The Adventure in Vermont Continues -- The Vermont Teddy Bear Factory!

Next up in the Vermont Adventures series -- The Vermont Teddy Bear Factory! My wonderful in-laws (and brother-in-law!) drove all the way from southern Massachusetts one weekend to see a performance of mine and to hang out. My Mother-in-Law, Michelle, is a huge fan of Vermont Teddy Bears (for you non-New Englanders, they're like Build-a-Bears) and the factory is only about ten minutes outside of Burlington, so we decided to take a trip Sunday morning.

We started off by getting to squeeze some of the adorable teddy bears that have been made throughout the history of the company. I don't know what's going on with my face in this picture, my only excuse is that it was early the morning after I had a performance:

We got to hear all about how they make the bears, and see the workshop where the magic happens. It was like one giant Disney-fied sewing room:

My favorite part of the tour was the end where we saw the Teddy Bear Hospital. Please note how adorable it is that the IV bag is a honey jar :)

The "hospital" really functions, though. The Vermont Teddy Bear Company has a lifetime guarantee on all of its bears, and will fix and/or replace your bear, no matter what happens to it. Even if you run it over with a lawnmower, they will fix your frankenbear and send it back to you. I thought that was pretty cool. Customer service at its best, right?

Outside the factory, there was a big food truck with a giant hotdog on the side that Stella and I wanted to get a picture with. Yes, we're goofy. Yes, she cooperated for this. Thank you, dear.

And one of my favorite pictures from my whole month is this one that I convinced everyone to pose for with me. It's cheesy, and I had to do a little begging to get the boys to agree, but isn't it cute?

After the factory, we stopped at a souvenir shop in town and I picked up one of the most fun souvenirs ever: chapstick called Moose Smooch! With this picture on the side:

A big, huge thank you to my wonderful new family who made the long drive up to Burlington to see my show and keep me company. I love you guys!

What's the silliest souvenir you've ever picked up?