I’ve been incredibly inspired lately by pictures of cabins, particularly cabins in desolate settings. The tranquility and sereneness depicted in these pictures bring a calmness to me that is often necessary when the littles start screaming their nonsense at me. Oh, to be in a tiny red cabin with nothing but nature all around is something my heart yearns for on most days. That’s why when a friend invited me to join her and a few other ladies for a child/spouse-free weekend at her sister’s cabin, I jumped at the opportunity.

I’ve been to this particular cabin before both with children and not and most of my experiences have been storytelling worthy. You can read about those here and here. The cabin is just north of the delightful town of Murphys and resides in the teeny-tiny town of Dorrington. It’s a gorgeous cabin that has been completely remodeled and is not at all like the creepy musty cabins people think of when they hear someone say they’re staying at a friend’s cabin for the weekend. There is zero parquet flooring and faux wood paneling that is distinct of creepy cabin chic.

We began our ladies weekend of fun in Murphys with spa treatments because *it’s really stressful to leave your family for a couple days {sarcasm}. Jillian’s is the day spa we usually patron and they do such a wonderful job that I always leave my treatment wondering how I can make spa treatments an ongoing thing. Unfortunately, I had consumed a delicious pint right before my facial so for the 70 minutes of treatment, my stomach moaned, growled and squeaked in relaxation and satisfaction. I’m just glad my aesthetician didn’t push down on my stomach or she would have witnessed a real-life whoopee cushion. I was so relaxed, I probably wouldn’t have even cared. I’m classy like that.

We walked around the quaint little downtown of Murphys, exploring all the cute little stores. None of us were incredibly hungry so we purchased the most delicious pesto ever from The Spice Tin and a freshly baked baguette from a local bakery and headed to Murhpys Pourhouse for a pint and a picnic table to enjoy our delectables. It was beautiful outside and I couldn’t help feeling happy that I wasn’t the mom at the other table chasing down her toddler who was getting into everything. Ah, freedom.

I limited my wine tasting to just one winery because I don’t have the best history in this town. I usually become annoyingly drunk and end up buying far too much wine that Ryan finds “questionable.” I’ll admit, I have more than once taken a sip of my Murhpys purchases and questioned my purchasing decisions. Clearly my palette takes a nosedive when I drink making me a cheap drunk. In case you’re wondering, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. I consider it drunk cost-conscious or boozy penny saving.

We left Murphys for another quaint little town called, Arnold. Here we stopped for dinner at the always delightful Sarafina’s. It’s a very small Italian restaurant that makes a mean ricotta ravioli. Definitely worth a stop if you’re ever in the area just make sure to make a reservation because there’s only a handful of tables.

We wrapped up dinner to discover the behemoth storm we were anticipating, had arrived. The next twenty minutes to the cabin was one scary drive as we struggled to find our driver’s glasses as she attempted to maneuver a vehicle on a two-lane curvy road in a rainstorm that provided nearly zero visibility. We arrived at the cabin in one piece and after I hugged my driver and host, I sought comfort in another bottle of wine–for the nerves of course.

The rest of the weekend consisted of sleeping, eating, drinking, hiking, repeat. It poured nonstop the second day of our stay but it didn’t stop us from hiking in the space surrounding the property. I found one of a few patches of snow and I was more than happy. The last morning of our stay, we awoke to a lot of snow. Real, white, falling snow. I understand that to those who experience snow on a regular basis, this is not newsworthy but I’m super lame and have only been in snow a handful of times and rarely do I see falling snow so I was exuberant. I hiked in the freshly fallen snow and I really could not have felt more joy in that moment. Ask me to shovel it and I might have a different reaction.

 

We had such a wonderful weekend and I’m sad that it may be one of the last at this particular cabin as my friend might be selling it. If you’re interested in a cabin, this is the one for you! I’ll admit, upon hearing the news of the potential sale, I began to daydream, thinking of ways I could hold on to this cabin and enjoy a Norman Rockwell kind of life. As a parent who is with her children on a regular daily basis, I can’t stress enough how important these little trips are. Sometimes I bicker so much with the kids that I almost feel like a sibling than a parent. I think it’s incredibly healthy to take a few days for yourself and allow both sides to miss the other. I didn’t totally forget my family over the duration of my stay. Olivia has been begging me to visit the snow but it doesn’t look like our plans will allow that to happen this year so when I awoke to see snow falling, I knew I had to bring some home for her. Upon my arrival home, Olivia was so excited to hold real snow in her hand, she dropped it all over the floor where it instantly began to melt. Well, I tried.

Cheers to a glorious weekend and to brief moments of unadulterated freedom!