(Almost) every year since 1995 my family has gone camping in Vermont in the Summer. For a few Summers I went with my two best friends. Now Christian has joined in on the tradition and we enjoy our quick weekends away in the sticks. We hike/walk, do a little shopping at the Vermont Country Store and just enjoy the company of family and less screen time. Of course I always have my phone with me so I can take pictures, but I try not to do anything else.
I'm well prepared for our hikes with my comfortable orthotics from PowerStep. I have been using their inserts in various shoes for years now and they really do make a difference. This pair is by Rykä and have lasted me quite a few years. If you aren't sure what type you need, you can use their Insole Finder and take a quiz to see! No hiking outfit is complete without comfortable leggings - my favorites at the moment are from Colorfulkoala. I've also got on my tick/mosquito repellant socks, mosquito bracelet, and trusty Ray-Ban sunglasses. Plus my runDisney completer shirt from 2023!
A newer tradition while camping is grabbing a ton of sausages from A Crooked Barn Charcuterie. Pete makes artisanal sausages with locally and sustainably farmed ingredients! We usually leave with 3 or 4 varieties and freeze them to use throughout the year! This year we bought 5—we meant to buy 6 but since we were getting some for others in our group we miscounted. Pete told us that we were some of his first 50 customers when he started his business, which I didn't know, super cool!
Shop the camping trip: *This post was made in partnership with Responsival. Thank you for supporting brands I feature*
Only sharing this a month after my birthday, no big deal, ha ha. Christian and I took our annual trip to Vermont for my birthday. Instead of camping in the car like we usually do, we stayed at Jackson Gore Village in Ludlow, VT to try out a new area. We always make a stop in Woodstock because it is so pretty and this year was no different. I'll share our itinerary for the day after the outfit photos!
Originally we were going to go to the other side of southern VT to explore but one of my favorite bakers, Gesine Bullock Prado, had a new book coming out and was doing a talk and signing in Woodstock so we just had to go. ;) Her book, My Harvest Kitchen, is a mix of gardening and recipes. Christian is the gardener in our household so he was very excited to hear some of her tips and tricks on the subject! After the chat we had her sign our book and thanked her - while also telling her one day we'll take one of her baking classes!
Now let's rewind to the beginning of the day. We left the house around 6am and parked around the Woodstock Green right at 8:55am. There were tons of parking spots when we arrived but just 10 minutes later it was full up, crazy! After taking obligatory photos in front of the covered bridge (with no crowds and no cars, thankfully!) we headed to Mont Vert Cage to have breakfast because we've always wanted to stop there and never did.
Unfortunately, we were very underwhelmed. The process of having to wait in line to order food and then find a table and wait for the food was not the most enjoyable. People were also holding tables for family that were still in line so that made it hard for people who already ordered to find a table. The food was also overpriced for what it was. Neither of us were really satisfied with our meals, so this will be a skip from us from now on, unless there is absolutely no line.
After that we window-shopped through the local spots and then took more touristy photos with the mums in front of the Woodstock Inn. One day we'll stay here, but it is very expensive and always booked up. Then we headed to the library to wait for Gesine's chat. That ended around 2 so we did some more walking around town and visited Faulkner Park to try and get some animal photos with Christian's new lens, but they were shy.
Before we left we stopped at Woodstock Scoops for an amazingly delicious Maple Creemee. SO GOOD. They use local dairy and Vermont maple syrup. Once we finished our ice cream we drove over to Plymouth Cheese on the way to our hotel. Christian picked up some of their Vermont Cheddar and I grabbed some "jamples" of jam.
We checked into the hotel at 5 and headed right back out again for dinner at On the Rails. I was a little scared to try Vermont pizza but we actually really enjoyed it! The onion rings were also delicious. On our way back to the hotel we stopped at the grocery store and picked up a mini birthday cake to end the evening!
What I wore for our second day in Vermont for my birthday weekend last month! We started our day having breakfast at The Hatchery in Ludlow. We checked in around 9:15 and then walked around the conveniently located farmers market on the street directly next door until our table was ready. I had the most amazing cinnamon bun french toast and Christian had home fries poutine! Delicious!
After that, we were going to check out a local Cider Festival but we had too much time to kill before it started and it was in a very small town with not much else to do. We decided to skip ahead to a quick walk through The Vermont Country Store. Unfortunately it was full to the brim with leaf peppers and was the busiest I've seen it since the 90s! We have been going every Summer during our camping trip since the early 1990s so to see it this busy in the Fall was crazy! Since it was so crowded we left pretty quickly, took some outfit pictures in front of the store and at a nearby gazebo and moved on to Hogback Mountain and the 100-mile view. Even though we missed peak foliage, it was still very pretty! After enjoying the view for a bit we grabbed a maple creemee (the one we had in Woodstock was better) and began our drive home.
These are actually one of my most worn pairs or shoes in Fall and sometimes Spring because they are so easy to just slip on and off when I'm running to the grocery store or somewhere fast. They don't often make the blog, but they deserve to, ha ha. I brought them on this trip as a backup pair of shoes if my other pairs hurt my feet. Spoiler: I killed the top of my heels (the part where the top of a flat rubs against your skin) walking too much the day before so I needed backless shoes.
Sweater: Polo by Ralph Lauren cashmere waffle knit sweater (Marijane Boutique)
Jeans: Free People 'Jax' Patchwork Jean in black
Shoes: BCBGeneration Yerra slip on sneaker (DSW)
Sunglasses: Gucci Aviators (bought in Rome)
Bag: Chloé Alphabet Mini Saddle Bag in Red and Brown leather (ebay)
For the past few years Christian and I have been heading up to Vermont for my birthday weekend so we can enjoy some time away and pretty Autumn leaves! This year's trip had some issues thanks to crowds and rain but we still enjoyed ourselves.
These photos were taken at Sugarbush Farm when downtown Woodstock was swarming with people. Normally we arrive early in the morning to beat the crowds but this year we drove up Saturday morning instead of Friday night and stopped at a cute town Apple Festival so we didn't get to Woodstock until 12-ish. We skipped walking around there this year since it was so crowded.
My mom was getting rid of this cardigan and I decided to save it from the donation pile. It's cute but likes to leave little fuzzies everywhere, ha ha!
Sweater: from Mom
Dress: Edun (ThredUp)
Belt: Kenneth Cole Reaction (Marshalls)
This orange sweater was another perfect piece for my Autumnal trip to Vermont. The trees were mostly yellow, but you can see some peeks of orange that match the sweater. My new Remy Dooney & Bourke bag was the perfect finishing touch. I brought it along since I was taking a baking class at King Arthur Baking School and thought it would be a fun nod.
Sweater: Mīere the Label women's cotton knit sweater in terracotta
High Waisted Jeans: J Brand 'Maria' High Rise in Supreme
Boots: Eighteen 68 'Megan' (Gilt)
Bag: Disney Dooney & Bourke 'Remy's Ratatouille Adventure'
Sunglasses: Ray Ban 'Erika' c/o Shopbop
As I mentioned last week, Christian and I spent a weekend in Vermont recently. I'm used to going every Summer on our camping trips so it was a nice change to go in Fall! This wasn't a camping trip but we did sleep in our car at a campsite as purely a money-saving tactic. We were visiting Woodstock, VT (and surrounding areas) and hotels are notoriously expensive up there. We spent $54 on 2 nights at the campsite vs at least $200 a night at a hotel. Sheesh!
It's the time of year for one of my favorite sweaters! This landscape sweater from Autumn Cashmere definitely makes a statement. It was the perfect piece to wear on our trip to Vermont. Just look at it with the Autumn leaves behind it. I'm in love.
I was also excited to finally wear my new purple velvet jeans! They are super comfortable, even being high waisted. They are going to get a lot of wear this fall and Winter.
Sweater: Autumn Cashmere Landscape Intarsia Sweater
Jeans: J Brand Maria High Rise in Purple Velvet (The RealReal)
Boots: Vince Camuto 'Davilla' (Marshalls/eBay - I have 2 pairs, this is my replacement pair, ha ha)
Bag: Dark Purple Chloé Faye (eBay)
Sunglasses: Ray Ban 'Erika' c/o Shopbop
