Back to the Grind

Sweatshirt: Gulfport, MS, Button-Down: Hand-me-down (via Banana Republic),
Trousers: Mossimo (via Goodwill), Sandals: Akira, Jewelry: Assorted

I'm baaaack!  

For those of you that don't follow along on Instagram, I spent the past week (ish) down south in Jupiter, FL with a side trip over to Gulfport, MS to visit my brother.  I can't say I'm stoked to be back in dreary NE Ohio, but I can't say I didn't want to come back either, so that's good, right?  I mean I couldn't leave Adam all alone here on his own.  I guess eventually I could have convinced him to come south, and we could start a new life far away, but I'm far too responsible for that.  Or dumb.  I'm not sure yet.

My mom and I drove down the Saturday before last, and took our pups along for the ride.  We only took the dogs because they are exceptional car-riders and my aunt and uncle's house (our end destination) has a large "dog park" area for all the dogs to play in (they have FOUR dogs!).

We did a lot of walking, hanging out, eating, talking and .... nothing.  It was glorious.  We went kayaking, and I got sun-burned on my legs (that always seems to happen).  

Whenever I get back from a trip away, I always try and bring something back with me, whether it's a habit I got into while away (apero in France, and then NY), interior design ideas (seashells EVERYWHERE), or just a different way of life (living with a reduced wardrobe out of a suitcase always inspires my favorite outfits - I wore the same dress/scarf/sandals combo almost every night out in SoFLA).  

This particular trip was filled with leisurely mornings, including: coffee and long chats with my aunt, uncle and mom.  I can't really remember what we talked about, but it was so nice to take an hour to drink a cup (or 8) of coffee and catch up with family.  Afterwards, we all went off to our various activities: my uncle to work; my mom, aunt and me to whatever we had planned for that day.  Part of me would have been fine going off to work after that leisurely morning (if I hadn't been on vacation).  But now that I'm back, I'm trying to find a way to replicate that leisurely morning.  Adam leaves so early for work, and then it's just me and the dogs.  It's kind of lonely, so that's probably why I wait until the last possible minute to get up and get ready for work and my day.

I'm thinking, now that I'm home, I might work to get up so I can take Eleanor or Coda for a long walk before I have to get ready for work, but that still doesn't help with the vacancy of human interaction.  Our SoFLA leisurely mornings were reminiscent of college, when we would all be up early for class but take some time to talk before heading off for the day.  They also reminded me of our trips to St Louis, when we all get up and make breakfast before the day gets started (well, "not my brother" Alex makes breakfast for us all).  

I know every day can't be vacation, but I'm trying to figure out how to bring that feeling to the mundane everyday.  Any ideas?

In the meantime, check out a hilarious photo of the end of a sneeze that I turned into a gif (I'll post photos I took while away later this week).

Have a great week!