Hey there, readers! How is it the start of another work week already??
Coming back from any weekend is always tough but when you’ve come off the heels of a girls trip Monday is pure dread.
This weekend I travelled to the picturesque North Conway, NH for a much-anticipated getaway with long time family friends. We were staying in my family’s newly owned house right near downtown North Conway and the two “mom’s” and four sisters hadn’t seen each other (all together) in quite some time so we were all excited to reconnect.
Our adventure started early on Friday morning. I took the day off along with my sister and mom so we could head up North post morning traffic. We left my house around 10:00 am and arrived at 12:30 pm.
Tired and disheveled but SO happy to be out of the car!
Our “second family” wasn’t arriving until that evening so we decided to grab some lunch and spend a few hours by the pool. While waiting for our sandwiches at The Island Chef, a small and delicious cafe/market, I opted for our first group photo.
Pictured from left: Alice, Mom, and Erin. Thanks, sister for the wild grin 🙂
Erin (my older sister) was not feeling her look that morning and her maniacal smile was all I could get her to do. This was her attempt to boycott our “themsie” but she is still a beauty, like our mom!
We soaked up the sun and ran some errands before settling into the house for the evening. The other girls – Allison, Mrs. M, and Erin (yes there are two of them) arrived just in time for dinner and the longest game of Life* I have ever played. Total playing time was 3 hours. As Jamie Foxx says, blame it on the aaa-a-alcohol. #Anythingcanbeadrinkinggame #Winefordays.
Saturday’s plan was a 5 mile kayak trip on the Saco river. I added my own extra 5 mile morning run to keep up with my 1/2 marathon training. Normally I would dread having to do any extra exercise before a full afternoon of physical activity, but the views were breath-taking and worth every bead of sweat.
An incredible finish line.
The Saco river was unbelievable! The water was crisp, clear, and very inviting on a hot day. We had all been kayaking before and immediately took off to take in the scenery. The company we booked through did not mess around with safety and we all made sure to sign our lives away well before stepping foot in a kayak. They also had this sign posted right at check-in.
The kayak company throwing some shade at Disney!
Most of the river was quite calm and carried us through easily but we encountered some strong currents and mild rapids which caused Mrs. M to flip three separate times. Each time was funnier than the last. Don’t worry, this was after we had assessed that no kayak or person was injured – we aren’t that cruel!
We stopped half way through and had a picnic on a beach. We were famished and needed to dry off after getting caught in a flash thunderstorm that drenched us from head to toe.
Grinning gals (though I thought we were doing funny faces). Clearly mistaken.
Our kayaking adventure came to an end in the late afternoon and we went back to the house to shower and hang out before going to dinner. We chose a local spot called Horsefeathers which did not disappoint. Our meals ranged from fish & chips and sirloin steak to burgers and crab cakes – all super scrumptious.
Even better than the food were the drinks. My go to libation is the dirty martini so I immediately went for their “Hot & Dirty” which pairs grey goose vodka with both olive and jalapeno juice.
Perfection.
After a few too many drinks we had a little photo shoot in our booth.
Allison, Erin, and Mom!
Alice, Erin, and Mrs. M. Family twinning!
Alice and Erin (youngest “sis” and oldest “sis” between our two families).
We ended Saturday night with more drinks back at the house, the quickest game of Simpson Clue I have every played ( total playing time 10 minutes thanks to my sister, Erin, being a genius at cracking the case) and watching a movie before hitting the hay.
Sunday was spent packing up our belongings, eating breakfast at our favorite spot Peach’s, and walking/shopping in downtown North Conway before heading home.
The entire getaway came to an end by 8pm on Sunday when I flopped down on the couch next to Gear and caught him up on the latest news/gossip/shenanigans from the weekend.
It’s amazing to have people in life that you know will always be there. Even if its months before you see each other again you know that when you do get together its as if no time has passed at all. I know Joy has similar friends that she talked about in her “Devil Went Down to Georgia” post and we are both lucky ducks.
If you have never been to North Conway, NH I highly recommend spending a weekend – there are amazing local shops, food, and you really can’t beat the views.
Keep a lookout for the other side of North Conway when Gear and I head up next weekend for some wedding festivities!
-Alice
*The game of Life simulates a person’s travels through his or her life, from college to retirement, with jobs, marriage, and possible children along the way. This time around I chose to go straight to career and ended up as an entertainer making $80K/year with one husband, one child, and a 50 acre farmhouse. Oh, and I also wrote a best-selling novel and won a game show. Signs of my future?… #canIswitch #youhavetoplaytowin
Ginger Couture 