Our Weekend Away Together

Meggan: [00:00:00] Hey everyone, and welcome back to the Travel Mug Podcast. How are you doing this evening, Jenn?

Jenn: I am good. How are you, Meggan?

Meggan: I'm excellent, thank you. Well, ladies and gentlemen and everyone else, after six years of doing this podcast, we finally booked ourselves a weekend away together.

Jenn: I know. Yeah.

Meggan: know. I know, and now it's already happened and I'm so sad that it's over.

Jenn: Me too

Meggan: So as some of you know from listening over the past six years, yes, six years, uh, we were not real life friends before this podcast. We met in a random Facebook group and connected through that because we lived in the same city.

Eventually, we did meet in person, and we got along over a coffee, and then we just kinda kept in touch until Jenn approached me to start the podcast, and here we are six years later. So in that time, of course, we have seen one another a few times, like for meals out or stopping by to visit at home. But other than that, we really haven't spent [00:01:00] much time together.

So Jenn threw it out there late in the winter. We booked for a weekend away in July, and now it's come and gone. So how did things go? What did we get up to? Will we do it again?

Jenn: Yeah. I mean, the good news is, spoiler alert, we're still talking to each other,

Meggan: Yes, we're still here

Jenn: yeah, so that's, that's really good. So yeah, like Meggan said, we, uh, it was, it was the depths of winter, and we were like, "We need, we need to get away." We were talking about reading, especially reading our fan fiction, and we were like, "We just need some time to, like, read together and chill."

So of course, it made sense for Meggan to find us some Airbnb options because she is so great at finding them, and she found a couple of gems, and we ended up picking one in West Dublin, so in Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia, between, like, Rissers Beach and LaHave, if you're familiar with the area. And it ended up being our final choice for several reasons.

One, [00:02:00] it was walking distance to a cafe, which really, uh, that was really, really important to me, and two, it had air-conditioning because it can be hot here in July, and I didn't wanna suffer through, uh, sweating to death. lastly, it was in a good location for both of us to meet, uh, so it ended up being a really, really good spot for us

Meggan: It did. It was a good choice. Yeah, I sent you ... It, you've got a hand in this too, because I sent you lots of options, and you made the final choice, so good on you. Now I'm not sure if you guys know from listening as well that we have briefly referenced it a few times, but we both love Heated Rivalry, and seeing as the show won't be back until April of next year, we've read all the books, we've done all the things.

And like Jenn mentioned, we both dabble in reading a bit of fan fiction, so sue us. Sorry you're missing out. We're sad for you, actually. So that was the original idea, like Jenn mentioned, a reading weekend, and somehow, the fates, they smiled upon us, whomever the fates are. , And a local library, [00:03:00] long live public access libraries,, decided to hold a fundraiser and bring in none other than the author of our favorite hockey series, Rachel Reid, and it was gonna be on the Saturday of the weekend we'd already planned to be away.

It was meant to be. I mean, don't you think?

Jenn: I know. I couldn't believe it when I saw the date for that, for that event. I was like, "This is literally the weekend that we're already planning to be together," and it's only, like, what ended up being, like, a 30-minute drive from where we were staying,

Meggan: If that

Jenn: yeah, not far at all. So yeah, it definitely felt meant to be except for the ticket situation.

Meggan: But that was all good. So it turns out the tickets were on sale during Jenn's trip to Copenhagen, which of course she was gonna go on. I mean, it was gonna happen. So I did get up at 5:20 AM on a Saturday. I made the sacrifice, and I'm proud to have done it. And I made the one hour and, like, 10-minute drive to the town of Lunenburg to get in line for ticket sales, which were only being done in person, which was [00:04:00] kind of, um, interesting.

Kind of felt like old-school ticket purchasing. So that was kind of fun. It was a throwback, uh, and I loved that. So I got there early enough to secure us two tickets. There were only 100 in total, which is why I was very worried about what time to get there, but I worked it out. And the excitement for our weekend kind of just, uh, built from there

Jenn: Yeah, I was very thankful that you were able to go to go get us tickets to that. Uh, so we started obviously planning our weekend away around the event in Lunenburg. So I guess it was probably like a week or maybe a little bit more before our trip that we started texting each other to try to like plan ahead for meals and what we wanted, uh, to do about that. So we decided to eat at the nearby cafe called Ploughman's Luncheonette, uh, for dinner on Friday. Despite the fact that they're called Luncheonette, they are open like until ni-

Meggan: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Jenn: lunch, and dinner. They're open 'til [00:05:00] 9:00 PM on, I think, Friday and Saturday. Um, so that was perfect. And then, uh, we decided we would have lunch somewhere in Lunenburg on Saturday before the event, and then to have a brunch together on Sunday before, we left, um, and separate- went our separate ways.

So, we brought some food. I brought some homemade waffles and toppings from home, uh, for Saturday's breakfast. And then, uh, we brought just some ingredients for dinner on Saturday as well. So fast forward to Friday, the day that we were meeting, I was like so excited. I could not wait to wrap up work, and I was so glad that I had a meeting get canceled.

Um, I

Meggan: Thank you

Jenn: was so, so excited, um, to meet Meggan at the Airbnb. So we basically timed it really well and arrived, I think, basically around the same time. It seemed

Meggan: Yeah

Jenn: you were just getting there and unpacking when I, when [00:06:00] I pulled in. And it, it ended up being a really, really great space.

The downstairs had a super well-stocked kitchen. The only thing missing though was scissors. Like, I couldn't believe that this kitchen couldn't have scissors. As Meggan probably remembers, I was just opening random things being like, "I can't believe there's no scissors here."

Meggan: Like, I think we searched every available drawer in that, in that Airbnb, and I actually left her, like, a private note when I did my review, and I'm like, "We couldn't find scissors."

Jenn: Yeah. It was just like s- 'cause everything else was so well-stocked. Like, there was a

Meggan: It was

Jenn: there was a barbecue outside. There was, like, all the barbecue utensils that you would need. There was a cupcake pan. There was, like, so many things. But yeah, I, maybe we just couldn't find them. Maybe someone stole them.

I

Meggan: Maybe

Jenn: Um, but yeah, everything else you could possibly need. The living room area was downstairs, um, perfect for us, some cozy chairs and a [00:07:00] sofa, and then upstairs, bedroom and bathroom. There were some really nice Adirondack chairs outside, and then, like, a small deck off of the bedroom. Perfect space for our weekend away.

I will say, though, that the listing said that chickens might come visit, and we did not see, not a single chicken

Meggan: Not a chicken indeed, which was a little disappointing, but we did have other visitors, so we'll get into that.

Jenn: Mm-hmm

Meggan: Now of course, uh, like we mentioned, Jenn and I have never traveled together before this, and this was a pretty, like, low-risk adventure, since we both drove separately. Plus, it was just for the weekend, but still you never know for sure, like, and I think until you spend some time with someone.

So we got all settled into the Airbnb, and then we headed out to Ploughman's Luncheonette, uh, like Jenn mentioned, for a yummy supper. Our Airbnb actually gave us a gift card there, which we happily used that, and the meal was very tasty. All the food there, super flavorful. If you are ever in the area, we highly recommend.

Um, we came [00:08:00] back, settled in, chatting and reading. , Outside, like, creatures indeed. We spotted hummingbirds, a raccoon. No, not Jimothy, for those that are c- chronically online. Sadly, there's not a Jimothy in the area. , And the next day we would, uh, meet even more local creature friends, which we'll get into.

But like the travel planners that we both are, we also discussed, on Jenn's prompting, like, the when and the how we should get to the event, where to eat lunch, the timing of everything. If you're not familiar with LaHave, and Jenn will talk about it a little bit, but there's a ferry to keep in mind. So we needed to be ready, and we were on the same page for all that.

No worries there. So our first little weekend getaway, we dove right in, and the bed situation was also a little queen bed, but we both settled in, slept comfortably. Um, maybe like we'd actually known each other for six years or something. I don't know.

Jenn: Yeah, it was really funny, like by, I don't know, like bedtime on Friday, that was the most amount of time that we had ever spent together in person

Meggan: Yeah

Jenn: which is just really strange, 'cause [00:09:00] obviously I talk to you when we're recording, but we text

Meggan: All the time

Jenn: the time. So it is weird that like, uh, that, you know, that was the most amount of time we've ever spent together in person. But I, I'm gonna rewind actually for a second back to when I showed up at the Airbnb. Um, I forgot how much taller than me you are.

Meggan: I'm like a goddamn giant compared to you

Jenn: know, I just, I just, because we're like on a screen, you know, you just, I, I just forget. But, uh

Meggan: We are, I don't, I don't know who these people are, but when I, when I was younger, I was always taller than my friends, so my dad always called us Mutt and Jeff. I think it's like a reference from like an old show or cartoon or something from like the '50s or '60s or something. But obviously one person was tall and one was really short.

I don't know if I'm Mutt or Jeff, but anyway, that's all I could think of. Um, we went to take a selfie t- together in front of the window, and I look like I was like hugging my child [00:10:00] to my bosom. It was just, it was too much. I c- I had to squat down. It was a lot

Jenn: yeah. Yes, there is a, about a foot of height difference, so, it, it's significant,

Meggan: Yeah, it is. It is

Jenn: All right, so Saturday morning we had breakfast and, uh, relaxed. We read until it was time to head to Lunenburg. We were also visited by two neighborhood cats, one of whom definitely wanted to come in. Uh, he was, he or she was, like, at our patio door, like, meowing at us, and we stayed strong and did not let them in, but, uh, you know, it was difficult.

Meggan: It was

Jenn: so like, uh, Meggan mentioned, there is a ferry, and after much debate... Like, you can drive around. There are, there is an option to drive around, but we did decide to take the ferry. Uh, you know, i- it's a small ferry. There's no guarantee that you're going to get on the ferry, depending on how many [00:11:00] people are lined up, and actually, we had to wait on the way home because we didn't fit on the ferry.

But anyway, we took the ferry. All was good, and then we finally found a parking spot in Lunenburg. If you know, you know. It is a feat.

Meggan: In the summertime, my goodness, people are crazy

Jenn: I know. So for lunch, we head- headed to one of my personal favorite spots in Lunenburg, which is the Salt Shaker Deli.

Lunch was delicious. We sat out on the patio. It was a really nice, warm, sunny day, and just as we were leaving, I spotted Rachel Reid having her lunch there, too, and I made eye contact with her, um, and I was

Meggan: She saw me

Jenn: like, "Oh, my goodness." But we obviously didn't go up to her. She's, like, eating her lunch, you

Meggan: We were very respectful, and I think karma shined upon us later

Jenn: really did because after lunch we walked around a little bit and then we headed over to Block Shop Books, and [00:12:00] while browsing, in walks Rachel Reid to sign some books for them. And I think at that point we were the only, like, customers in the store. And so we waited for her to be done, uh, signing the books and doing whatever she needed to do for the bookshop, and then Meggan, uh, was much more brave than I was 'cause I was feeling quite shy. Um, Meggan was like, "Hi, Rachel. Can we, uh, you know, talk to you? Can we get some photos with you?" Uh, and it was really, really great to meet her and because we weren't gonna be able to get, like, a posed photo at the event that we were going to later, so was

Meggan: seemed, like, super down to earth. Like, she just had a friend with her, and the friend ended up taking the pictures for us. We should've gotten one together with her. I ne- I thought of that afterwards. Peter's like, "Did you guys get a picture with her together?" I'm like, "No."

Jenn: no, no

Meggan: so we did get the pictures.

Yeah, she just seems literally like a 44, 45-year-old woman who somehow found fame. She seems very down to earth

Jenn: yeah, for sure. Yeah. Uh, and [00:13:00] I love Blockshop Books. I've been there multiple times. I've bought a lot of books from them. I ended up buying two books in The Golden Girls Cozy Mystery series, which I'm very excited to read. I haven't started yet. But then it was time to head to the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic for the event.

So we went upstairs to get in line to wait to get in. We had to wait a little while, but we met some fun people in line. And because we were there super early, because that's my life, um, we ended up getting to sit in the front row, although with a theater of only, you know, 100 people, you're You know, there's not really a

Meggan: All the seats. Yeah, all the seats were good.

Jenn: Yeah, there's not really a bad seat. But, uh, any viewers of the global news here in Nova Scotia would have seen us kind of front and center right on the news story that night. So we're

Meggan: Saturday, July 11th

Jenn: Yeah, in case you wanna go look for it, we're, we're basically famous. so the event was a Q&A with Rachel Reid [00:14:00] and a moderator, and it was really interesting. I, I don't think I'd ever actually been to an author Q&A before, so I didn't

Meggan: No

Jenn: know what to expect. Um, but she did share a lot of interesting information about her books and the publishing process. And for instance, her editor was the one who insisted that the Vegas hotel scene, if you know you know, stay in the book because she was gonna cut it.

She thought that it was too much. Like, can you imagine?

Meggan: No, it's such a pinnacle point

Jenn: Like thank you editor.

Meggan: Yes

Jenn: Uh, what did you think of the, the Q&A Meggan?

Meggan: I thought it was really good. Um, the moderator, uh, asked a lot of like, uh, nitty-gritty publishing questions, which I hadn't considered like asking or hearing about, and I thought that was an interesting perspective. This guy seemed to have worked with like, uh, Margaret Atwood, et cetera. I felt at times like he didn't know enough to be asking her like Heated [00:15:00] Rivalry specific questions, which was fine.

We all know the, we all know the show well enough. Um, but I, so I think like at one point he said Hudson Williams, but he couldn't remember Connor Storrie's name. I don't know if you caught that. And then like, um, he still thought that the Sep- the book was coming out in September instead of June next year.

So I felt like he could've been like a tiny bit more like researched, but I did find his questions about the back-end process and stuff very interesting. And then when she did the Q&A, my question got asked and answered, so that was cool. And one thing I will share with people if in case you do read fanfic or you're a Heated Rivalry fan, someone did ask her about people actually writing, uh, fan fiction based on her stories, and she said she felt it was quite complimentary and she was flattered by it.

And but when she exclaimed, And it's fine if, I'm not here to like yuck your yum. So if this is your thing, it's totally cool, but Jenn and I don't necessarily read the ones where Shane becomes [00:16:00] pregnant. I don't know. It's just not, it's just not my jam. But which is fine. But apparently, at the airport, Rachel Reid was with Hudson and Connor, and they actually asked her why people wrote stories and wanted Shane to be pregnant, so she had to try to explain that to them.

Although I don't know what her explanation was

Jenn: I don't know

Meggan: But anyway, so she's, sh- it was very, like, insightful stuff that if you're a fan of the series and whatnot was, I thought, really interesting from the author herself

Jenn: Yeah, I think it was super interesting, and really interesting to get her take as, she mentioned that, like, authors don't usually get this, like, big, this, like, recognized places. You know, I have a lot of favorite authors that, like, I wouldn't know necessarily what they looked like or, like, recognize them in a bookstore.

So, uh, it, it was really interesting, and, uh, I'm, I'm really glad that we got to go and experience that. So after the event, um, we left [00:17:00] Lunenburg, and we headed back to our local Ploughman's Luncheonette to get an iced coffee and a pastry. Uh, and we had some, really nice weather that day. It was, like, hot and sunny and really beautiful, and so we just, like, took our books, our little e-readers, and sat outside, and, uh, ended up being visited by the cats again, so

Meggan: Of course, of course. He was very persistent, that one

Um, and then for supper we had, like, girl dinner of course, or as now my husband has coined it lady dinner, 'cause he forgot what girl dinner was, so he called it lady dinner, and now it's lady dinner. Um, Jenn made bruschetta, and this is where the kitchen was super stocked. There was actually, like, a brush, so she was able to, like, brush the olive oil onto the little pieces of baguette.

Like, I've never seen one of those in an Airbnb before, so, like, kudos to the Airbnb host for sure. I had brought, like, cheese and crackers and pretzels and [00:18:00] chocolate and fruit. It was perfect. It was all we needed to relax for the evening

Jenn: Yeah. And we just chilled, and read, and ate, and,

Meggan: and chatted.

Jenn: and chatted, and just like we do here,

Meggan: Yes, exactly. Exactly

Jenn: Ah. Yeah, and then, oh my gosh, it was Sunday morning, and then... I know. And we were relaxing, and we packed up, and then we went back to Ploughman's Luncheonette, it's the third time if you're keeping count, uh, for breakfast.

And I do wanna say that they do have really great vegan and vegetarian options, so if you're in the area and that's something that you want to have, um, definitely check them out. Uh, and then it was time to, uh, check out of our Airbnb and say goodbye, which

Meggan: No

Jenn: very, very sad. But, um, we definitely have agreed, I think, to make this an annual tradition, and I already can't wait for next year.

But I think it's gonna be hard to top meeting Rachel Reid. I'm not sure how we're gonna do that.

Meggan: Yeah, I don't know what's gonna happen next year. [00:19:00] I think we might just have to settle for each other, which, I mean, we'll make, we'll make do with, but it's not quite the same

Jenn: Yeah. Okay, I had this idea, Meggan, and I'm dropping this on you now, but, uh, I had this idea for some rapid-fire questions at the end of the episode. So my first question for you is, what did you learn about me during our trip together?

Meggan: Well, you make cute sleep noises, I learned that. Like the cutest sleep noises in history. Um, you're very comfortable when you roll over. You just like settle right in. Um, and then I would say other than that, I think y- what else I learned is that you are who I thought you are. Like, you laugh easy and you're kind, and like your personality suits my personality very well.

Um, yeah, like I think it was just, uh, a really good understanding of the things I thought I knew that actually turned out to be true, I would say

Jenn: Yeah. Oh, that's so sweet.

Meggan: What about me?

Jenn: what I learned about you is [00:20:00] that you don't like tea, which I was horrified to learn I

Meggan: Hope, I hope we can go on

Jenn: I think we can, but, like, I drink multiple cups of tea per day.

Meggan: Mm-hmm.

Jenn: Uh, and Meggan, Meggan doesn't want any of that, so

Meggan: Got a little tea PTSD story, so there's no tea

Jenn: I, it was really, that was just, like, a funny little thing that, like, you know, after six years together, together, six years knowing each other,

Meggan: Essentially.

Jenn: essentially together, this is a partnership,

Meggan: Yes

Jenn: that there's, like, always little quirks that you can learn about people.

Meggan: Yeah. No, for sure

Jenn: really interesting. Uh

Meggan: what's next rapid fire queen here?

Jenn: alright. What is something that we had completely different opinions about, if anything, besides tea?

Meggan: I was gonna say, besides the tea, honestly, like I said, this was pretty low risk. There wasn't really much to have opinions [00:21:00] about. I would say really the only thing I noticed that was a big difference is probably our bedtimes.

Jenn: Mm-hmm.

Meggan: Um, I did go to bed sort of like when you did, and Peter and I were actually talking about it that day.

He's like, "Why didn't you just stay up?" And I was like, "I don't know." Like, I just felt like it felt right. Like, I was just trying to get the most sleep I could. I don't know. But yeah, I would just say, like, our bedtimes are very different. But other than that, like, I, it wasn't, it wasn't anything major for me.

Jenn: No, I, it's same. Yeah, I guess, like, I just got up earlier than

Meggan: Yeah, that too. Yeah

Jenn: yeah. Just, uh, a- and, oh, this is another thing. You don't like to eat as soon as you wake

Meggan: No

Jenn: want to eat, like, within, like, 15 minutes of waking up.

Meggan: I get breakfast when I'm like working or even on the weekends. I probably get breakfast like 10:30 or like 11:00. The thought of eating food normally first thing in the morning just makes me wanna vom. So yes, that's different.

Jenn: just snuck downstairs while you were still sleeping and

Meggan: Did your thing[00:22:00]

Jenn: and it was, it was all good. All right. What's one thing you'd trust me to handle on every trip from now on?

Meggan: I mean, the thing I think this podcast has shown the most that you excel at, besides I'm sure other things, but that's logistics. Like, I think, I think like knowing when and where and how is kind of your forte, and, and I think that I would just, I would trust you to handle all that.

Jenn: Awh

Meggan: Not that I wanna make you do the work, but I would trust you to handle it

Jenn: that's fair. That's fair. Yes. I think I would definitely trust you to... I mean, I know I, I ended up making kind of the final decision on the Airbnb, but you, uh, suggested all really great options, and I knew that you would because I've seen the Airbnbs that you choose for yourself.

Meggan: Yes.

Jenn: And

Meggan: don't scrimp

Jenn: I would always trust you to go get any tickets.

Meggan: Thank you

Jenn: gonna be there [00:23:00] early, you're gonna make sure that we're in line, and that we're gonna get our tickets

Meggan: That's right. I, I cared about the process. That's right

Jenn: All right, last thing. One word to describe our weekend together

Meggan: Yeah, I kind of already referenced this, but for me the word is confirmation. So after six years of doing this together and spending very minimal time together like we've referenced, who knows, truly, um, except when you're with someone. And I think this just gave me confirmation that we are actually friends.

Uh, we do get along. We have... Sure, we're different, but I think we have a lot of the same interests, and I think our differences are also interesting. And I think our differences also complement each other well. And I think we're also, like, for the most part, really pretty easygoing. Like, neither of us have, like, sticks up our butt.

We're both just like, "Yeah, sure." Like, I mean, you have to be somewhere on time. That's a whole nother thing. But I think we're both pretty easygoing, and I enjoyed that. Like, I didn't feel awkward at all

Jenn: No. No, me either. I think I, I don't really [00:24:00] have maybe a word, but, like, I feel like it

Meggan: You made the question

Jenn: I made the question, and I didn't... I was like, "I'm gonna rapid fire myself. I'm not gonna think of answers ahead of time." Um, but, like, guess, okay, I'm gonna- I'll choose a word, and it's, like, connection.

I think that this trip together, like, deepened our connection and our, like, friendship and relationship. And, you know, we have, like, so many more, like, little inside jokes now than we had before. And yeah, I

Meggan: And then there were zombies.

Jenn: there were zombies. So I think that, like you said, you, you can know someone for a long time, but you don't... You g- you get to know them more and deeper when you spend a lot of time together, and especially, like, traveling together and, and sleeping in the same bed.

Meggan: yes, exact- upon meeting

Jenn: Yeah. Like, well, alright. There,

Meggan: we are.

Jenn: there was one bed and

Meggan: Yes, indeed, indeed. And I wanna say, if Anna's listening, um, [00:25:00] previous guest, and she told us we didn't know how to do rapid fire, she's still right. We don't know how to do rapid fire.

Jenn: we don't.

Meggan: Sorry, Anna.

Jenn: someday

Meggan: That's alright

Jenn: All right, well, that is all we have for this week's episode. Like we said, the good news is the trip went well, we're still friends, the podcast can continue.

Meggan: Everybody can relax

Jenn: been a very awkward episode if we were- weren't speaking to each other anymore.

Meggan: That would be

Jenn: Uh, anyway, you can check out some photos from our time together on our social media, Facebook and Instagram, @travelmugpodcast, or read more about us on our website, travelmugpodcast.com. You can support the show through Buy Me A Coffee, by leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or by sharing the show with a travel-loving pal. And until next time, don't forget your travel mug

[00:26:00]