Mike's Marathon Blog

Ok, I know what you’re thinking. Scratch the question from the last post. Updated question: why would you ever spend your babymoon with your in-laws at the Trapp Family Lodge!?!?

Right off the bat, spending your babymoon at a hotel with the word ‘family’ in the title is probably against the babymoon rules. Having your mother-in-law follow you around all week is like rule #3 of what not to do on your babymoon. The answer to the question: it was FREE!

We’ve already spent a boatload of money on this baby and for all I know, Jack’s just had one too many chipburgers over the past 6 months (this is a perfect example of how I must remember to say ‘just kidding’ after any of my witty 1-liners to the pregger). Jack’s parents had to use one of their timeshares, so they asked us to fill some of the empty space in the condo for the week. Hey, you don’t have to ask me twice! If the hills are alive with the sound of me saving some ‘doe’, I’m all for it!

I actually enjoy the Trapp Family Lodge. Stowe itself is an amazing town with plenty of ‘foodie’ restaurants, shopping, hotels and plenty to do for everyone. If you’re ever in Stowe, you need to at least drive up to the Trapp. The property is enormous (over 2,500 acres) and the views of the ‘lively’ hills are stunning. It snowed over 8 inches when we were up there and the scenery was extraordinary (you can even tell from all of these little thumbnail pictures). I personally enjoy the Trapp for all the recreational attractions such as the plethora of snowshoe/x-country skiing trails, indoor pool, outdoor hot tub overlooking the mountains, sauna, yoga and brand new gym.

I had the same schedule for the 3 full days we were there: breakfast, snowshoe a few miles, P90X, pool, hot tub, sauna, shower, lunch, movie, dinner, movie, dessert (linzertortes and apfelstrudels, of course). If that’s not the perfect day, I don’t know what is?

The snowshoe/x-country trails at the Trapp are 2^nd to none. They have over 65 miles of trails and the majority of them are groomed. Stowe still has tons of snow and we took full advantage of it.

Jack’s dad snowshoed with us one day, but the other times it was just me, Jack and her mom, Lance Armstrong. The snowshoeing was pleasant minus the stops for Lance to pee in the woods, draw our ‘game plan’ in the snow with a stick and check her heart rate to make sure she was always ‘in the zone.’ Lance was bored silly on the groomed, flat trails her pregnant daughter and I were taking and kept trying to pressure us into a 6-mile, 5-hour, hike up Mount Mansfield. She eventually did it alone while the rest of us visited the Ben and Jerry’s factory in Waterbury. True story.

Lance even decided to join me for a P90X session one morning. She wanted to follow that up with a death match on the ping-pong table in the game room, but I told her there was a sign that read ‘No Swearing, Keeping Score or Throwing Paddles,’ so she obviously couldn’t play. I believe she eventually made her way to the pool to do laps and bet the kids that she could hold her breath underwater longer than them.

All and all, the babymoon was a success. Jack got to relax, spend some downtime with her family and friends and most importantly, try the new Ben and Jerry’s ice cream with chunks of potato chips (crazy preggers and their weird cravings).

Who was the most depressed that the babymoon was over? Not me, not Jacky, but Tula! When we go on vacation, Tula goes on vacation……..at my parent’s house. She usually gets the all-inclusive, all you can eat and nap package when she stays there. Dragging her home is more difficult than getting Jacky’s mom to stop jogging in place in the sauna.

Our next stay at the Trapp will be completely different, to say the least. There will still be snowshoeing, swimming and trips to Ben and Jerry’s, but with an extra pair of tiny snowshoes, some arm floaties and a kiddie cone. The Trapp ‘Family’ Lodge will surely have a whole new meaning.