Mountain Cabin Chic (or, hybrid-socialist-wild-wonderful-West Virginia-weekend)

New Year's past have been spent in New York City, Miami Beach, DC, Germany, Paris, and Lake Tahoe.  This year?  We upped the glamour and headed for the woods of West Virginia.  Wild and wonderful it was!  Our friends Regina (of the hybrid-socialist variety) and Clay invited a group of friends to spend the weekend in Berkeley Springs, WV.  They organized 13 people into three rented cabins. 

Our cabin, "bird's nest", aka- the party cabin- where all of the meals and NYE festivities took place.

We paid an extra $20 for unlimited firewood

Our "fancy" NYE outfits.  The only ladies not donning new year's flannel!

epic games of Monopoly fueled by homemade ginger-syrup and vodka drinks, and at least a few bottles of champagne.

Reg tells the group of his New Year's resolutions which surprisingly did not involve more Nutella eating or baseball playing.

Gus had had enough of us by 2am.

Don't let the woods and un-washed hair fool you. This was no low-brow event.  Collectively we cooked mussels, baked brie, sausage rigotoni, vegetable kabobs, caviar direct from the mother-land (courtesy of my brother), sweet potatoes, omelets with chorizo, and cinnamon buns.  Not to mention 12 bottles of champagne!

Putting on my boots for a New Year's Day morning walk, coffee in hand, 50 degree temps- perfection!

2012 Reg

View of our cabin from the road.  A bit too close to Deliverance  or The Shining for my nerves at night, but beautiful by day.

I've blogged about two NYEs now, both times stating resolutions that I have more-or-less kept.  I never resolve to work out or eat/drink less (cause I don't want to, and know I won't!).  My resolutions have been more philosophical in the past.  This year? Learn French. We are planning a trip to France as a celebration of my graduation.  Yes, I realize that graduation is over a year away (hopefully not more), but vacations keep me motivated, Reggie has never been to Europe, and it's high time I learn to speak the language he is teaching Mathilda! Tilly, by the way, resolves to eat more, walk more, talk more, and cry less. Happy New Year!