A Love Letter to Just Going.

It's no secret that wanderlust has hit me hard lately. Between my beach vacation last month and planning a girl's road trip next month, I want to go all of the places. 
I'm an introvert at my core. I need alone time to recharge. I love nights spent at home watching Netflix. I love curling up with a good book and a steaming cup of coffee. That's a good day to me.  But I also love going and seeing and experiencing. 
There's something about waking up somewhere new. Having your coffee with a different view, whether that view is behind a foggy windshield as you groggily drive to your destination, or a sunrise from a hotel balcony. There's something about new sounds and new smells and new sights. There's something thrilling about walking through a town where no one knows you, where you can be anything you want to be. Where everything is an experience waiting to happen. 
If it all ends for me tomorrow, I'm not going to be sorry about the nights I spent snuggling with Jack, watching Pretty Little Liars or reading a good book. But I'm also not going to be sorry for days where I sacrificed sleep and money and maybe a little bit of my sanity in the name of adventure and experience. 
So cheers to going. Cheers to loading up your kid(s) and pet(s) in your car and making the drive to see family. Cheers to booking a red-eye and giving up sleep so you can spend a quick weekend with an old friend. Cheers to fancy vacations and nice meals at new restaurants. Cheers to gas station coffee and drive-thru tacos on cheap road trips. Cheers to new places, new people, new experiences. 
It will always be easier to stay at home, but that does not mean it's worth it. So go. Scrape the money together. Stay at the cutest hotels you can find. Go dip your toes in the ocean at a beach you've never been to. Take entirely too many pictures. Stay up too late. Seek out the best views and watch the sunrise in a new place. Life is short, live it well. 
Cheers to just going. 

Why Hammock Beach is The Perfect Getaway.

Going somewhere new is always a risk, especially when you get such a limited amount of vacation. But when I found Hammock Beach Resort while looking at places to go in Florida, I decided we had to try it, even though it was new to me. It was right on the ocean, looked toddler-friendly, and the price was amazing. Here are a few reasons I think it's the perfect getaway, especially if you want to bring the whole family. 

Zero entry (beach entry) pools. I loved this for two reasons: One, Jack was obsessed with it. He would go in to about his knees and just splash forever. It made it easier to keep an eye on him and easier let him do what he wanted without having to be all the way in the water holding on to his float. Two, I loved that I didn't have to jump all the way in the pool just to cool off. I could just wade in holding my drink. Also, I really want my own pool like this now. 

On-site dining. They had several restaurants you could eat at without leaving the resort, which is sometimes exactly what you need after a long day in the sun on the beach or by the pool. Major bonus points that the outside dining was right by this big courtyard, so you can take turns letting your toddler run his energy out while the other adult enjoys a glass of wine (#teamwork). 

It's right on the beach. This is going to sound snobby, but I really hate going to the beach and staying somewhere that it's an event to actually get to the beach. Because who wants to ride a shuttle back to the hotel when you're wet and sandy and tired? No one. Here, the resort is right on the beach. Just a quick walk over, and once you're there, they'll set you up with chairs and towels and an umbrella. Which comes in handy if it's naptime, but you're not ready to leave. Exhibit A: 

There are three pools (and a lazy river!). There's a kid's pool (plenty of adults there too, it's just catered mostly to kids) with a roped off, shallow area and a big waterslide. There's an adults-only pool, which is super nice to have if you're not traveling with kids. And there's a beach pool for whoever wants to come. This one was the best-Jack got to play in the sand and in the pool, and I could see the ocean from my chair. Hello, heaven. 

Poolside service. There was constantly someone walking by asking if you needed anything. I loved that they didn't just have drinks by the pool, they had a full food menu, too. We ordered the nachos every single day because they were that good. One day, we stayed at the pool until dinner time and just ordered dinner poolside. I love eating outside, and I love being at a place where dinner can be flexible based on how your day is going. 

If you're within driving distance of Florida, I highly recommend giving this place a go. It's near St. Augustine, and we thought we'd spend at least a day exploring there, but the resort was so nice we couldn't bring ourselves to leave. I already know we'll be heading back soon. 

Where have you been/are you going this summer?

vacation vibes only.

If you follow me on Instagram, you saw that I brought our pool floats (Felicia & her cupcake) out of hiding, thus declaring it the unofficial start of summer. Plenty of you were quick to tell me it's not, in fact, summer, and that some of you still have snow on the ground, and I'm sorry you're having to deal with that kind of negativity in your life. My condolences. 

This is Felicia! It looks like they didn't make the cupcake one again this year, so may I suggest the giant popcorn instead?

But here, it is summer. 90 degrees and sunny summer. No really, that's today's forecast. We've got a little beach vacation coming up in a few weeks and I could not be more excited. But, like I blogged about last month, one of my goals for this year is to make my life seem more like a vacation. And being one week out from my birthday (where I started those goals), I have to say...it's going pretty good.  So if you want to join me in chasing after the vacation life, I've got some suggestions for you. Starting with these giant floats.   

When the pool float first had a big comeback, I remember saying to Chris, "What adult is going to pay $25 for a floatie?" Me. I am. And just a little update: Worth every penny. Bonus: It's fun to float on them with Jack, who happens to think giant flamingos are hilarious. 

Not pictured: GIANT margarita pool float. If you don't think I'm adding this one to my lineup, you don't know me.

You also probably definitely need one of these babes. Because if you're going to have a cooler, why not make it easy to carry and also adorable? I have the one pictured (duh) and I can vouch that it works. 

Happy Friday! I'm off to the pool with my giant flamingo and cooler bag full of LaCroix. Because if that isn't the most perfect real life (pretend) vacation day, then I don't know what is. 

Back to Reality.

I spent the week in the most relaxing, beautiful, colorful place on earth. It was bright and kitschy and sunshiney and just perfection. 

Today, it's back to reality. I'm usually so sad when vacation is over. I tell Chris I have reentry depression and the only cure is to refuse to cook or clean or check my email or do anything remotely responsible for at least 48 hours. 

This time, though, is a little different. While I'm definitely sad to leave this view behind:

...I'm also excited to be back to reality. Because reality is that Chris graduates and becomes a doctor on FRIDAY. And then we'll be moving to Gainesville the next week. And I'm just so excited about both of those things that I can hardly stand it. 

I normally hate packing of any kind. H a t e  i t. With a passion. But this time, I'm so excited to fill up those boxes and load the uhaul and I'm even a little excited to-dare I say it-unpack those boxes. 

 It's partially because I can't wait to decorate my very own house with bright colors like I saw everywhere on vacation, but mostly it's because I just really love my life.

Sure, I'm not living my dream vacation right now..I have way too many responsibilities for that to be true. And honestly, until I can walk around like this 85 percent of the time, I don't think we can call it a dream vacation:

That being said, I love my life. I really, really love it. I love the direction it's going. I love where we're moving. I love the dreams I have for the next year. And I love the people I get to spend it with.

So while today may be full of wading through emails and making phone calls and packing instead of swinging in a hammock and watching the sunset, I'm still pretty happy. Because my life is dang good. 
May your Monday be full of strong coffee and nice people, and may your life be better than your vacation. 

Things I Believe in This Week: Vacation Edition.

Coming at you today from a tropical little slice of paradise. Currently trying to find an excuse to never ever come home. In the meantime, here are a few things I believe in this week:

• Taking vacations. Whenever and wherever. 

• Buying giant pink flamingo floats, even if it doesn't seem like the most reasonable purchase.

• That everyone should have a hammock.

• That food tastes better when you're on vacation. Also: Calories do not exist on vacation. 

• Sunshine is good for your soul. So are bright colors. 

• That life is meant to be enjoyed. You should take every chance you get to enjoy life to the fullest.

What do you believe in this week?

H A P P Y F R I D A Y : vacation + new blogs.

1. After today, Chris is off for an entire week! When he normally only takes an hour or two off every day, a whole week feels like an eternity.  I am so excited!

2. I found the picture I was talking about in this post. 

so tiny and snuggly!

3. The new Pretty Lovely Littles goodies will be out in ten days! I've been finishing everything up this week, and let me tell you...I have never been so excited about new products before. These are, hands down, my favorite that have ever been in the shop.  Pssst: keep an eye out, because there may be a few pre-order items listed this weekend!

4.  Megan has started a NEW BLOG in addition to her photography blog.  She is a beautiful writer and I highly recommend following along. If not for her writing, then for the hilarious pictures she posts of her 101 pound dog who thinks he's the size of Gatsby.

5. It's Friday.  I'm drinking a cup of coffee.  The laundry is going and there are candles burning.  Sometimes it's the littlest things that make you happy to be alive.

What made you happy to be alive this week?