Two scoops of heaven

Last week, the Smelmooo and I took off for a belated anniversary trip to New England. We started off in Vermont, where the Smelmooo had a conference for work, and then took off to Connecticut, where we used a gift certificate that Minnams and Dave gave us for our wedding (thanks, guys!), for two nights at a little inn.

Everyone had told us that the first year of marriage is the hardest, which seems a little hard to believe; I guess we're still sorting out the Odd Couple business with my being messy and scatterbrained and the Smelmooo being...not messy or scatterbrained, but on the whole I feel like we had a pretty good time. Anyway, our waitress our last night in Connecticut told us the first two years are the hardest, but then went on to say that she got divorced after seven years. So I'm sort of thinking we shouldn't believe anyone on this point and should just go along our merry way.

So I'd never been to Vermont before, and I'm not sure that I'm cut out for it. It was lovely -- the leaves were gorgeous; there was tons of open space; it was quiet and sort of rustic and just what I'd pictured it would be. But it seemed to be populated with people who are much cooler than I am, and I was a little intimidated and couldn't help thinking that everyone was looking at me with some modestly veiled contempt. Everyone was outwardly pleasant, but I felt like inside they were thinking I was a big jackass from Jersey. I don't know; maybe I'm projecting.

One of the very best parts of the Vermont trip -- besides, you know, quality time with my husband, blahblahblah -- was the visit to the Ben & Jerry's factory. I was like a five-year-old; I was just so excited to be there and to see everything and to get free samples and a t-shirt and everything! We were on the first tour of the morning, and we arrived a little early so we could explore the Flavor Graveyard on the outskirts of the property, where they have headstones with odes to flavors that are no more.

My very favorite was:

Our Dearly Departed
White Russian

A concoction so to-die-for
We were forever in its debt
As the liquer kicked the budget
We just had to say "nyet."
1986-2002

Hee.

So we had our 30-minute tour with Henry, who seemed like the quintessential Vermont stoner guy, which I appreciated; he didn't seem so much filled with contempt as needing some caffeine or an aspirin or something. We watched a movie about Ben and Jerry, the founders, and then saw the factory workers (who seemed sort of disgruntled, even though they're working for this supposedly great company, so I had some mixed feelings about this part, but I'm repressing it because the rest of the experience was so great) making the two flavors of the day, peanut butter cup and strawberry cheesecake.

Then we got our free samples, one scoop of mint chip and one of Cherry Garcia, which I'd never had before but which I now love. Mission accomplished, B&J factory tour -- I'm hooked, and happy to pay four bucks for a pint of it.

And then I got my t-shirt, which again made me ridiculously happy, and the Smelmooo just sort of smiled and shook his head and let me do my thing, because that's what you do when you're married for a whole 54 weeks. Thanks, honey, for humoring me! I'm a very lucky duck.