two saturdays ago Lilian and i got in the car and drove four hours south to folly beach south carolina for an overnight visit to the ocean
it was a short 24 hours away but much needed
something we need to do more often because it had been since august
we caught the sunset at our favorite spot
i caught the sunrise
the best view to wake to
the ocean…. my oldest friend and a constant reset
spring break in miami was canceled
two weeks in portugal with my family in early june was also canceled
so before summer is over and school starts again, Lily and i drove down to inverness florida where we quarantined at a house with a pool with our K
why crystal river area?
well, i have been curious about that area and wanting to visit three sisters springs for quite some time
i also didn’t want a drive longer than 9-10 hours
our airbnb in inverness was exactly what we had hoped it would be
maybe even better
a great house in a super quiet neighborhood with a screened in pool and big lanai
we spent most of our time at home in the pool however, we did get to venture out to three sisters (beautiful), went out to eat a few times and checked out a local produce market
it was the perfect quiet and relaxing getaway
happy friday friends
ps- i love this post so much because it’s filled with all the miami pool blue and it’s been a long time since it has had any of that color/feeling and it’s still the best and the one i love the most
waking up in inverness was the total opposite of waking up in asheville. it was quiet
three sisters springs
i guess for the sake of having a spring break post like in the previous years, i should do one although, it was very much the opposite of all the previous years due to covid19
it was the same for everyone else
i am aware
a stay at home spring break
not worth much talking about but worth documenting and sharing i guess
happy weekend friends
there was baking
there was cake for breakfast
there was an easter folar
there were positive moments
and not so great positive moments
there were many slow mornings
there were creative mornings
there were safe outings
there was safe distance playing
there were healthy lunches
there were many walks around the neighborhood
there was a haircut
there was snuggling with all the loved ones
there was a stuffed animal chair project
there was golden light
and there was a super pink full moon in libra
one week ago today we packed up the car and drove six hours to carolina beach after we picked Lilian up from school
due to parent/teacher conferences and a teacher working day, she had a four day weekend so i planned a beach getaway for us all (foxy included)
i got a pet friendly airbnb right on the beach where we comfortably stayed for four nights
being right on the ocean was a must
for four days the first thing i saw was the ocean and the last thing i heard was the ocean
nothing better as far as i’m concerned
if i could go back to living in miami, before making the decision to move to asheville sight unseen, i would hold that decision and explore more places
like wilmington
a place close to the ocean that right away felt more like home than asheville ever could even four years after living here
but such is life
and in life mistakes are made
and lessons are hopefully learned
i now know that this is the farthest i will ever live from the ocean
but i also know that one day i will live close to the ocean again
because it’s what feels right and natural to me
and i may not always be certain of everything
but i am certain of that
it was night time when we arrived but, woke up to this. and regardless of how cold and rainy it was that day, i stood out on the balcony and took it all in
it was really cold and rainy that first full day there. but it didn’t stop us from going to the beach
because it was so cold and rainy, we took shelter for a few hours at the north carolina aquarium in fort fisher
favorite books and new author found at the aquarium’s gift shop
friday started out cold as well but i went on a morning beach walk regardless
while William worked at the apartment, Lilian and i drove to wilmington where we explored downtown and saw snippets of spring
afternoon beach walk and the beginning of a sunset
i woke up early enough to catch the sunrise both saturday and sunday morning. right off our balcony. no way better to start the day
my early morning beach walk buddy
beach treasures
a photo shoot in wrightsville beach after exploring wilmington all together
sunday. one last morning beach walk before we left
yesterday she was nine and today she is ten
i am trying to grasp how we got here so quickly
too quickly
ten seemed like such a far away number and here we are today
a whole decade
two full hands
double digits
too quickly
yesterday afternoon i dusted off my nikon and documented this girl on her last day of being nine
may she continue to shine brighter with every year as she grows
the drive from santa fe new mexico through arizona to monument valley utah was one of the most beautiful drives i have ever been on and everything i had hoped to see when i booked our trip out west
happy friday friends
hope you all had a good week
and keeping with the blue, this blue tongued girl in the back seat
i am writing this post from a couch in panama city beach overlooking the ocean
Lily and i have been here for almost a week (sadly today is our last full day here)
being on the beach has been the best soul filling way to end this summer break
we miss William and wish he was here but understand that he doesn’t care for the beach the way we do
that said, we are thankful for the opportunity to be here
it’s after 9am and Lily is still sleeping
it has been that kind of summer but it will soon (too soon) be over when she starts 4th grade next monday
we have had a wonderful summer
two weeks at home, one week in the mountains of west virginia, two weeks in the desert of new mexico, arizona, utah and nevada, two weeks at home and one week at the beach
a little bit of everything
beach was a last minute add on but a must
for me it is not summer without beach time (it’s just the way i was raised. beach=summer)
while in santa fe, we drove out to see bandelier national monument
the 33,677 acre monument preserves the homes and territory of the ancestral puebloans of a later era in the southwest
most of the pueblo structures date to two eras, dating between 1150 and 1600ad
being there was a surreal experience to say the least and a once in a lifetime experience we will forever remember
if you would like to read more about it, please do so here
this year for our family summer vacation instead of heading towards europe or the ocean, we headed west towards the desert
a little out of character for this ocean girl but for some reason, those desert vibes were calling me
and i am so glad they did
santa fe is filled with so much beauty!
i loved the architecture, all the details around it, the art, the colors, the food, the weather…. eighty five during the day, no humidity and cool nights
so many things to do in town and so much to do out of town too
hot springs, hikes in beautiful national parks, all under a gigantic blue sky!
and the best part?
our miami friends got to come meet us and we got to spend some much needed time together and as a family got to experience something new
it was a week filled with santa fe memories i will forever cherish
happy friday friends!
ps- i took a lot of pictures with my phone. this is a short instagram summary of our trip. we also went to the georgia o’keeffe museum and to Taos. we tried going to the georgia o’keeffe house/studio however tickets were sold out for the whole week we were there. next time!
our airbnb was pretty awesome
after dropping our bags off we quickly went out and stocked up the house with all sorts of fresh goodies
coffee mornings in santa fe
shopping on canyon rd
there are beautiful details everywhere you look in santa fe and i fell in love with every blue door i saw
fell in love with all the windows too
and all the details….
there were many matching outfits
celebratory times for being all together again
many delicious meals
a trip to the rio grange gorge
many outings around town
a trip to bandelier national monument
jemez hot springs
laundry down time at home
a night of amazing flamenco at el farol
and meow wolf
my santa fe souvenirs home in asheville. so many fun things to see and buy there!
hello, hello, hello!!!
you may have noticed that it has been very quiet around here
we just returned from a two week trip out west and i didn’t take my laptop with me (or either one of my cameras. shocker!)
anyway, we are slowly adjusting to our regular home life and the eastern time zone
i have tons of phone pictures to share and i hope that i actually get to because i’ve been pretty bad at that (i never finished sharing our trip to spain last summer….)
prior to heading out west, we had the most wonderful week with family in west virginia
it was the perfect getaway to start us on our summer vacation mode
hope you are having a great week and a great summer so far!
2.5 mile morning walks with my walking partner
morning raspberry picking
more morning walks
and afternoon pond dips
i painted some new pieces
reunited with her favorite sister cousin
pond fishing sessions
sister cousin photo shoots
rainy afternoons on the porch swing
good skin, good hair, no makeup
we had a great fourth
family picture july 2019
how about some amazing (and free) art on huge walls to brighten up the week?
you guys know how much i love wynwood
and even if it is just a quick drive by, i need to visit/see it every time we are in miami
on this particular morning, we started with acai bowls and took our time looking at all the new art and shops (not pictured)
hope you are all having a great week so far!
