Corporate Vibing to Manchester

So, since I have decided I am a corporate hippie (for more please see my Linked In profile), I have realized my Vibing expeditions can fall into two categories - the corporate or the hippie. For the most part my Vibes are spread over weekends when I have my favorite hippie outfits on (for those who do not know, outfits completely define who I am - even The Mitch wears outfits!). But sometimes my Vibes are spread when Rachel Carter PR bounces away in the Vibe for an adventure of the corporate variety. Last week was the most perfect example of this so I MUST share!

Two of the most respected people in the Vermont travel scene - Carrie McDougall of Cultural Crossroads and the former Stowe Area's Association PR Queen, Jo Sabel Courtney recommended me to teach two social media workshops at the Vermont Travel Industry Conference held at The Equinox Resort last week. What a vibetastic experience! And thank you Carrie and Jo!!!

I raced through the week leading up to get all of my client work in a row so I could take the time to attend the conference (hence no recent blog posts). With final touches finished and a willing-to-come-back voice (I was at rock concerts over the weekend), I closed up my Vermont PR firm for the week and vibed down Route 7 to Manchester.

The first super groovy thing that happened was after emerging from Rutland, finding myself reverting back in time along Route 7. By the time I was deep in Mount Tabor, I started to feel those wonderful mountain vibes only felt when in a natural energy vortex and couldn't wait to tell The Mitch how we'd have to get down this way again and Vibe around. Before I could finish that thought I drove by Emerald Lake State Park - where The Mitch and I have already booked five days over the 4th of July for our first of many Vermont lakeside vacations (one per year). I won't talk about it anymore because it will most certainly be a fantastic blog post come July, but, man - was I excited!

It is rare that the Vibe gets way down to Southern Vermont, but when it does, I always love it - will I find myself living in Southern Vermont at some point? I always wonder if that will be in the cards. I gawked all along Route 7A until I parked the Vibe at its two night destination - The Equinox. Back in my earlier days as Vermont's PR Mama (before I could be considered a mama), the Woodstock Inn & Resort was a client and to this day I have a love like no other for the Woodstock area. I think I can actually credit that work on the true origins of Vermont Vibing - I was always looking for all of the story angles I could find to share with media folk I pitched on behalf of the Woodstock Inn. As Woodstock's friendly competition, I was fully aware of, yet had never visited The Equinox. Until last week.

Kudos to The Equinox. I wish now I snapped some pictures of my room (this is from the press room). I felt like I was in a movie (one of my most favorite feelings!) - I worked at the desk on the computer, slept so well in the king size bed with delightful turn-down service, LOVED the glass door shower and bathrobe, played make-up lady with the mirror selections, and marveled at a view of the courtyard as opposed to the parking lot. I was also into the lacquered decor look - definitely not my style under my normal hippie circumstances, but when I get to be a Vibing corporate hippie? Most definitely!

The conference itself was terrific and my workshops went great. I think my favorite part was just spending time with people in Vermont's travel industry. They are real, fun, and quite frankly, the type of folks who "get it." Rock on!! I felt renewed, rejuvenated, excited for summer, excited for work, and excited for new friends all after one conference. Now THAT is what I call success!

I spent an extra day heading further south into the Berkshires to have dinner with my father who I referenced multiple times in my presentations followed by lunch the next day with my grandmother. The return trip to Vermont was on the usual 91 to 89. I was wishing my route could have taken me back up Route 7, but I know that trek is waiting for me July 4th weekend. Plus, The Mitch was patiently waiting for his corporate hippie to return home to the Charlotte Farmhouse where I knew he was making me dinner. I Love You Mitch!

I way prefer Vibing than the 91 to 89 drive, but timing so had it that most of my drive was in gorgeous blue skies with high floating clouds and a sea of red and purple on the trees - just waiting for the cold weather to diminish so they can snap into the most glorious foliage on the Earth (springtime in Vermont that is). I was again filled with elated feelings from the experience of the Vermont Travel Industry Conference, spirited tunes on the IPod, and a car ride to myself filled with reflection, compassion, and promise. And then the sun started to set. Besides two irritatingly irritating rednecks who threw three beer cans out in front of me (between exits 8 and 9), I was completely zen - something I am usually only able to experience hiking and gardening. And then I started snapping pictures. I went slow and when the cars would pass I would get real slow and shoot and then speed back up again. I know that is sort of bad, but it was also sort of sneaky (which is more fun than bad), and well, just perfect. Here are the results:









Thanks to all who helped create and manifest the experiences of last week and can't wait to see some of my new friends again soon!

Mud Before Spring

Spring in Vermont is fantastic! It would be nicer right now for me personally if my PR business wasn't running every facet of my life so I could do something besides work. I am working on that - believe me...

But, spring is still fantastic. I heard a great commentary on VPR driving home from a day of meetings today that made me smile. The mud, the "sugar snow," the red trees, the drastic shifts in air temp - they are all a part of spring! Here's a few pictures I took while driving through Lincoln Gap after meeting with my fantastic clients at The Round Barn Farm in Waitsfield. Beauty is in the honesty and promise in photos like these!






Before those spring greens can bud, the sun needs to warm up the trees which melts the snow which makes the mud. In honor of this process and the beautiful mud Vermont produces, I am attending the Mud Season Madness Event at the Old Lantern this coming Saturday, March 28th. The Mitch and I will be donning our best mud season outfits for the event's fashion show. Music will be provided by the Gordon Stone Band and Brett Hughes' Wrecking Ball. Check out the poster to the right and come rock out with Vermont Vibers of all ages at the Old Lantern this Saturday night!!!

Vermont Vibers Need Some Myra Flynn

If you are a Vermont Viber, you need to vibe your way to a Myra Flynn show. I guess now that I have abandoned the Vermont Music Blog (time, my friends, time), I can still write about fantastic Vermont musicians on the Vermont Vibes Blog. And I will.


So, yes, Myra Flynn. This woman is amazing. I seriously need to urge all Vermont Vibers and Vermonters period to make a definite effort to go check out a show. She is playing everywhere on many nights so it shouldn't be difficult to find a time to see her. Check out her upcoming shows and pick on to attend! You will be knocked off your rocker.


This soulful Vermont singer is truly in a league of her own and we as Vermonters are lucky she hasn't whisked away to the lures of big music cities. I had the chance to chat a bit about this with Myra when we had lunch a few weeks ago (she is also a talented writer and journalist). She said she sometimes does the New York thing, but there is nothing like playing to the intimate, cozy crowds of music loving Vermonters. And she said this in such a humble, honest way, I could do nothing but admire her and be grateful I really got to have such a conversation with the best singer I have ever met. (And I have actually met a lot as I was a singer in a former life and even performed with Natalie Merchant and Kenny Rogers if you can believe it.)


Watching Myra perform is magical in itself. Her vibes are so pure and she can bring you in so small and delicately and than wallop you like a diva who means business. It's great fun to see her perform. And her voice - well, it's sheer brilliance. I am happy to say Myra is off in Boston as I write recording a CD which I can't wait to get my hands on. This will be a fabulous addition to the Vermont Vibes repertoire. For all who vibe, check out Myra's website - www.myraflynn.com - to learn more about this Vermont rock star where you can see her perform, and how to get a CD for your own positive vibes as you rock out across the state!

Dinner Vibes, Starving for Friends

While vibing around Vermont is an excellent adventure, sometimes I am starved for the positive vibes of good friends. The Mitch and I have been discussing recently our collective need to spend quality time with friends away from rocking out to a band. We are needing to reconnect with folks for good conversation - sometimes if even to confirm why we are friends!

We have started making this a priority lately and are finding the going out to dinner concept our favorite. While I love to entertain at the farmhouse and love visiting others, there is something alluring about being out to dinner and having no distractions while you conversate over a glass of wine and no prep time before you actually eat a meal together.

As I approach 33 (which I turn in two days) I am more and more aware of the constraints of time and the most cherished exchanges with the people I love and how imperative it is to fit them into the life schedule. Squabbling over dinner price and paying is soooo 20's and not being able to plan get togethers is so married with kids.

The Mitch and I recently enjoyed a "heady" dinner with our BFF, Caitlin at Starry Night Cafe in Ferrisburgh - the venue I think we want to plan our rehearsal dinner for our wedding! Check out some pics:






We also had dinner just this weekend with good friends Christine and John at A Single Pebble, followed by a sleepover and Saturday at the Vermont Flower Show - talk about great phriend times! (The PH is because during the evening hours, we were tracking the Phish shows being played in Hampton all weekend for Phish's reunion.) I have never been to the Vermont Flower Show before, although I have always wanted to. What an absolutely fantastic event! Christine and I even rocked the live auction! The Faerie Garden was my absolute favorite - every woman in there was turned into a ten year old for a few minutes. Here are a few pictures of our flowering adventures:





Back to our hunger - The Mitch and I are on a mission to dine with friends! We are looking for a couple to join us for our first Kitchen Table Bistro experience in Richmond. As a gardener and localvore cook myself, I am dying to check this place out! We also feel reconnecting with friends at local restaurants is not only a great way to rekindle friendships after a long winter, but a great way to directly support a local economy during the financial drama of the century.

Now that we live out in Charlotte and many of our friends live in Burlington, we feel the best reasons for us to visit Burlington is for the food and friends, so if you're looking to reconnect - let's make some dinner plans!!!

Love and Light All!

Sneaky post by the Mitch

Man, it has been a long time since I have caught Rachel away from the slave owner that is her computer! Thank goodness for snowy Vermont vacation days so I can sneak on here while she is not looking...he he! I have to take this moment and share what truly has been a great experience over the past few days. Since I am a teacher I am blessed with a few glorious weeks a year of vacation. This is a time for me to get caught up on much needed rest, work, and fun! My vacation weeks are always kind of a problem for Rachel as she is endowed with work everyday and can't take the time as I can to relax. I admire her determination and success so very much. I for one could not handle her job!! It is the nature of her beast however that never affords her the time to just simply be. I have to say folks, please every once in a while give your self a "mental health" day or a few if you can. At the start of my vacation week, Rachel came down with a cold. This forced her to just sit and take care of herself. Because of her sickness, we were able to sit as a couple and get back to basics. After some much needed rest and relaxation, we were able to play a little bit and forget work, school, household projects or anything else that ties us to life. This has been an eye opening week for both of us because we have regained some spirit and life back into us. My desire to all is, as winter slowly comes to a close, be sure to take what ever moments you can and give yourself a break. It really is okay to do this. No matter what you are doing in your life from day to day realize we all have the right to take a much needed "mental" vacation!! You just never know what you might rediscover about yourself when you take that much needed break. Looks my time here is done, I hear the pitter patter of PR feet coming my way!! Peace and much deserved rest to all, the Mitch!!

Valentine's Vibes

The Mitch and I had a whopper of a Valentine's Day. It was a vibing adventure to rival them all - and we helped save the world by spending money on local products!


Ah, the love of the valentine. I have said before and I will say again, I am a fan of the Hallmark holidays. Not because of the ridiculous spending on junk, but rather creating an opportunity to spend and support local businesses, which is just what we did. And, most importantly, the occasion to be rather coerced into being nice to your loved ones, because in the grind of life, going the extra step to buy someone something nice, give flowers, or have a lovely dinner are unfortunately forgotten more often than not. It's politically correct and all to say, "Well, you shouldn't need to have one day to do something special, you should do it every day." Great, but how many of us are really that virtuous? It's good for American consumerism to whip us into shape every once and a while and in this "economic situation" what a better way than to find a reason to spend locally?

The Mitch and I decided a while ago that we wanted nothing more than to activate Valentine's Vibes on February 14th. Valentine's Day on a Saturday? Woohoo! We decided a traverse into Addison County, south of our beloved Charlotte would make for a great day of vibing. We made reservations at the Bobcat Cafe in Bristol and figured we would just vibe around all day until we got there. On Friday, I got on a sneaky kick and found a local florist in Bristol - Just Because Flower Shop - checked out their website, and decided to get a plant delivered to the Bobcat Cafe to surprise The Mitch. So, I ordered the lowest priced ficus tree thinking it would be nice to have a small tree placed on the table to surprise Mitch and bring home and grow into a big tree.



Saturday morning The Mitch and I got up early, went for a long walk, and then got ready for our vibe outing. We bounced off in the Vibe on some of our favorite roads in Charlotte bringing us to Route 7. We bought some blueberry buckle and cookies at Vermont Cookie Love. What a neat little place this is - and they have cookie dough you can buy - forget that non-local crap in the stores when you're in a rush - stock up on Vermont Cookie Love! Then we stopped in the Ferrisburg Bake Shop & Deli where we gaped at some of the intense Valentine's sweets and bought some local maple syrup (to stock up of course) and a few baguettes for the potluck we were having the next day.
We poked into Honey Gardens as I am addicted to the raw honey and needed to stock up. I decided it would be smart to get some plant therapy rejuvenation syrup and beeswax candles as well. I also wanted to see for myself this drama of the proposed truck stop that has everyone down that way all up in arms. I could care less what all the pros and cons are. All I know is directly across the street from Honey Gardens is a huge open field which I am sure is covered in wild flowers in the summer. Yes, let's rip it all out, put in concrete crap, and help kill off more bees. Idiots. Why is this even a debate?


Anyway, after leaving some positive vibes with the bees, we kept south and pulled into Vergennes where we finally visited Kennedy Brothers. Um, yeah, neat Vermont stuff!!! What a cool, huge warehouse type of feel to a variety of indoor shops and kiosks. I grabbed a basket and bought all sorts of fun things for the farmhouse and for my beauty. The Mitch even loved it! But, that's not hard because he is the most easy-going guy who loves vibing and Vermont shopping! No wonder we're so happily in pre-marriage bliss! In fact, I loved it so much, I am fitting it into the itinerary of my mother's visit this weekend (please don't ask why my mother needs an itinerary, perhaps something to do with the fact that I write a ridiculous amount of To-Do Lists?)



After all this shopping, The Mitch and I needed to do some actual driving in the Vibe, so we took out the trusty Vermont atlas and bounced all around the Hodgback Mountain Range. What a neat vortex of energy! We drove through some of these roads in the early summer checking out fishing and canoeing spots and even in the dead of winter were reminded why we need to get out this way more in the spring and summer. I was also infatuated with so many neat houses - I have a house addiction. We traversed through Monkton, New Haven, Weybridge, through the outskirts of Middlebury and then into Bristol.

I think vibing is the only way I can be on time to something because of the fact that there is no schedule. We arrived in Bristol two hours before our dinner reservation and bought a fantastic piece of art with pressed tree greens made by Green Angel Arts at Art on Main in Bristol. Then we headed into Bristol Cliffs Music where The Mitch (who is also a drummer) got into a fun conversation with owner, Allen Bilson, and I obsessed over the guitars (as I am a mean air guitar player). Mitch even bought a new little drum seat!



At this point we had only used up an hour and decided we would head over to the Bobcat Cafe early for some pre-dinner drinks. However, when we got there and gave them our name, the waitstaff could not control their giggles and said our table was very ready. I glimpsed out of the corner of my eye to see our table. There was no small tree/plant on the table, but rather an enormous tree sitting next to the table taking up actual traffic space. Oops. So, we took our table and it took The Mitch a hot minute to realize the overcrowding tree was actually his gift of love. The moment was quite endearing and while we knew the tree was in the way, the waitstaff were awesome and even gave us some tips on taking care of it. The food was delicious and I even decided to be cheesy and drink Cosmos. Of course now that I am writing this blog it seems the new owners are making it more into a brewery as well as a great restaurant. My bad, I totally should have drank dank beer.

Please comment on this Vermont Vibes Adventure!

The Gorgeous Charlotte, Vermont Winterside

The cool thing to do at the Charlotte Farmhouse is go snowshoeing. The Mitch and I knew this when we first discovered this magical property almost a year ago. Our best friend, Caitlin, and major Vibe enthusiast (she even vibes on her own even if it is in a Subaru) is also an avid snowshoer out at the farmhouse. And as my neighbor, more often than not, Caitlin and I take daily snowshoe treks through deer, moose, and bobcat country. The grooviest thing about snowshoeing out here is that we can walk on terrain that we cannot walk on any other time of year. And since this is swamp, marshland, and major vernal pool territory (woohoo - my favorite!!!), that means there is a lot of terrain to cover and explore by snowshoe.

I have been taking pictures on and off, although I forget more often than not. But that Caitlin, well, the other day she vibed off without me as I was in Burlington for meetings and took the best winter pictures I have seen thus far! So, to help the Vermont Vibes Blog transition back to vibing adventures and away from the exuberance of Phish for the time being, I thought I would share some of Caitlin's work:







These last few were taken at the Charlotte Town Beach, after Caitlin removed the snowshoes and went for a drive to engage in the beautiful sunset.