Despite my claims that I’d love to live in a more remote location (because, um, less people—duh), after living in Vermont for nearly a month, I may have to revise that assertion … or at least clarify it.
I am not exactly an outdoorsy girl. I love the beach, but lakes and mountains aren’t really my jam. I also don’t like cold, snowy or rainy weather. If it wasn’t for my oldest—who’s a senior at Middlebury College—Vermont would not have been my first choice for a month-long pseudo vacation/staycation/work-away-from-home location.
But here we are …
It’s H’s last year playing lacrosse. Because his schedule was front-loaded with home games, my husband and I rented a house near campus for a month, from March 7–April 6.
It was mostly great: getting to see all of H’s home games and traveling to Maine from Vermont rather than Pennsylvania was fantastic. Not having a packed schedule and tons of responsibilities (for a change) was refreshing. And hosting H and his friends for a series of home-cooked meals was super fun (albeit stressful because, after all, I’m me and I overdo everything, which inevitably stresses me out).
What wasn’t great?
For one, the weather. Springtime in Vermont is wild. One day, it’s sunny and 50°, the next it’s 30° and snowing. And as luck would have it, game days were more of the latter. Either cold and rainy, cold and windy, or cold and snowy. Yes, spring lacrosse is a joy! (Thank you, @kmun343, for always sharing your blanket with me
.)
Springtime in Vermont is also known as mud season. As I’m sure you can guess, I’m not a mud girl. I dislike muddy shoes and a muddy car about as much as I dislike sitting out in the cold. Zero stars. Do not recommend.
Also, I got sick. Very, very sick. For days. I thought it was food poisoning (and rightfully panicked, texting H to throw out all the dinner I had dropped of for him earlier that night, just in case), but it may have been norovirus. I heard it was going around campus, plus I had just been in H’s townhouse (8 male athletes in one apartment … I think you can draw your own conclusions about the cleanliness of the place without me saying more).
But the worst part was watching H dislocate his shoulder during a game (after scoring a goal). He missed a full week, which was devastating for him, but at least I was there in person to support him (and bring him to the hospital for X-rays).
Overall, renting a house for a full month was clutch—even if I did get sick and didn’t accomplish as much as I had planned.
This week, we’re back on the road, traveling to see more games before heading back up to Midd for Senior Day later in the month. It’s a lot being a lacrosse parent. A lot of time, a lot of money, and a lot of energy. But seeing your kid do what he loves most makes it all worth it.
—LJDT
