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Mother Daughter Road Trip

If you know me at all, you know that I love traveling!! You can read about another vacation in New England Here. It revives me and causes me to be thankful for two things. First, time spent away from home seeing amazing sites. And second, time spent at home. It really does. I have visited now all but 5 of the United States and love attributes of all of them. But I also love coming home to California. There is a mountain called Table Mountain that I pass through before I come into my area of Tuolumne County. When I pass through this section of the world, I take a breath and know that I am home. Thankful for the memories of my most recent trip, but also thankful to be home. But, always ready for the next trip. So, when I was invited to take a Mother Daughter Road Trip, I said , “Yes”!

Mother Daughter Road Trip

Recently I was blessed to take a road trip and cross off two more states. My daughter Victoria and I visited Vermont and Rhode Island. It was great to be able to experience these two states, but far better than anything we did, was the time spent enjoying the company of my oldest daughter. It was such a wonderful time that I thought I would share with you my latest Mother Daughter Road Trip.

The Invitation

A few months ago, my daughter Victoria phoned to say that she was going to be graduating from the business leadership program she had been in for two years, and that they were able to invite one guest…and she wanted me to come!!! As many of you may know, once your children grow up, you are not always the “plus one”. When my kids were little and, for some reason they were only able to invite one person to an event, I was always the “plus one”. That is not the case as they grow and gain significant others. So, knowing that I am not always going to be invited to every event for all of time, I jumped at the chance to fly across the country and attend the graduation.

And the Road Trip Begins

I flew into Hartford, Connecticut on my favorite airline Southwest. I must take a moment to say that if you are not already a member of Southwest’s Rapid Rewards program, you should join!!!! It is truly the best airline, with the most entertaining flight crews, and has an ample rewards program. I am always either acquiring or using Rapid Reward Points.

The next morning Victoria picked me up from my hotel, and I was so glad to give her a lot of hugs. We went and had a yummy breakfast and caught up on what has been going on in our lives, as well as our plan for a 2 day road trip through New England. I don’t remember the name of the restaurant and I have no pictures to prove I was there, and that we had slab bacon. Have you ever had that? It is thicker than thick cut bacon and probably the most amazing bacon I have ever had!!! Yum! We then proceeded to head up to Vermont so that I could check it off my travel list. We didn’t really have any plans, but just to do something there so that it counted.

Victoria at Yankee Candle

Yankee Candle Village

As we were driving my daughter saw a sign for the Yankee Candle Village in Deerfield, Massachusetts. She said that she had heard that it was really neat, and she knows that I love candles, so we pulled in! It turned out to be a truly amazing adventure! The store is huge and has many different sections. The first section we entered is much like a country store that you would find at the Cracker Barrel. Then we went into a Christmas Section that was filled with amazing ornaments from around the world, Christmas Villages, and everything you would want or need to decorate for Christmas. The next room was decorated to be a Castle courtyard. Everything in this section was dragons and royalty.

Yankee Candle Christmas Room

In the next area we visited a children’s section, and then a discount candle room. There was a section with little eateries and areas you could sample and purchase fudge and other snacks. And then a huge showroom of Yankee Candles. I love the quality of Yankee Candles and so my daughter and I enjoyed sniffing all of the different scents and, of course, purchasing a few. Finally, there was a candle making room where you could learn everything you would ever want to know about making candles, and bayberry. Very interesting! They have a similar store in Williamsburg, VA and I highly recommend visiting either if you are in the area.

Candle Making

Brattleboro, Vermont

We headed back onto the road and reached Brattleboro, Vermont. As I am working on crossing all 50 states off,  I see a mental check mark in my head whenever I cross over into a new state. I am a serious list maker, so seeing that mental check mark is very satisfying to me! We drove into Brattleboro which is one of the southernmost cities in Vermont. We then drove around town to get a feeling of the place and then headed to a farmer’s market that we had read about online. It was not quite all that we had planned on as there were only 3 vendors. So, I took my daughter’s PeekaPoo for a walk while she made a business phone call and then we were on our way.

I had read about a beautiful covered bridge, so we went to find it. I have never driven over a covered bridge and thought it would be a load of fun. As we were driving my daughter informed me that there is a covered bridge about 20 minutes from our family home in California! I guess I will need to give that one a try too! We found the beautiful bridge, but it was blocked by a large cement brick. We could not drive over it, but took a lovely walk through the bridge and utilized the moment for a few fun photo opps!

Covered Bridge, Brattleboro, VT

Breakfast in Rhode Island

We headed back through New Hampshire to Rhode Island. We stayed that night in a hotel on the border of New Hampshire and Rhode Island. In the morning, we went to a fun, diner style breakfast place called Spoonem’s in Cranston, RI . The décor was so cute, and I loved the people- watching opportunities. The breakfast was delicious and included Johnny Cakes. I have not had Johnny Cakes since I made them with my kids during homeschooling years. I don’t think I have ever seen them on the menu of a breakfast place in California, or, really, anywhere. They were rich and moist and delicious! A Johnny Cake is a Pancake made out of cornmeal. Yum! There was a slight surprise at the end of our meal when we were notified that they do not accept debit/credit cards. Luckily, we ended up having a bit of cash on hand. 

Breakfast at Spoonem’s

Fully fueled we started on a drive through Rhode Island. We didn’t have a lot planned, so we decided to take the scenic route. It was wonderful. The architecture, the sea, the sunshine, and, of course, the conversation. I adore having the opportunity to drive and have a long chat with anyone, but especially my family. My daughter was graduating from a business program and preparing to move across the country to start a new position in Southern California the next week. I loved spending time talking about her reflections on the business leadership program, and her life, as well as hearing about her hopes for the future.

Rhode Island is not an Island

I did realize something that I had never realized before, Rhode Island is not really an Island. Yep, I am not sure why I never realized that before, but it was a bit of a shock as the GPS guided us gently down the East Coast. I was waiting for a long bridge, a ferry ride, something that would take us onto, or, off of, the Island of Rhode Island. Although there are a few little Island- like areas, the state is not an Island. Just thought I should warn anyone like myself who, definitely, did not pay enough attention in geography class!

The View in Rhode Island

At one point we had reached Connecticut and my daughter was talking on the phone with a business associate about plans for her new role. I saw the sign for Mystic, Connecticut and thought I would take a drive through the Iconic town made famous by the movie “Mystic Pizza”. As I slowly drove through the town, I felt an overwhelming sense that my daughter was a complete and total grown- up.

I saw the signs….

I have known that it was happening for quite some time, but I didn’t realize she had arrived. She is a woman, and not a girl. And she is successful, confident, knowledgeable, and highly valued for her abilities. Of course, she is also beautiful, strong, talented, and effervescent. Yep, I think she is pretty amazing. And not just because I am her mama, but because she is, truly, all of those things. As I continued to drive listening to my adult daughter talking on the phone, I breathed a sigh of relief. I know that my daughter will always need me, I am after all her Mama. But I realized that she is launched, and ready for the world. It was a very good feeling.

We picked up a wood- fired pizza and headed to the hotel. I spent a few hours working on my blog and then watched hours of the Office and Seinfeld. I rarely ever stay up late, so it was pretty fun eating pizza and watching TV.

A Special Dinner

The next day I spent working on my blog from the hotel, while my daughter was getting ready for her graduation. We decided on having a special dinner out and went to Ted’s Montana Grill. It was a delightfully decorated restaurant that is a part of a larger chain owned by Ted Turner, but does not feel like it. The first thing I noticed was that they had paper straws. I am always looking for ways to make a change to more sustainable products, as you can read  about here, and here,  so this was a delight to me.

Dinner at Ted’s Montana Grill

I had not been able to have any seafood yet, which is my favorite, so we ordered an amazing crab cake appetizer. It truly had a wonderful flavor. We followed the appetizers by splitting a New York Strip with Garlic Mashed potatoes, and broccoli. I, literally, have no pictures of the steak because it was amazing and we fell upon it! I love that my daughter is always willing to split meals at restaurants as it, typically, ends up being a perfect portion.

The Graduation 

We then headed over to the Connecticut Science Center. Prior to the graduation I had the chance to look around the science center and it is amazing. If you live in Hartford, CT or are planning to travel to the area with your family, I highly recommend it. The exhibits are highly interactive and entertaining, all while teaching important concepts. I then overheard a daughter telling her mother that she had found an elevator for the parents to go up to the higher portion of the stadium. Since I am still in physical therapy for my knee, I not only eavesdropped their conversation…I asked if I could accompany them to the elevator.

I Met a Mom Friend

The next hour was spent chatting with the Mom of another graduate. It was wonderful to talk about our hopes and dreams for our daughters at such a pivotal moment in their business development. We also shared about our lives, our futures, and of course where we had come from. It was a fully engaging conversation and I loved it! My kids always tease me that I come home from my travels knowing so much about a random person I sat next to on a plane, or at a concert, or business conference. I don’t think they are random people; I think that we always gain from sharing a conversation with an  unmet person in a shared experience.

The Covered Bridge

The graduation ceremony started, and I enjoyed spending the evening celebrating all of my daughter’s success in this important milestone. Afterward, there was a lovely hosted event filled with appetizers and dessert bars. After chatting with more graduates and families we took a plate of desserts to go and headed back to my hotel. My daughter and I shared a few more moments together recounting the evening and munching on Sweet Delights.

And the Road Trip Came to An End

When my head hit the pillow, I felt truly thankful that I was fortunate enough to share this special milestone. The next morning after a lot of hugs, and a few tears, I flew home to California.  As I drove home from the airport memories of the trip mingled with  memories of time spent with my daughter throughout her life. Yes, there were a few chuckles on the way home, but also tears as I enjoyed the comfort of knowing that my daughter is on a wonderful journey because of course I know full well that graduations are never the end, but always the beginning of the next leg of the journey. It was a wonderful road trip where I check off two states, and celebrated my amazing daughter’s huge accomplishment. Well worth the time. 

 So, have you ever taken a road trip with one of your kids? Or maybe your parents, just one on one? I found it to be time so very well spent! If you have not, make a plan to do so! If you have, share your memories in the comments below.

Candle Making

And, if you want to hear the amazing story of how I met my daughter Victoria, link to the story here.

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