New Year's in Vermont

Some folks like to spend New Year's in Vermont "getting away from it all." But what if you live in Vermont? The Mitch and I learned we could get away from it all just a few towns over at Bolton Valley Ski Resort. We got fed up with movies showing ski getaways that we always want to take and early in the fall made the decision to forget the rock concerts, parties, and hype-that-leads-to-letdowns of New Year's and get away from it all ourselves. We booked a room for two nights at Bolton Valley and as a PR person who often works with travel writers - here is my take:

Bolton Valley has made a lot of great improvements over the years. No one is immune to hearing about the years of management and financial turmoil they have gone through and I always rooted for the smaller mountain because I learned to ski there and always liked lots of different folks who have worked there. The hard work and Redstone collaboration seems to be working well for them. There is still strange communication issues between marketing/events and folks who work there - for instance not everyone being in the know of pass holder discounts and annoying housekeeping things like the shower water temperature controls. I guess to some out-of-state travel folks this would be a huge irritation, but to us Vermont folks happy to get away, it wasn't that big of a deal (but should be noted, that's why I mention them).

The procedures for picking up your pass have vastly improved and the mountain overall has gone through some needed enhancements. Seems like the windmill is more trouble than it's worth, but an A+ for being bold and trying!

The biggest improvement I saw was the food. I dined at Bailey's several years back and was actually rather horrified at the food - and that was before I considered myself and decent chef. I had the most critical eye going into dinner, but both The Mitch and I were very, very pleased - we had melt-in-your-mouth cuisine and very pleasant service, Bailey's was like a separate intimate experience far removed from the rest of the mountain activities and we both highly suggest it to others.

We were joined for New Year's Eve skiing by our good pals who celebrated into the New Year with us - check out the "eskimo costumes" us ladies wore! Then The Mitch and I relaxed New Year's Day followed by our delicious dinner and then another day of skiing.

I think we might have to go back next year - this Vermont ski resort thing is just the "get away from it all" I need.

Julie & Julia in the Snow

Wow. I just watched that last night. I have been told by countless people that I needed to see that move - I LOVED IT! I knew I needed to see it and that fabulous The Mitch brought it home last night since we've had the Hannah Montana movie from Netflix sitting around the house WAY too long. He also made me homemade chicken pot pie which I am going to crave forever now.



Anyway, with a new year, I need to bring this blog back to its roots of Vermont Vibing which includes positive exploration and energy vibrations and also stay pertinent to the activities in my life which are living at the Charlotte Farmhouse and planning the MitchaRachia Wedding Extravaganza. I will keep my sometimes charged commentary to my PR Blog and steer away from complaining about personal relations which does take away from the positive nature of this blog. That said, I do ask everyone to keep in mind what a blog is - a public diary - and if there's something you want to discuss - by all means, leave a comment, drop me and email, or let's get together in person!

As for snow - how about it??? Yeah Vermont! Here's some photos I took during a snowshoe this Sunday at the Charlotte Farmhouse in the middle of the white blasts from the sky:

Vermont Music for Holiday Gifts

One of the things I love most about Vermont during the holidays is how easy it is to buy gifts for people out of state - everyone loves the Vermont brand so you really can't go wrong with Vermont product gifts. Last year I wrote about some Vermont product gift ideas and this year I will again - only this year I ask you to think about Vermont music gifts!

Support a Vermont artist and buy some CDs for folks you love - plus CDs are wonderful gifts that fit in that difficult "under $20 mark."

Gordon Stone - who cannot know of Gordon Stone now that his fab tunes are on satellite radio!? The newest CD - Night Shade - is an uncanny rhythm bound exploration of Gordon's pedal steel and banjo second skins folding in the shadows with the lurid sounds of a variety of other musicians to create the well entitled - Night Shade. A much different sound of Gordon Stone than while picking blueberries in the summer twilight and a very welcome sound to hear on the stereo while eating holiday leftovers and contemplating returning other gifts. www.gordonstone.com

Cody Michaels - Vermont's best solo piano artist who combines raw, earthen beauty with glorious piano chords and progressions. The newest CD, Winter Suite, is full of threshold moments like finding the gem of unfinished business with others. While listening to a live performance of Winter Suite with my eyes closed, I envisioned swirling around in a blaze of colors capped with white, filled with awe, and exhaling sharp breath and compassion for life. I even created the new design for my garden next summer. While the CD does skip the lovely musings between songs found at live performances, it is the best companion music I can think of for nature visions on a cold afternoon inside. www.codymichaels.com

Myra Flynn - Joni Mitchell and Carly Simon meet
Alicia Keys and Erykah Baduh - in Vermont. Pick up Vermont's vocal siren's debut CD - Crooked Measures and enjoy the soulful, mature, and creative sound Myra seduces audiences with. She performs extensively around Vermont and catching a live performance would be in your best interest and a CD in a friend or relative's hands would be in theirs.
www.myraflynn.com

If you're looking for a bit of a Vermont Vibe adventures to go along with your music shopping, visit Vermont's Classical Music Haven, Brandon Music in the former Warren Kimble Gallery in Brandon, VT for a cup of tea and an eclectic mix of classical music CDs from the Divine Art Recordings Group.


Peace, Love, & Light Throughout the Season...

2 BIG NEWS FLASHES!!!

I MUST be quick because The Mitch and I are supposed to be leaving to have a weekend of dinner with friends (I did post a while back that's what I really wanted to spend my time doing and now that The Mitch and I have manifested it, I am being bad and blogging!)

So.......in case you all didn't know, The Mitch and I are getting married! Of course we got engaged on September 3, 2008 - not this fall, but last - oh how time flies. So we are WELL on the way of planning our wedding - in fact, we are so planned the wedding might as well be this July. That's how I roll. But, instead, the wedding is in July 2011 so I can spend a year and a half telling you about all of the awesome components to our localvore wedding while the stressful planning parts have already been completed.

To start, the wedding is at The Sleepy Hollow Ski & Bike Center in Huntington - just a town and a half away from us located deep in a mountain hollow on a couple of well-trodden dirt roads. Check out their wedding gallery to get a glimpse.

Next piece of Big News is that my beloved band moe. - whom I sometimes can squeeze in commentary about even though they are not a Vermont band, are playing the most fantastic ski festival this March in Rutland, Vermont and Killington - Snoe.down. Stay tuned to the Vermont Vibes Blog for some groovy insider scoop to Rutland and Killington and if you've ever wanted to experience the rock star life I love so much - in a Vermont atmosphere of skiing and riding - this is your big chance!!! Check out all the details at www.moe.org/snoedown and by golly, buy tickets and book a room!

A Blessing of Thanks

Without wordy prose from this chatty Vermont PR gal, I give thanks and offer gratitude to:


Truth
Honesty
Paying It Forward
Ex-Boyfriends
Being in My 30's
Fee for His Loyal Devotion
Tela for Her Sneaky Love
Bonham for His Engagement of Tela and Fee
People From the Past Re-Emerging
Scarves
My Daily Walks
My Bridal Mamas
The Mitch for Wanting Me to Be Me and for Being The Mitch
Unfinished Business From Past Lives
Kindred Spirits
Energy Vibrations


Peaceful and Thoughtful Holidays to All..Love and Light

Vermont Vibes Event Invite

Hey blog readers! This coming Saturday, November 21st, The Mitch and I are going to head down to Vergennes for a Vermont Vibes Night Out. We'll start with dinner at 3 Squares Cafe between 5:30 and 6:00 pm. Chef owner Matt Birong serves up some tasty and hearty meals with a perfect atmosphere for chillin' and chattin' while watching the lights along the main street in Vermont's oldest city twinkle in the long November evenings.

Then we're heading over to the Vergennes Opera House for a concert by Cody Michaels - the creative pianist who tunes up the gentlest of Vermont Vibes theme music. We went to see Cody last year and were blessed by one of the most peaceful evenings we have ever experienced and have been enjoying the CD we bought ever since. We're going to stock up on CDs Saturday so we can have some great Vermont music gifts for folks as well as have a wider variety to listen to ourselves.

For further exploration into our experience last year, you can read a review I wrote in the retired Vermont Music Blog here.

If there are any blog readers who are interested in a Vermont Vibes outing - please join us! The concert is at 7:30 pm and tickets are $12 and can be purchased at the door by cash or check. Bring extra to buy a CD! And if interested in dinner prior, head over to 3 Squares Cafe between 5:30 and 6:00 pm and you'll see us!

Those Pesky Vibe Depletions

I have them right now. My recent Facebook comment that I think it's amazing how differently people treat you based on whether someone speaks on your behalf in a negative or positive manner. I believe in positive, unfortunately jealousy tarnishes that ability in too many people. Sad. says it in a nutshell.

Friend drama sucks. Sometimes I wonder why I go out of my way to introduce people, and make sure I include people because that is one area that does not come back around to me in the circle of friends. It most certainly does in my business and I have to say, I love my work and I love the people I work with - clients, vendors, collaborators.

But I am sad and hurt. People shouldn't believe everything they hear and people shouldn't assume just because someone has a strong personality that they are automatically at fault. The people who cause drama among friends are the ones who you would least suspect. Does anyone else notice this or am I just losing it?

I think a lot of this is why I went into PR in the first place. Working with clients to tell what really is positive is a skill I love being able to share. Being upfront and honest is a quality I respect in others above all else and while that quality may be threatening to those who are not that way, I feel it is one of my strongest attributes. Guess I answered my own quandary - those who feel threatened create drama. If they were just honest with themselves and others they probably wouldn't feel threatened.

Peace.