My Weekend In New Hampshire

Aug 12, 2010 by Natasha

This weekend, we took our first official road trip with Baby H and the family to New Hampshire for a family wedding. New Hampshire is roughly seven hours away from Ottawa.

We were supposed to be leaving Friday morning at 7 a.m. , but on Wednesday night suddenly I came down with a terrible bug. I had the chills, a fever and a sore throat. I never made it to work on Thursday and the packing didn’t get done on time. Luckily, my husband – being the great guy that he is- packed for our whole trip and took care of Baby H while I slept. He did a great job! But we did forget one thing; the card for our wedding present. Not the smartest thing to leave behind.

The view we had while driving through New Hampshire was spectacular. We drove through the mountains and around every curve there was a new peak decorated with beautiful trees and surrounded by lakes and rivers. It was almost as beautiful as driving through Vancouver.

The wedding we attended was held outside, at a heavenly Bed and Breakfast in Hebron, New Hampshire. There were tall trees all around, a slight breeze and a shining sun. It was a short ceremony followed by a mini-reception under big white tent that had paper dragons and kites hanging from the ceiling. We were moved into a barn that was so elegantly decorated that we forgot where we were. Before dinner, the bride and groom treated us to a traditional Chinese lion dance. We had Italian and Chinese for dinner, and we tried a lot of food – and both cuisines were delicious. After dinner, some guests as well as the bride and groom released air balloons into the sky. The evening ended with an entertaining fireworks display.

As a tradition, everytime my husband’s family travels together they stop at Friendly’s for lunch and “wattamelon” ice-cream cake – and no, it does not taste like watermelon if you’re wondering. Baby H, his cousin and I got ice cream sundaes with giant cones. My niece liked her treat a lot, so much so that at one point she wound up with a scoop of ice-cream on her head. Now imagine this, a cute little girl with two pigtails and a giant blob of ice-cream in place of bangs. We all had a laugh, and that’s what really makes these little family trips endearing.

Sunday was set aside for shopping, of course. New Hampshire is full of outlet malls, and we made sure to visit most. Those that know me know that I’m somewhat of a fan when it comes to Coach handbags. After choosing a style for over an hour in the store, I finally went with a beautiful medium-sized bag that my Husband and Baby H treated me to – after all, it is my birthday (which conveniently fell on the weekend of this trip). I also gifted myself a couple of makeup cases.

I learned over the past couple of days that no matter how prepared and organized you are, nothing will ever go as planned. Baby H was a superstar on this trip, but he was completely off his schedule so we did have a few meltdowns. These were frequent around his usual but now interrupted nap time.

The weekend was great, but I am happy to be home now. What I’m annoyed about is the pile of laundry I have to do and the unpacking. Any helpers here?