A Day in the Life...: Killing it in Vermont

How can I be so lucky? Sure, I know that some days it’s tough, the hours are long, and I get cranky, but really, everyday of this internship is a gift.

So serene

I’m not trying to be corny, but this six-hour ride in the car has given me loads of time to think. I have decided that for my first internship, there isn’t anywhere else I’d rather be. This opportunity and experience is incredible.

Ok, so now that I’ve got that off my chest, Vermont was pretty bitchin’. Yes, that is the ONLY word that successfully describes my time in Vermont. Bitchin’.

This was my first excursion to the northeast tip of the United States. I have been to Boston and New York, but not in the boondocks of the real ‘tip’ of the U.S. Now I just need to get to Maine to say I’ve been in the extreme northeast…

I traveled from Galena, Ill., with Blair and Kurtis, two other assistants, to Manchester, and then the three of us drove to Killington. It was about a three-hour drive, and we arrived just in time to grab some grub at a nearby restaurant. It was very quaint, set on the bank of a pond at the base of the mountains. Dinner was so relaxing, and it gave me a chance to de-stress from the previous week. It was so wide open in Vermont – never once did I feel cramped or claustrophobic.

It's electric!

After dinner, we drove the three minutes to our lodging. It was a picturesque ski lodge, complete with a fireplace and playing cards. I was amazed at the amount of people we squeezed into that place. There was room for nine people upstairs and four or five downstairs. And we used every little nook and cranny to jam all of our crap in that little ski lodge. I don’t know how we did it with almost ten girls, but we all managed to get ready in the morning in a respectable manner, showers and everything.

Now, I know I claimed that my lack of painted nails was the reason for all the stress last week. I only gathered more substantial evidence for my claim. InfoScore gave me more trouble the first two days we were at the tournament. I was able to paint my nails on the third day, an electric orange, and you know what? The fourth, fifth, and sixth days, ZERO InfoScore trouble. Nail polish is a priority, and a necessity.

The golf course in Killington was very nice. It was very hilly, and several of the holes had elevated tee boxes. It also had a wide variety of wildlife. We had a friendly black bear that kept hanging around the garbage cans, and he even utilized a car to hoist himself into the fenced dumpster. I also saw a few foxes and of course, chipmunks.

I also have to share that the general manager of the golf course had the deepest voice that reminded me of James Earl Jones. I wish I could add audio to this post, as I believe most of you would agree that Mufasa was telling me where No. 7 was on the course…

He was adorable!

Some fun facts from Vermont: Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream was created about 30 minutes from where we were all week. Good thing I didn’t realize how close it was, otherwise I would have done some damage on my day off. Also, one of our juniors fathers, Dan Tyminski, is a Grammy award winning bluegrass musician, who is part of Alison Krauss and Union Station and who wrote songs for the movie, O Brother, Where Art Thou? Oh, and Vermont is one of the most beautiful places I’ve been. I think I might venture to put it in the category of Montana and Aspen…maybe.

We were lucky enough to finish our final round in record time, and so we had a bit of time post-tournament to go for a hike. It was glorious; about a four or five mile hike, and we were able to see one breathtaking view. A nice vigorous hike was just what I needed after a long week. I slept like a baby last night, mostly from exhaustion.

I have one more tournament until my week long break. We are heading to Victor, N.Y., and by the looks of things, we are going to be hooked up for lodging. Hope this last week goes by smoothly. I am definitely looking forward to a little break before the last half of the summer. See you all soon!