Our First Guest Room is Open!!!

Hi everyone! So sorry about the long silence. This last Winter/Spring has been a tough one for both of us, but things are finally moving in a positive direction again. Matthew and I both injured our backs over the winter and it has taken a lot of effort to get back to our functioning level. Matthew discovered he had two bulging discs a little before Christmas. While he was doing therapy etc. I tried to help pick up the slack. The day after Valentine's day, I was helping Matthew bring in a large batch of firewood and I slipped on our icy driveway. I fell directly on my tailbone and felt a pop. My pain level stayed really high for several weeks and I finally gave in and had an MRI. Turns out I cracked my sacrum and have a large bulging disc from the compression caused by the fall. I've had a couple of steroid injections now and I'm crossing my fingers for some relief soon. It's been super annoying since it has triggered a lot of my endometriosis pain on top of the low back pain. Needless to say, I am very happy to be entering the beautiful summer months:)

Our main task over the last few months has been to finish the suite that is attached to our house. It's finally done and we had our first guests stay with us a week ago!!! I've posted a video of the suite below. Like all things on this property, everything seems to take ten times longer than we originally thought. The last few months have seemed like a blur of two steps forward, fifteen steps back. Every time we thought we had solved one problem, another three would pop up. One of the big projects that Matthew had to tackle was repairing some of the joists under the kitchenette as well as installing trenches and a sump pump in a 2.5ft crawl space. We have a high water table and there is a lot of standing water once we have a good rain or snow melt. Our hope is that the sump pump will help to preserve the existing structure and keep Matthew's repairs intact for many years to come.

The scary crawl space and Clover and Teddy helping out where they can

When we first moved to Woodford, the suite was covered in mauve paint and bright pink cabinets. It was definitely not my taste. Plus much of the floors were old and damaged as well as a bathtub that had a squishy floor. Since we have had several visitors over the last few years, we've done some updates to the suite to make it usable. It felt like it would never be done due to the bits and pieces that we had to do over time. I've posted a few photos below so you can see our progress.

We've painted, replaced sinks, toilet, and fixtures as well as replaced the flooring in two thirds of the suite. We hope to do the rest of the flooring a little later in the year. We've also placed a new slate entryway and added a new walkway from the parking lot to the suite front door. The little lanterns really seem to make it inviting too. We also have a floodlight that is a motion sensor so our guests will have plenty of light while walking in our wooded backyard.

For the rest of the month of June and all of July, if you are interested in staying with us at any time this year, mention this blog post and you will receive 30% off your booking. You can contact Matthew or I directly or use our business email to schedule an upcoming trip. Spread the word!!! We are hoping to get the suite up on one of the vacation rental sites in the next two weeks and start streamlining our booking process. I'll make a post on our social media pages and on the website once it is up.

You may remember last year that Woodford Rest donated to Bennington's Pride parade. The organization that hosts the event is Queer Connect Inc. A representative of Queer Connect reached out to us several weeks ago and asked that we house one of the musical acts that would be performing at the Pride event this year. We were happy to help and gave a steep discount so that we could contribute to Pride this year. There were four members of the band and they were great. It sounded as if they had a nice time and they left the suite in perfect condition. We really were very lucky to have them as our first guests.

Matthew and I at Bennington Pride 2025

We have also been working on upgrading the exterior of the property now that the weather is a little less punishing. Matthew replaced the siding on the motel building behind some of the propane tanks since the moisture was deteriorating the cedar shake siding. We are getting ready to tear down the motel’s unused chimney that is deteriorating the wall behind it as well as replace a large chunk of the motel siding ourselves this summer which I am dreading a little. It's a mammoth job and my body is not looking forward to that abuse. At least it will look great once it is done:)

We've also ordered new windows for the front of the main motel room windows. It's a large expense, but something that has been needed for a long time. This will give the rooms a secondary exit if it was ever needed and will really improve the look of the place. The double paned windows have deteriorated a lot over the years and there is a large amount of dirt/bugs that have accumulated. It's likely going to be between four and six months before they get here, but it's going to make such a huge difference visually.

Now it's time for a fun story related to the motel. Ever since we purchased the property, I have been concerned about what to use for the check in desk in the motel office. We still have a while before we can start decorating in there, but I've kept my eye out for a unique desk or display case that would serve the purpose. One morning I noticed the local Habitat for Humanity Restore posted a really pretty buffet side table. I talked Matthew into going to look at it and I fell in love. The finish matches the settee that my Grandpa reupholstered for my Mom. I've always planned to have that meaningful piece of furniture in our office to welcome guests to our home. The side table had a beautiful marble top and everything about it made me happy. When we were arranging to purchase it, I began talking with one of the volunteers. During the course of our conversation, I learned that her father built our motel building! We are hoping to have her visit in the coming weeks. She said that she had some old photos of the place and wanted to see the updates that we had done. What are the odds??? It definitely felt like one of those "meant to be" moments. I always like to think of them as my Mom and Dad looking out for us and giving us a little good momentum to keep working on the place.

Our long-term tenants are doing great, and have been amazing all around. The apartment tenant, who we have become good friends with, was transferred for his job. We were so sorry to see him go, and we had to start the search for a new tenant in May. We were very lucky and found a great person within four days of listing the apartment online. It's really amazing how we have been able to do so much with this property in such a relatively short amount of time.

Just last week we had our two year anniversary of living in Vermont. In some ways, it feels like we have been here so much longer and in other ways it feels like we just arrived. I really am amazed at all that we have accomplished since making Woodford Rest our home. I like to think we have made a difference in a few people's lives and I hope we can continue to do this moving forward. These last two years have been some of the most rewarding and some of the hardest I have ever had. As much as I have enjoyed it, it has really taken a toll on my body. I'm really hoping after this summer that I can get back to resting a little more and not push myself to my limit as much. This winter taught me that I can manage a lot, but trying to manage severe chronic pain with the addition of a new significant injury is not sustainable. I don't know what the future looks like, but I hope we can find a balance of helping others as well as caring for ourselves. On that note, take good care of yourselves and don't forget to rest:)