Serenity Be

The Inn at Serenbe, a renovated farmhouse and our B&B.

Well, our first night away from Violet was a fabulous success! Here's to many more in the future! But for right now, allow me to take you on a little tour of Serenbe. We dropped Violet off at her Mimi's in the early afternoon and headed off on our mini-vacay. I have to say, it wasn't so bad leaving her in the care of her wonderful grandmas... I knew Violet would be well entertained and cared for. Plus, leaving her every day while I head off to work has helped when it comes to working through our goodbyes. Anyway, in about 30 minutes, we had arrived at Serenbe and checked into our room. It was so cute! The best part was the huge window seat (seriously, I could have slept right there) with a beautiful view of the grounds.

My favorite feature - the window seat! Great for reading and relaxing before dinner.

Once we were all checked in, we decided to take a tour of the town. We stopped in a few shops and then headed into the greenspace that Serenbe is surrounded by and known for. The beautiful path you see below was just steps from the center of town, although it was so peaceful and serene, you wouldn't know it. The weather was perfect, all blue skies and cool breezes. After we wandered around enough, we headed back towards the town and bought some snacks at the Blue Eyed Daisy bakeshop, just enough to hold us over until dinner.

Exploring.

In town.

Pomegranate or clementine - it was hard to pick a favorite!

Once back at the Inn, we enjoyed afternoon tea on the wide porch that wraps around the building. Beyond the white picket fence is a private pool, and our room overlooked these same grounds.

The porch in the afternoon.

We wanted to explore a bit more before dinner, so we walked around the farm and stopped to visit with the animals, including two precious lambs named Pearl and Phil. We found our way to the labyrinth, which I thought was going to be a crazy maze of hedges like in The Shining, but which turned out to be a stone meditation garden. As you walk in, you are supposed to think about whatever problem is weighing on your mind that you need help with, as by the time you make it to the center stones, you should have your answer. To be honest, it was hard for anything to weigh heavily on my mind in a place as relaxing as Serenbe (the name is a combination of Serenity and Be, hello!) but it was cool to realize that when you sit on the center stones, your conversation has an echo. Perhaps we are meant to listen to that voice  inside ourselves?

The labyrinth. Find your way to the middle and listen for the echo.

Ah, vacation!

The rest of our stay included a scrumptious dinner (and breakfast) at the Farmhouse restaurant, which featured many ingredients grown right on the farm, and a hayride around the property to feed the animals (including Pearl and Phil, who were more excited to see their bottles of milk than Violet ever was!)

It was a wonderful little get-away, and as much as I missed my little girl... I didn't. I knew she was in good hands, and I was able to really relax and let my mind have a little vacation from the usual mom worries. We realized, however, that Serenbe is actually a great place for families. There were probably 15 kids staying on the property, ranging from a few months to five or six years old, and they were having a blast helping feed the horses and lambs and running around exploring the different tree houses on the grounds. We even hatched the idea of taking Violet on a return visit (when she's a little older and can really participate in everything). But it was a nice luxury to be on our own for once, and here's hoping the grandmas are up to babysitting again in the future!