Storytelling: Not just for campfires

Looking back at pictures from this fall, I have noticed a recurring theme in how I spent much of my time: listening to stories. Storytelling has become my new favorite form of entertainment. From haunted tours, to storytelling events, to stories told through music, I have been captivated by a vast array of stories, ranging from the hilarious to the bone-chilling. As someone who happens to be an absolute debacler at storytelling (no it's not a word, but really, shouldn't it be?) I am easily engrossed in the stories told by others.

Pomerleau Real Estate Building

In mid-October, I was able to take a Haunted Ghost Tour of Burlington. I had no idea how many hauntings were happening just outside my own front door! Besides the various ghost sightings, I also found out that Burlington was once the home of America's first serial killer, H.H. Holmes, while he briefly attended medical school, and was a lengthy stop for Ted Bundy before he was arrested (interestingly, a young woman was murdered in her apartment during the duration of his stay, but her killer was never caught...). Some of the creepiest stories I heard from that night took place at this building, which I've passed many times. Between this and the multitude of haunted restaurants, I will definitely never look at/walk through/eat in Burlington the same way again.

Another far less creepy storytelling event took place the same weekend at Adam's Berry Farm in Charlotte, VT. A group of friends I know through my roommate host a storytelling event every few months. Inspired by the Moth, the format of these events basically entails delicious food followed by an evening of stories told my some of those in attendance. The stories at this event were hilarious, imaginative, inspiring, and just delightful. And the backdrop of this beautiful barn on this beautiful farm made the evening all the more magical.

 

Living in Vermont has inspired many 'first's for me: first quinoa, first hike up a mountain, first apple picking. But one of the most memorable firsts took place this Halloween season when Martine and I, along with one of her friends visiting from NY, went to a burlesque show called Ghouls and Dolls. The costumes were creative, the music was entertaining, and the show itself was completely and utterly spectacular. The women were all shapes and sizes, and their stories they told through the music and their dance was just as captivating as one telling a story with words. The most memorable one by far took place right after this picture was taken: a story told to the tune of Lana Del Rey's version of Once Upon a Dream. It was totally haunting.

Roomies/Partners in Crime

A photo of the Emcee before the show

The final storytelling event of the season (so far!) was the monthly Moth storytelling that takes place here in Burlington.  The theme changes every month, and this month's theme, Rivals, inspired stories with topics that ranged from deranged squirrels, to political cutthroating, to post offices. The stories were terrific and the setting, the Skinny Pancake, was unbeatable. I can't believe it took so long to go, and can't wait to turn this event into a monthly tradition.

One last look at summer

I think I finally feel ready to say goodbye to summer. At least that's what I'm telling myself. And honestly, this summer was so beautiful and eventful that my wanting it to be longer feels sort of greedy, like asking for a third scoop of ice cream when you know you should stop at two (but if you're already having two, what really is the point of stopping?). So of course it's natural to scroll through photos of the summer, reliving all of its wonderful moments. And though it was filled with classes and moving (twice), I feel like I was still able to make the most of what Vermont had to offer. I can basically summarize my summer with three words: 'work', hiking, and water.

'Work':

As I've alluded to on Facebook and on my previous blog post, I feel dishonest about calling my job 'work'. I was able to meet students from all over the world and take them to the Ben and Jerry's factory, two festivals in downtown Burlington, the theater to see 'Guardians of the Galaxy,' on a dance cruise on Lake Champlain, and on day trips to Montreal and Boston. It was the perfect summer job that wasn't really a job. 

Yes, Montreal is exactly as adorable as you'd imagine

A hike up Mount Royal (Montreal's name sake)
was totally worth it

The highlight of my trip to Boston was seeing
this great girl, a dear friend I met in Belgium

Teaching students the moves to the Cupid Shuffle. Still my
very favorite memory from this silly job

The top of Mt. Philo in Charlotte. This
hike would give me the harmful
over-confidence to hike Camel's Hump,
Vermont's third highest mountain

Hiking:

This summer I learned something about myself: I am a hiker. I think it's always something I knew deep down, but this summer, probably mostly because of Norm, I've been especially motivated to explore and to and to truly challenge myself physically. It also can't go without saying that Vermont's reputation for beauty and mountains and foliage is not one that was earned unjustifiably. From our relatively flat hikes through the forest, to the absurd 3.1 mile hike up a mountain, this summer definitely became one filled with walking shoes and unbeatable views.

The view from Mt. Philo

The beautiful Niquette Bay, my favorite spot
of the summer

The view from Ethan Allen Park

A girl and her dog. Somehow we made it to the top of
Camel's Hump, 4000 feet in elevation

It was much easier to appreciate the beauty of the mountain
on the walk down...

Swimming hole in Richmond, my personal
favorite swimming spot of the summer. It may
have been Norm's, too.

Water:

There is no question that, despite my love of all things maple and leafy and cheesy and mountainy, my undisputed favorite thing about Vermont is being near water. Any water at all. It might have something to do with growing up surrounded by vast farmland, devoid of significant (non-manmade) bodies of water. But being near water here never ceases to be anything but calming. So naturally I was there every chance I had. Having a dog that is more addicted water than I am certainly didn't hurt either. In addition to Lake Champlain, Burlington is close to countless swimming holes and other lakes that made our swimming opportunities seemingly endless.

A little sunset sail

Bristol Falls swimming hole

We had to travel out of state for this, but Lake George in
New York is absolutely stunning

It took a few tries, but we finally found the perfect beach to
enjoy the Lake George in Ticonderoga

One of dozens Norm swimming in the lake pictures

Why we go to the lake, in a nutshell

So with all of these amazing things that I was able to do this summer (and this is not including seeing my very favorite senator Elizabeth Warren speak, moving into a new beautiful apartment with a new beautiful roommate, seeing one of my very favorite bands Nickel Creek, plus traveling to Maryland, Pennsylvania and North Carolina to see family), I really feel greedy asking for more. It's time to switch out the maple creemees for apple crisp and pumpkin beer. I'm ready for you, fall.

One Year Vermontiversary

It was exactly one year ago today (almost to the minute!) that I arrived in this Green Mountain state that I now call home. A lot has happened and changed in this last year, and though this next year will have some pretty major differences, I know that it will still have many good things in store.

New Home, New Roommates
For those who don't know (and probably anyone reading this already knows) Clint has moved back to Iowa to start a new job at KDSM FOX 17 in a similar position he had before moving to Vermont. Vermont, or at least Burlington, is not known for its abundant jobs, and he had been feeling pretty disconnected from a work environment that would utilize his media talents, so this is a really positive professional change for him.

So Norm and I are taking on Vermont 'solo'. We are in a new apartment, have two new roommates, and are doing tons of exploring. Of course it's difficult without Clint, but we are making the most of our new little home.

New Job


Students from Columbia

Students from Tokyo, Japan

Sometimes in life everything aligns in such a way that you sort of find yourself asking, "How am I able to do this again?" That's how I feel about my new job at St. Michael's as a Student Assistant. My role is to welcome and acclimate our school's abundant international student population to both the school and to Vermont. The summer at St. Mike's is an excellent opportunity for students all over the world to come to study and perfect their English.

Getting paid to go to Ben and Jerry's? Yes please!

And as part of my job description, I get to take students on a:
-Tour of the Ben and Jerry's factory
-Dance cruise on Lake Champlain
-Day trip to Boston
-Day trip to Montreal
Not to mention all the fun things we get to do on campus and around Burlington. For me, it has definitely become a job that makes me constantly ask, "And I'm getting PAID to do this??"

In addition to the very best summer job, I also have new plans for the fall. My position as an ELL teacher changed at the end of this spring, so I needed to find a new job for the fall. And, similar to my St. Mike's job, a new one sort of fell into my lap. Last fall I was able to sub a few times at Mater Christi, a Catholic school in Burlington, and I always enjoyed my time there, probably because its warm and supportive environment reminded me so much of my last school, St. Francis. As it so happened, one of the teachers I subbed for is due to have a baby September 1st, and apparently I was the teacher's first choice for a long-term sub. I accepted with excitement and relief, and can't wait to get started. I will be teaching fourth and fifth grade language arts, and I can't wait to impart all of my new grammar and literary nerdiness I have been building on as a grad student.

New Classes
In addition to working on campus this summer, I am also taking two classes. The classes and work keep me pretty busy, but I am so happy with my switch to this new program that the busy-ness is welcomed (though clearly, as the rest of the pictures will show, I still find plenty of free time as well). My classmates are awesome and my coursework is challenging and interesting--pretty much all I was hoping for in a grad school experience. At the end of this summer, I will officially be halfway done with my program (!) with plans to graduate next May.

New Adventures
Since this is most likely going to be my last summer in Vermont, I have been making an effort to try something new every week. So far I have been able to:

Listen to Senator Elizabeth Warren, and become reminded again of why I admired her in the first place

Have a wine, cheese, and bread picnic on the lake

Pick strawberries for the first time

Take Norm to the beach...multiple times

Watch the Fourth of July fireworks in Stowe, Vermont, rated one of the top ten best places in the country to celebrate Independence Day

And this is just the beginning! I am still hoping to explore new towns, go sailing, hike a mountain or two, and soak up all of Vermont that I can.
It's been an exciting year, Vermont. Here's to another one!

Spring Break 2014: South of the Border in Nueva York

March 14, 2014

They warned us about the Vermont winters. We didn't listen. Due to our arrogance, perhaps even outright cockiness, we scoffed at the threat of these harsh Vermont winters. We're Midwesterners, we boasted. We don't have the luxury of mountains and trees to block 60 mile an hour wind gusts in Iowa. We have white outs, blowing and drifting snow that makes it impossible to drive, and bitterly dangerous wind chills. So we puffed out our chests and said, “Vermont, do your worst.”

Vermont did its worst.

It's not that it's so much colder than the Midwest. It was cold everywhere


Norm seemed to be the only one
who loved this long winter

this winter. The thing is, it never ends. As I write this, it's 37 degrees and it's snowing. For comparison, the high in Minneapolis today is 73 degrees. Before this past Monday, it had not reached 60 degrees in over 140 days. And it lasted one day. Burlington is also further north than Des Moines, which means the days were darker for longer. I think we both got cabin fever. We decided to go where it's warm.

The beautiful, sunny, subtropical New York City, the French Riviera of the Hudson River.

Save for two separate trips back to Iowa around the holidays, Tori and I had not left the Burlington area since our getaway to Salem in October. With no end to winter in sight, we decided we had to head south before we started to reenact scenes from The Shining. While New York doesn't immediately strike one as a warm and sunny Spring Break destination, compared to Vermont, it was practically Cancun. Even though it's less than a six hour drive south of Burlington, New York seems a world away. When we left Burlington it was 28 degrees and snowing. That Saturday in New York, it was 64 degrees without a single trace of snow.

Tori with her Luther friend Jake

We arrived on a Friday, the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament. We met up with my old buddy Nate, ate some falafel, and went out for drinks at The Turkey's Nest in Brooklyn. We watched his Gonzaga Bulldogs play while drinking Budweiser from 32oz styrofoam cups. Tori left us to our beer and basketball to go meet up with an old Luther College friend. In a weird twist of fate, her friend lives three blocks from my friend Nate, where we were staying for the weekend. Nate and I watched Iowa State win their first round game before calling it a night.

The next day was the perfect day. Tori and I got up early and headed to the Upper West Side in Manhattan. We found a French bistro with prix fixe brunch. Tori ate pancakes and I had boudin sausage with eggs. It was delicious. We drank coffee and mimosas. Tori attempted to speak French to our waiter, but just ended up embarrassing the both of us.

After brunch we killed time by walking over to Riverside Park and we daydreamed about living

there. Always a dangerous side effect of our trips to New York. We walked up to West 115th and met up with one of my professors from USC who lives near Columbia University. Her husband, an actor, joined us and the four of us went to the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. We walked around inside, admiring the architecture, the stained glass windows, and the tapestries. We looked at the albino peacock outside in the churchyard. It was a wonderful experience.
 

Stroll through Central Park

We bid farewell to our new friends and made our way to Central Park. We walked around the park for awhile until Tori had to catch the subway to Midtown. Her big spring break splurge was on a ticket to the Broadway show and Tony Award winner Kinky Boots. I will let her tell you about it. (Tori, here. It was amazing! Go see it!)

I crossed the park over to my old neighborhood, the Upper East Side. It was a weird feeling. So many things were different. Some not surprising, the old Blockbuster Video is closed and in its place is a bank. So many bars and pizza places were closed that I used to frequent, perhaps I was keeping them open? I walked by my old apartment. It had gotten a facelift, no more piles of garbage with rats out front, which means I probably couldn't afford to live there now. It even had an awning, so fancy. They were building a huge, ugly high-rise apartment building right next to it. It looked completely out of place next to the 5 story prewar walkups that line the street. There was a new fancy craft beer store across from my old apartment, which I am very thankful did not exist when I lived there, or else I would have been even more broke than I was. Some things had not changed, including the greasy Chinese take out place I always ordered from.

 I made my way to Papaya King on East 86^th and 3^rd Ave. Even though I lived 10 blocks away from it for two years, I never made it there. I kept putting it off, taking it for granted. Not anymore. I got two New York hot dogs, one with relish, onions, and spicy mustard, and one with sauerkraut and spicy mustard. Filled with frankfurters and satisfaction, I took the train back to Nate's in Brooklyn. It was a fun afternoon stroll down memory lane.

After her show, Tori took a train to Cobble Hill in Brooklyn and found a coffee shop to sit outside at

while she read and drank a latte. Again, it was sunny and 64 degrees. I think she could have stayed there all night. Instead I met up with her, along with Nate and his special lady Becky, and the four of us went out for dinner and cocktails at Char No. 4, one of those hip new places that makes expensive southern and soul food. It had over 300 whiskeys. We ate fried pimento cheese, braised collard greens with bacon, shrimp and grits, and pulled pork. Nate and I drank whiskey. It was a wonderful end to one of the best days either of us have ever had in New York.

We did

On Sunday, we headed to Bay Ridge, Brooklyn (Saturday Night Fever), for their annual St. Patrick's Day Parade. It's been going on since the 1990s and is always held on the Sunday after St. Patrick's Day. I went for the first time last year when my friend Matt Baird, who is a DC Firefighter, marched with the pipe and drums band in the parade. I have never been a St. Patrick's Day person, but I had such a blast last year that I had to go again and this time bring my proud Irish wife. Tori loved it. We're going back again next year. The whole day was great. Tori had three food goals for our trip to New York. She wanted to get slices of pizza, order Chinese takeout, and eat greasy diner food. After the parade, we got Tori a slice of pizza. She liked it so much we went back two hours later for more pizza, and some garlic knots. At one bar, Tori made friends with some middle aged neighborhood gals who talked to Tori as if they were old friends. They were selling Irish-themed breast cancer t-shirts to raise money for their friend who had breast cancer. Tori bought one. It has pink shamrocks where one's nipples would be. It's pretty neat.

But the highlight of the day was when we ended up at O'Sullivan's, a corner Irish bar that Baird and I

spent hours at last year. It's definitely the most old school, townie kind of bar compared to the rest of the bars with younger clientele in the neighborhood. We found a spot at the end of the bar and stayed for close to five hours. In that time, Tori sang “Little Willy Willy Won't Go Home,” with a man dressed head to toe in denim, including an American flag embroidered jean jacket, she met a widow who shared with her that she has not had sex since her husband died and that she is, “OK with that,” and we watched Iowa State beat North Carolina in a weird, wild game. At the exact moment that the refs called the game, saying time had expired and declaring Iowa State the winner, a pipe and drums band walked into the bar and started playing. It was the perfect timing. At the moment, we thought they were playing for Iowa State! A guy next to me saw me cheering for Iowa State and mentioned he went to Dayton, so we took a shot together celebrating the two teams making the Sweet 16. Then I had a few more shots. Tori ended up ordering Chinese to our hotel room. I was...asleep.

That Monday morning, before hitting the road back to Vermont, we decided to fulfill Tori's final wish of greasy diner food at my favorite one, the Bridgeview Diner in Bay Ridge. It did not disappoint. The surly old Greek owner, the static-y radio station playing loudly, the cashier getting into a curse word-laden fight with a customer, and the very Brooklyn young mother in the booth next to us making her toddler take “flirty poses” with her phone. It was the perfect ending to a fun-filled, food-filled, sight-seeing, bar-hopping, Spring Break extravaganza in Nueva York. And it was exactly what we needed to get through the rest of the Vermont winter.

 

Daydreaming of warmer days

We love Vermont. We're just not in love with Vermont. At least not right now. I'm sure we will make up in time to go to the beach in June.

Mardi Gras

Each year, Magic Hat Brewery, based here in Burlington, puts on a Mardi Gras party that takes over the whole of downtown Burlington (we argued it should be called Samedi Gras since it's on a Saturday...know your French, Burlington!) Though it certainly doesn't come close to the scope of New Orleans, this Mardi/Samedi Gras celebration was one that was truly memorable.


Sambatucada, a very Caucasian band with some fantastic "Afro-Brazilian beats"



Enjoying the show. Beer is much harder to drink outdoors when it's only 26 degrees.
But we managed just fine.



 

A quick view of the crowd that came to the parade.
(Catch a glimpse of the lake at the end!)

 

I don't think I'll ever need to hire a construction company, but if I did, it would be this one.
This song was probably one of the best things to happen to them.





 I took the lyrics to "Shake, Shake, Shake Senora" a little too literally.
Sorry that it's so bumpy...

 

 

 

Trying to stay warm during the very chilly parade



We made it a Hurricane...



Even the mannequins at Lululemon were in on the action!

 

How'd we get all those beads? We'll never tell...

 

I wish I had taken more photos. The pictures and videos I've included don't capture just how lively the city of Burlington became for this occasion (Click here to see what all it entailed). I've never seen so many people out at once! And even though it was cold, it seemed like no one wanted to miss out. Until next year, Samedi Gras.

Ten Things We Think Everyone Should Know About Vermont

Recently, a former classmate of mine posted a link that listed 10 Strange Things Everyone Should Know About Vermont. There were some items that I wholeheartedly agreed were worth knowing; others, I thought, weren't as relevant. Using this list as inspiration, I decided to make my own list (in no particular order) for everyone I know who has yet to visit this wonderful state.



Maple Ice Cream-
First Taste of Vermont Maple Syrup

1. Vermonters KNOW Maple Syrup
Before moving to Vermont, we knew that Vermont was synonymous with good maple syrup. What I didn't realize, however, was that I had never really had maple syrup until I moved here. In Iowa, most syrup might have "maple flavoring" but won't actually say "Maple Syrup". That's because those syrups don't actually have any maple in them! We have learned about the grades of syrup: Grade A Light Amber, Grade A Medium Amber, Grade A Dark Amber, and Grade B and have sampled them all. And any syrup we have had since we moved here has been truly Maple. It's inevitable, then, that we have become total maple snobs. As Clint just stated this morning, "I don't care if it costs more, I don't think I can go back to non-maple syrup."

2. Vermonters LOVE Snow Sports
I had no idea until I moved here just how enthusiastic residents here were for the mountains nearby. I

Stowe Ski Resort 

normally associate slope-loving with Colorado and other western states, but skiing and snowboarding have a very strong cultural presence here. And for good reason! There has been snow on the ground here since Thanksgiving. And it doesn't look like it's going anywhere anytime soon. So Vermonters have embraced their climate with total enthusiasm, and seem to fill the mountains every given chance. We have yet to ski ourselves (we did sample some libations at a nearby ski resort), though that will probably change before the season is over.

3. Downtown Burlington Kicked Out a McDonald's
I was thrilled to learn before I moved here that Burlington is one of the only cities that has successfully kicked out a McDonald's in its city center. The city has fully embraced the farm-to-table mentality, not to mention the fair treatment of employees, which the city believed was not represented in its most frequented McDonald's. Instead, it has been replaced by a restaurant called the Farmhouse, by far the most popular restaurant in all of Burlington. It is delicious, centrally located, and prioritizes where it gets its food.
Read More

4. Vermont Loves Its Festivals

Festival of Fools

In the summer, it seemed like there was a new festival every weekend. There was the Festival of Fools that showcased a wide variety of circus acts, the Maritime Festival, an Art Festival, the Book Festival (I know, I was excited too!) a couple of Octoberfests, a Holiday Festival, and many more. Just this weekend, there was a Winter Festival to cheer up the Vermonters who have been blue from all of this cold. Apparently Vermont can't go a month without having a festival. And in a few weeks, the Mardi Gras festival will be taking over the town. It won't be New Orleans, but it should offer plenty of opportunities for mischief!

5. Vermont Has BANNED Billboards
That's right! Since 1968, Vermont has not allowed any commercial billboards so as not to obstruct its beautiful scenery. And it's understandable-why would anyone want to limit a view like this?
Read More



6. Vermont Businesses Are Good to Our Community

What do Green Mountain Coffee, Ben and Jerry's, and Cabot Cheese all have in common? The obvious answer is that they are all based in Vermont, which is awesome in itself. What's even more impressive, I have found out, is that they take their influences on the broader Vermont community very seriously. For one, all three businesses take part in business practices that are environmentally friendly. They also treat their employees very well, with fair wages and great benefits. Green Mountain Coffee (for those Keurig lovers out there) offers employees paid time off for volunteer work, space for wellness activities (like yoga) and matches costs incurred through adoption. If I wasn't a teacher, I might seriously consider working for these other companies! Though, do I really need even closer access to coffee??

7. Vermont Has No Law Against Public Nudity
My grandpa actually sent me an article about this before moving here last summer. Though I appreciated the warning, I actually haven't seen any of evidence of this...yet.
Read More

Shelburne Museum Goes to the Dogs!

8. Vermonters LOVE Their Dogs!
I have alluded to this in a previous post, but it's worth mentioning here, too. This could probably refer to pets in general, but as a dog owner, I see it especially with dogs. This is evident in the size and quality of dog parks (the city provides its equipment and toys!), the allowance of dogs into venues like drive-in theaters and outdoor dining at restaurants, and just in the number of pedestrians who stop and pet and remark at Norm as we walk by (I definitely reciprocate this when I walk by other dogs). The Chittenden County Humane Society where I have just started volunteering has explained that it is actually low on dogs right now because Vermonters are so good at adopting from shelters. And as I've mentioned repeatedly on Facebook, it might be hard to continue spending time there without bring home a new furry friend for ourselves...

9. Vermont Has Fainting Goats!
It sounds just as weird as it actually is. Apparently once endangered, a farm located on the island of North Hero in Lake Champlain is just one of a handful of farms who breeds this special kind of goat.
Read More

Yoga on Church Street

10. Vermonters Are WICKED Healthy
Vermont was ranked the second healthiest state last year (behind Hawaii), after six years of being ranked first. The rankings were based on residents who have health insurance, obesity rate, number of violent crimes, physical activity, and more. I would argue that the push for local, organic, and sustainable food and business also has something to do with this ranking as well.
Read More

Ready to move here yet?
To see the original list that inspired our own, click here.