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Tag: Stowe Vermont


a vermont wedding

18
October

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This was the year of special weddings for me. You may remember I shared a spring spectacular overlooking the ocean at Castle Hill in Newport, Rhode Island and a summer mansion wedding in a garden in Fairfield County, Connecticut.  Today, I am sharing with you the finale of my magnificent weddings this year – a fall foliage stunner at Top Notch Resort in Stowe, Vermont.

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The wedding day was a little overcast and there were a few raindrops.  But, this wedding needed a little rain and a few clouds – the brilliance of the couple, in addition to the brilliance of the surroundings, was almost too much to take – I don’t think we could have handled full sun!

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No matter how full the fall foliage was on display this special October afternoon, nothing could have outshone the beauty of the bride as she made the life-long commitment to marry her best friend.

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With this wedding, I celebrated not only the special wedding of my godson, but I also celebrated a special part of my life…a celebration of friendships that made up a big part of my childhood.   I am certain the person I have become was strongly influenced by these friendships and the many experiences I shared with these friends as we grew up together.

wedding-cuisine-top-notch-pleasure-in-simple-things-blogYou know those special lifelong bonds?

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With these friends I can pick up just like we left off – literally, without missing a beat!  This was demonstrated brilliantly when the groom’s uncle and myself danced the 13 step at the reception – the same dance we had practiced together in his parent’s basement so many, many years ago!

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Thank you so much for including me in your special day K & J! Love you D & J!

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Thank you for stopping by!  Be sure to follow my posts next week for more Vermont fun!

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Remember to take pleasure in simple things…like hugging a special friend,  Jackie

2 comments » | food & festivities, inspiration, style

a visit to ben & jerry’s

14
October

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A trip to Stowe, Vermont wouldn’t be complete without a tour of Ben & Jerry’s!  A recent trip to attend a wedding gave me the perfect opportunity to be a real tourist and check it out!  I am sharing today on Friday field trip!

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The 30 minute tour started with a short video about how the ice cream phenomenon called Ben & Jerry’s got started and some history on its growth over the decades.  Started by two guys in 1978 after they took an ice cream making course at Penn State, the first Ben & Jerry’s shop opened in Burlington, Vermont in a renovated gas station.

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My favorite fact?  Putting cookie dough in Ben & Jerry’s ice cream was started after an anonymous tip was received from a customer in 1984!

Guests to the Ben & Jerry’s facility are asked not to take photos of the actual manufacturing room, so I am sorry I can’t share that part of the tour with you.

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From there, the tour took me to the Tasting Lab.  A flavor called Caramel Apple was in process for the employee Halloween party…sounds yummy!  Fun fact:  Employees can take home free pints every day!  Of course, some tasting went on in the Tasting Lab…for me, Strawberry Cheesecake!

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My favorite flavor has always been Phish Food, so I was surprised to find out the number one seller isn’t Phish Food but Half Baked!

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Over time, I switched my Ben & Jerry’s purchases to the yogurt, then Greek yogurt flavors when those became available. Now I may need to decide which non-dairy flavor I like best – there are currently four available.

Surprisingly, the tasting was not my favorite part of my visit.  The best part of my visit to Ben & Jerry’s was actually outside the factory – a walk through the Flavor Graveyard looking through the retired ice cream flavors!

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I hope I have inspired you to make a visit to Ben & Jerry’s next time you are in Vermont!  Or, maybe just to try a new flavor of Ben & Jerry’s from your local market!

Have a wonderful weekend and remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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