Tag Archives: Vermont

“The Shire” – Vermont

I grew up in the tiny, tiny Northern Vermont town of Berkshire, VT. When I say tiny, I mean I’m pretty sure there’s more cows than people, even now. I thought, what better way to introduce Vermont than to first introduce the town where I was raised! Here’s a glimpse into my childhood. The more things change, the more they seem to stay the same.

View from my parents land.

A few facts:

2000 Census Population: 1,300 people
One store / gas station.
Elementary school is Kindergarten thru 8th grade.

High school? We can pick which high school we would like to attend from one of the neighboring towns.
Two restaurants (one is only open in the summer, the other just opened up), one bar.

MANY, many family owned dairy farms.

It’s a place where “Everyone knows your name”.
Canada is in our backyard. Literally.
‘West Berkshire’, ‘Berkshire Center’ and ‘East Berkshire’ constitute as ‘The Town of Berkshire’.
Closest grocery store – about 15 minutes away.
Traffic? It’s either a car going slower than 50 on the main road or a tractor, probably a tractor.
Not one stop light in town. Not one.

A few more important buildings (considering we have them)…

The Lady of the Lourdes Catholic Church in East Berkshire.

We have a fire department, volunteer only. My dad was a volunteer fire fighter when I was growing up. The big fires were the barn fires from wet hay.

This is the Berkshire Town Hall. I will say this is “new” to me. This building has obviously always sat here but it was recently renovated and it looks pretty nice. The previous town clerks office was about the size of my bedroom… ok probably a little bigger than my bedroom but not that much. This is nice, I’d be interested to go inside.

Finally, coming into East Berkshire from Berkshire Center…. we love those Green Mountains in the background. It makes a sight for sore eyes. I can never get sick of looking at those peaks. The point part of the mountains in the background is Jay Peak (ski resort).

Here’s a little glimpse into my homeland. This town holds a really special place in my heart. If you have any questions about the town or what it was like to grow up here, I’d love to hear them!

Vermont 2013 – Get Ready

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Flying into Burlington International Airport. 08/24/2013

One of my absolute favorite views is flying into Burlington International Airport in Vermont. Breathtaking views, beautiful Green Mountains but most of all it means that I’m home!

Get ready for great posts about my home state of Vermont. I couldn’t have asked for a better place to grow up and attend college and I’m wicked excited to be sharing it with you! So although my posts will be scarce this week, get ready for a ton of fun in the near future!

How I Got To Texas: My Story

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It’s pretty amazing the people that we meet in life and how we get to the place we’re at. I’m pretty intrigued with hearing people’s stories and thought about how we all got to where we’re at. I’ve decided to start a series called “How I Got To Texas” which will introduce you to some of my fellow blogging friends and learn a bit about their background and how they got to the great state of Texas.

Back in sixth grade, I tried to convince one of my friends that we were going to move to Texas together when we “grew up” and write country songs. She didn’t go for it and the dream quickly dissipated. Never would I have thought how it would all pan out (minus writing the country songs – at least not yet.)

My Story

My story actually starts back in 2006. One of my good friends (Heather) graduated college a semester early and moved to Texas in January 2006. That May, as a graduation gift to myself I had planned a trip visiting friends throughout the country and Texas was on the itinerary. A week after I saw Heather at our college graduation, we met up again in Texas. I hated it. I said I would never move here. It was busy, over populated and it was busy.

Mama always said, “Never say never!”

Fast Forward – October 2007

I had wanted to move out of Vermont for, well, a really long time. I grew up there, went to college there and then was working there for a year and a half after graduation. I just wanted to try something different. Where to go? Heather happened to be getting married (in Texas) in October of 2007 and I took another opportunity to make a multi-stop trip. On the way to her wedding, I took a detour to Colorado/Wyoming to visit another friend from college. I found myself driving all over Colorado and Wyoming for three to four days and realized, as much as I loved the landscape, I didn’t know a soul.

Then I arrive in Texas, ready to have the time of my life at this wedding, because, well, I wasn’t going to see these people again. Let’s make the most of it. (It’s probably a good idea to just start laughing about this now.) Everyone knew I was thinking about moving and everyone had a plan – to get Diana to Texas. First, it started with Heather’s dad and sister. Then it progressed to a few other friends. To make a long story short, by the end of the weekend, I had pretty much made my decision… I was headed to Texas.

In March of 2008, I packed up my belongings, filled my car, said my “see-ya-laters” and left Vermont on a very cold morning. I think it was about -10 Fahrenheit. Pit stops and must see destinations were made along the way (NYC, Philadelphia, Louisville and Graceland). Then on St. Patrick’s Day, after driving hours through tornado weather in East Texas, I had arrived.

Fast Forward – 2013

Traveling and exploring new places have apparently always been something that I’ve enjoyed, although not necessarily something that I knew I was keeping up with as a hobby. I started my blog as a way to show my family everything I doing and then it’s evolved into something a little bigger and I’m glad I get to share my experiences with all of you.

Texas, especially in the last year, has really grown a special place in my heart. Although, Vermont will always be my number one, Texas is a close second. There’s just something about it, the rural country, the cowboy boots, the music, the Western lifestyle, the fact that there’s something going on all the time or that this place is so big and there’s every type of landscape. Luckenbach, Gruene, dancehalls, Texas Rangers baseball and those old windmills in the fields just do it for me.

I’m now familiar with BBQ, Mexican menu’s, and making sweet tea. (Although, I typically stick to enchiladas on the menu’s and I’ve been reminded that I am a Yankee and I need a Texan to tell me what good BBQ is.) I enjoy eating stuffed jalapeños and can make some pretty good chicken enchiladas. I’ve got two stepping down and could dance all night if I had a good partner. I own cowboy boots and I’m not scared to throw around a good “y’all” or “right quick” every now and again. I like to think it’s a great blend of the North and the South.

I’m not entirely sure where life is going to bring me but I’m glad that life brought me to Texas.