Last week I gave you the run down of my 24-hour driving trip but that was just the opening act. At the end of that drive began my vacation in New Hampshire, in the town of Hooksett. A week of seeing snow, shopping, and most importantly spending time with some unbelievably amazing people.
Thursday
We drove into Hooksett close to 9 p.m. It was great to see snow falling for the very first time and to see piles of it on the ground – it was so magnificently beautiful. We had dinner at Josh's family at his favorite Mexican restaurant – Shorty's. It was a funny thing when I realized that each time I had met Mr. Cote we had been at a Mexican restaurant. I suppose we started a tradition! The best thing on the menu? The fried ice-cream. A scoop of vanilla, rolled in a light dough, fried and tossed in cinnamon sugar – YUM.
Friday
Friday morning, while watching Live with Kelly and drinking warm blueberry coffee, courtesy of the wonderful Mrs. Cote, I found out I was allergic to real Christmas trees! It's funny to think I didn’t know but growing in Florida we always had artificial trees. Then after lunch with friends at the Ninety Nine, I was shown the whole town of Hooksett and Manchester.
It was amazing to see the small town in New Hampshire, how beautiful its buildings and fixtures were, all covered in snow. Then, what better way to end the night than with Chinese takeout (have you ever had a scallion pancake? They are amazing!) and board games with Josh, his sister Liz, and her boyfriend Matt(haniel).
Saturday
This was probably the day filled with the most! We drove a few hours north (yes, you can go more north than I already was and yes it did grow colder and we drove up!) to a small town of North Conway. North Conway was terribly beautiful, a small town with "mom and pop" stores. My favorite stop? Zeb's General Store. Zeb's is an old timey country store with bottled soda, hand-made soup and candies, and very good people.
This is a good time to point out how kind the people of New Hampshire were. Everyone was full of genuine smiles. It made me happy to see and meet so many nice people. I also was able to purchase Moxie Soda, which reminded me of "Lost in Yonkers" one of my favorite movies so being the nerd I am I had to have it! Mr. and Mrs. Cote were so sweet to me, I became their son and they made sure I had plenty of souvenirs to remember my trip.
We left Zeb's with souvenirs, a sweatshirt, and gifts for the whole family we moved onto a beef jerky store. I never had salmon jerky, but I am sure glad I discovered its amazing taste. I promise, once you get past the smell it is worth it! It was also nice to meet the owners of a small store that sold footie pajamas and really cool socks which Mrs. Cote gave to me. We started up a conversation and to my surprise, her daughter happened to be in Florida – how cool is that?
That evening I met Josh's childhood friend Zac. We had leftover Chinese and began watching the Star Wars Movies (for the first time).
Sunday
Sunday was a fun and relaxed day, that started with the biggest brunch, ever! Maple cinnamon rolls, eggs, and back played supporting roles to the chocolate chip pancakes with authentic maple syrup! That evening we saw Office Christmas Party at this really cool dine-in theatre with old Lincoln car seats as the chairs. From there my two close friends, Josh and Aly went to his place and began what would be the end all of all monopoly games.
We played until 1 a.m., went on a Dunkin Run, and then played again until about 4:30 a.m. (I won both times – just saying). It was quite exhausting to barter, sell, buy, and trade for close to 7 hours. Finally at 6 a.m. we said our goodbyes to Aly and went to sleep.
Monday
My final day in New Hampshire began with lunch at this beautiful Italian restaurant called Fratello's. This restaurant was spectacular and I would drive 24 hours just for their bread. Food aside, at lunch I met Uncle Roland. Josh's uncle Roland is a priest, and a character. It was a pleasure to meet such a nice man and one more person in my new extended family.
That night was dinner with Zac and his mom for his birthday. Zac and his mother were such nice people. They so genuinely welcomed me into their life alone with the Cote's and I was so happy to invite them into mine. Of course, the night wouldn’t be complete without dessert so to Shorty's we went for fried ice-cream! The best part? Driving home we sang Christmas carols and boy did we sing! It was the most fun and just all out joyful experience of the trip. I won't forget that soon.
Tuesday
I woke up at 4:30 and Mrs. Cote, Mr. Cote, Elizabeth, and Josh were there ready to send me off and that was probably the warmest goodbye I had ever had. We said our goodbyes and took a beautiful picture in front of the tree which makes me sneeze. It was the best trip I ever took!
This week's entry, though a recount of my fabulous trip in New Hampshire, is more so a tribute to the absolutely wonderful people I met there. It is mind boggling to me how there are so many people out there, with so many backgrounds, stories, and experiences, who are ready and willing to offer you a part of their life. Whether it be a passing hello, a short conversation, or 5 days in their home, I am so grateful for the love and friendship I received.
The moral of this adventure is to appreciate life – your own and each others. Each and every life is so precious and limited - I am thankful for the people who share theirs with me. I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and to the rest a happy holiday season.
