It was our last trip of the summer, and our twelfth(ish) annual family vacation – the one we take with my family instead of buying each other presents. Not having to buy presents AND a “free” vacation? It’s such a win. We started this tradition when there were no kids, then eventually began adding one […]
When a Tropical Storm Comes Knocking.
Continued from here… So the Tropical Storm. Let’s first be clear: the Actual Tropical Storm Cindy made landfall on Thursday in Louisiana. She may have been weak, but the woman could cover some land mass. As such, her torrential rains started Monday night in Florida. That was when I discovered the downside of an extremely […]
The Longest Vacation And How To Do It.
Nine Days. I have literally not been away from home that long since I was 16 years old. Well over half my life ago. I accomplished this feat by Magical Vacation Stretching (MVS.) How does MVS work? I shall teach you. Are you ready? This is some extra VIP information. 1. Prove to your husband […]
Moments of Vacation.
We’ve been on our annual double-family vacation, during which I took a writing hiatus. I’m still gathering and editing my photos from the trip, but here are a couple of stories from my favorite moments. The Ghosterhood of the Traveling Skirt. All four kids shared a bunk room for the first time this year. It […]
A Visit to Hilton Head.
It’s been over a month since mine and Chris’ annual anniversary trip, and I still haven’t finished this blog post about it. Because every time I try to write, I find myself in this situation…. I’m supposed to be blogging right now. But instead, I’m browsing online, trying to figure out the best way to […]
Just The Four Of Us.
This past weekend we tried something new. We prefer doing what we know works – we’re not the type to be like “hey let’s try this new big thing with our kids! I bet they’re old enough to not make it miserable!” No. We wait until we are solidly sure that they are absolutely more […]
Kidtopia.
We spent most of last week making our children’s dreams come true, as we attempt to do every year. Okay we attempt it every day but at least once a year we actually succeed – and more often than not, it’s on this trip. The time had come for our formerly-semi-annual-but-now-annual beach trip with their […]
Vacation Like it’s 2005.
We just returned from our fifth traditional summer beach trip with our friends, David, Ashley, AJ, and Tessa. We arrived Wednesday evening in Isle of Palms, South Carolina (just a few minutes outside of Charleston), got unpacked, and hurried out to the beach to enjoy the last colors of sunset. The skies, the water, and […]
Seven Years Comin’
From our honeymoon onward, Chris and have I adored the beach. We would spend entire days laying on the sandy shores of Alabama, reading, napping, swimming, and living as if we had no responsibilities. NONE. It was our most freeing happy place in the world. And then, six years into marriage, we had a baby. […]
The Beach Trip of Dreams.
Six years ago, we teamed up with our friends David and Ashley to take our toddler daughters, Ali and AJ, to the beach. They had been best friends since near birth, and at 1 1/2 years old, had grown to look quite oddly alike. Two years later, we decided to repeat the trip – this […]