August 10, 2015

Goodbye Summer


Reality is smacking us square in the face today. Our vacation is over and tomorrow is the first day of school for Emma. This summer was a whirlwind and I learned a lot from it. We had entirely too much on the calendar and it was honestly stressing me out before the summer ever started. We are going to leave a lot more space in the schedule next summer.


We just got back from our vacation in Michigan. I discovered some things about myself on this vacation. For instance, it turns out that my personal value is in fact not tied to the circumference of my thighs. I can choose to be in turmoil over the idea of wearing a swimsuit in public or I can choose not to care. Guess what. I will never have a thigh gap. I have the opposite of a thigh gap, whatever that may be. Who really cares.


Maddie and her fiance came and stayed with us for the first couple days of our trip. It appears he is going to fit into our family very well. I love how sweet he is with Emma too. He makes a pretty good big brother. The first day at the beach he buried both of the girls in the sand so they paid him back the next day, even giving him sand boobs. Because for some reason our family thinks boobs are funny. If this offends you, then you should definitely not go on vacation with us. Ever.


We even got to take Millie with us. Vacations are exhausting.


 Emma informed us that this is what her soul looks like. I 100% believe her. Also, she looks impossibly old. I wish she would knock that off.


Michigan is amazing and we love visiting there. This year we rented a house for a week and we discovered that it was too long for us. We actually came home two days early.  Even though we loved the beach, going to the movie (Ant-Man- go see it!), shopping, dinners out, playing seriously cutthroat games of Cover Your Assets, boat rides and going out for coffee every morning, we are at our core homebodies and were ready to come home about 4 days in.


We are never happier or more comfortable than when we are tucked into our little cottage. So we packed up, picked up our favorite pizza for the second time that week, and headed home to finish off the week with a staycation.


I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I enjoyed the second part of our vacation the most. Well, aside from the unpacking and three days of laundry! We really treated ourselves like we were still on vacation, eating out, going to see another movie (Mr. Holmes-go see it!) and having our coffee (him) and chai (me) on the porch each morning. We were gloriously lazy, staying up late and sleeping in. Reading and talking. No projects, chores or work to interrupt us. It was just what we needed to recharge and prepare for the end of summer. So, today we say goodbye to summer and while I will miss this girl so much, I am excited for the year ahead and all the adventures that await us.

22 comments:

  1. Ah such sorrow to bid summer good bye. It has been a busy one here too and I always wonder if it is best to fill our days or leave them empty. I have a hard time with empty but it is needed sometimes. We are also home bodies and struggle with finding things we think worthwhile as vacation time. Maybe it's ok to stay home and enjoy life there?

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  2. My vacation is just starting, and I'm truly enjoying the first few days when we're home to do entirely as we please. The rest will be filled with noisy (in a good way mostly) visiting family and a few short road trips. Then it's back to the grindstone and summer will once again be a distant memory. I chuckled at the fact that you left your vacation rental early, because my husband says that my favorite part of any vacation is the day we come home. There truly is no place like home.

    Cherish the moments when you're all together in one place because it gets harder as families grow. And congratulations on your magazine article!! I'll be looking for the magazine on the news stand. I'm sure your mom's so very proud of you.
    xo, Vickie

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  3. I say you're doing something right if your families favorite place is home...I know mine is. I blogged about blogging today and thought about how much I enjoy your blog for it's positive outlook on life. I always enjoy stopping by here.

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  4. Wow - what a perfect vacation! Kind of love that you went home early and continued a staycation! I almost always wish I was leaving for home a day or two sooner than originally planned. Also a homebody I guess!

    Waaaah -- school starts too soon! My Maddy starts Aug. 19 and I am in still in denial! Hope your sweet girl has a great school year!

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  5. We loved Mr. Holmes - the little boy was precious!

    We too love being at home. We have a few days in San Francisco planned later in the month - visiting our daughter and meeting the boyfriend's parents for the first time - but we are both happy in what we call our little cocoon.

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  6. Sand boobs are a must when burying someone in sand, especially when the entombed is a guy!! I'm glad you enjoyed your vacation... both parts.

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  7. It sounds like you've had a lovely end of summer. I hope that Miss Emma has a wonderful first day today!

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  8. Your home is so lovely, I don't blame you one bit for loving to be there! Your trip to Michigan looks fun.....can't go wrong with a beach in a trip and how great that your soon to be son in law came along and fit right in!. I was wondering if you might share your rental information. We are considering a trip to Michigan next summer....we haven't been and have heard wonderful things, but don't know where to start (and we LOVE beaches). I too can't imagine where the summer has gone. I think we might be guilty of putting too much into our summer as well. I am sure that your sweet Emma will have a wonderful first day and new school year! I agree with you that she looks so grown up! Why must our children do that??????

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    1. We found our house through VRBO but I wouldn't necessarily recommend it! We love Saugatuck though but would look for different accommodations next time.

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  9. Such a beautiful post Jen. I love how you see the world and how you write. I'm glad you enjoyed your vacation, and enjoyed even more your staycation! There is something so lovely about being in the comfort of your own home but being very leisurely. I've been doing that these past few days and I realised I have needed it so badly!

    Take care, Vanessa xxxx

    P.s. .......yes, why do they grow up so fast? xxx

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  10. It sounds like the perfect vacation/staycation! I grew up in Michigan and loved going to the beaches there.

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  11. Michigan is beautiful! We honeymooned there. Much as I love travelling and seeing new places, DH and I have discovered that about 4-5 days is our ideal trip. We've been known to return early from longer vacations. Nothing wrong with a staycation!!

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  12. That sounds like a heavenly vacation! Where in MI did you vacation? I've stayed in both St Joseph and Muskegon - loved both places. No vacation for the two of us in almost 6 years though, aside from occasional overnighters a few hours away...we have a college student! I just finished reading A Hundred Summers...had mixed feelings on that one. Never heard of the game, Cover Your Assets. Put it on my amazon wish list, as we love games.The sand boobs thing was hilarious!

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    1. Melanie, we were in Saugatuck. It's so beautiful. Love the beach and the town. I also had mixed feelings on the book. The game is awesome! Hope you like it.

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  13. What did you think of A Hundred Summers? Worth reading?

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    1. I do think it's worth reading. I could hardly put it down which is not usually my style. I had some mixed feelings about it but am glad I read it!

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  14. I would highly recommend this place to anyone. It's elegant, affordable, and delicious. You really get bang for your buck there! And the service is top-notch. The venues in San Francisco definitely deserve applause for the nice selection of bread and the service which was good from start to finish. The mass produced filet was too good.

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  15. Oh, how I hear you! Today is my last day of summer vacation (sniff, sniff....). Your vacation sounds wonderful -- whether in Michigan or at home, it sounds like you had a blissful week.

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  16. Your words made me laugh, smile and nod...the sand boobs, the kids growing, the wanting to be home...
    There's no place like home.

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  17. Such a wonderful post!! I have found that a week away is too long for us as well. I'm definitely a home body and love nothing better then sleeping in my own bed. You had the perfect balance of vacation and staycation. : ) Love the sand boobs!!! Have a beautiful weekend!! xo

    ~ Wendy
    http://Crickleberrycottage.blogspot.com/

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  18. Such a lovely post with beautiful pictures. We too said goodbye to summer this week. It was so sad...we had a wonderful summer and when something wonderful ends it is always hard.
    Your vacation sounded very nice...time spent with the family doing stuff that you love. We were on vacation last week and had a great time until our trip back home. Bad weather, missed flight, sleeping in the airport over night. boy was I happy to see my home Saturday afternoon. I read the same book last week on vacation. How did you like it?

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  19. Sweetie I was wondering what city in MI you went to? Was the house on a lake and was it wheel chair accessible? We are in South Bend and I would love to plan a surprise get-a -way for next summer and MI is best for moving hubby plus he loves MI as do I. Thanks for any info, Lori

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