Since the winters are cold and long in New England, we decided we needed something to look forward after the holidays.. so we gathered our closest friends and booked a weekend getaway in Vermont!We were able to find an amazing bed and breakfast on Airbnb that was perfect.. each couple had their own private bedroom and bathroom (which is really hard to find for 7 couples), a large kitchen, two cozy fireplaces and multiple common areas for everyone to hang out. We brought prepared casseroles and meatballs for dinners, breakfast foods and all the snacks and had so much fun!We spent our mornings sipping coffee and cooking bacon, eggs and pancakes. Days exploring the surrounding towns and skiing/snowboarding. And evenings playing games and laughing. I can’t think of a better way to enjoy the bitter cold winter than being snowed in a cabin, surrounded by our favorite people.

Everyone arrived on Friday night at different times.. A few of us who arrived early decided to check out Fresh Tracks Farm Vineyard & Winery. The wines were tasty and we bought a few bottles to take back to the house with us for later!Later that evening, we ate lots of pizza, played Cards Against Humanity, and sampled a collection of stout beers that Ben and his brother have been collecting.. my favorite was the Goose Island bourbon county vanilla stout, which of course was one of the hardest to find!In the morning, we all helped cook a delicious breakfast complete with scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage and pancakes. There is nothing like pancakes with lots of syrup and bacon to start your day..Saturday we spent exploring different breweries and the town of Stowe. Alchemist was hosting an ice carving competition.. did you know there is such a thing as “amateur” and “professional” ice carvers? Me either!Later we headed to Stowe Mountain to wander around the shops and ride the gondola.We stopped at Vermont Artisan Coffee for a warm cup.. because how can you possibly drive by this massive building and not stop to try their coffee?And, also, how can you not stop at Lake Champlain Chocolates when you see it? Don’t worry, we loaded up.We ended our adventures at Lawson’s taproom for a beer before heading back to the house. We spent another evening eating comfort food and snacks, sipping on wine and playing Heads up… some of the acting during this game was enough to make us laugh so hard we cried.

Sunday morning, we woke up early to head back to Stowe to ski/snowboard for the day. Ben and I hadn’t been snowboarding in almost 15 years so, as you can imagine, this massive mountain was slightly intimidating.. but we managed to make it without breaking a single bone and had so much fun! And the best part was that it snowed the entire time.. and we stopped for hot chocolate on the way home! Oh, and not getting stuck on the chair lift for over 2 hours.. because this happened to people while we were there!! Sunday night we spent snowed in, eating more comfort food and chatting before we all headed home Monday morning.

We’re so lucky to have such an amazing group of friends and siblings that are all close.. we will definitely need to make trips together an annual tradition!