it on our second day at Magic Kingdom. We got to go into the park an hour and 15 minutes early because we had 8am breakfast reservations. Pro-tip: get early reservations if you can because you'll get to a enjoy pretty empty park for a few minutes before you head back to the restaurant of your choice! I almost had some photos with no one in the background but there was one family dilly-dallying near the photopass spot. GRR!

On this day there were also extra magic hours for families staying at Disney hotels so we could have stayed until midnight. We left around 11:30 since we had been up for way too long already and couldn't make it the extra half hour.

Mickey Tank Top: Disney Character Warehouse, Shorts: Madewell, Sandals: Ancient Greek Sandals 'Alethea' (bought in Greece), Bag: Disney x Coach 'Patricia' with Mickey ears, Sunglasses: Ray Ban 'Erika', Eyeglasses chain: Tinksky (Amazon)

Food

Be Our Guest

For our early morning breakfast, we went to our favorite - Be Our Guest for some French Toast (off the kid's menu!) I also had my favorite dessert, The Grey Stuff. Unfortunately it wasn't very good this trip so I wasted my $6 on it since they wouldn't refund me. Blegh. I guess having so many good ones I was bound to get a dud (or two since they brought me a second one that had the same issue as the first...stale and no flavor.) Luckily you also get a plate of pastries with your breakfast so I still had plenty of tasty food to eat.

Casey's Corner

On this trip we tried to visit new-to-us locations for food. For a late lunch we decided to try out Casey's for hot dogs. Kristen loved her chili dog but I wasn't as happy with my regular hot dog. If I didn't added relish I wouldn't have enjoyed it at all. For the price - $10.50 - I wouldn't go again.

Meeting Characters

Since we've ridden all the rides so many times, we decided to wait in character photo lines that we normally wouldn't wait in because we go to the parks with people who aren't into character pictures or long lines. It was a nice, different way, to spend the day in the park. We also made sure to enjoy our favorite rides as well thanks to fast passes and short lines.

Gaston

Who doesn't love to hate Gaston? He's such a smug, guy and makes it known that you're lucky to be taking photos with him. It's quite amusing.

Mickey Mouse

We were actually very lucky with the timing of this trip. This particular Mickey Mouse talked to visitors taking photos with him up until Saturday May 12th. We saw him on May 7th so we juuuust squeezed in getting to chat with him. He showed us one of his magic tricks before posing for photos. I got the whole thing on video and it's adorable.

Pooh and Tigger

Winnie the Pooh has always been one of my favorites so we waited in line to meet him and Tigger. So soft and cuddly!

Chip & Dale

Chip & Dale were one of my favorite photo ops. They were just so funny, they loved the gold chain I hold my sunglasses on and then fought over hugging Kristen and I at the end.

Rapunzel & Tiana

Rapunzel and Tiana are in the same line so it's not as bad as waiting for single characters. You get to wait in line in a beautiful castle full of portraits of princesses.

Disney Character Warehouse

Below are my buys from the Disney outlet! (The Merlin and Sorcerer Mickey pins are not from the outlet) All of this was under $50 and I paid $0 thanks to a gift card! The purple tee was $0.99! It's a kid's small but I love Sorcerer Mickey so I figured I'd turn it into a pillow or tote bag!