Vacationing Slow / Boston 2013, part 1

Mark and I went to college, met, dated and lived as newly-weds on the North Shore of Boston. It is a familiar place that we still think of as home and visit several times a year. We typically roll into town on a whirlwind of activity with an agenda so full we barely have a chance to squeeze in the inevitable scenic drive that I should have learned I simply need to schedule, every single trip. We bounce from families to group of friends to coaches and mentors, As an extrovert, these trips make me giddy. I get to see everyone!

But the past few visits have left me feeling at a loss. By cramming everyone in, I spend very little quality time with anyone. So when we decided to make the North Shore our family vacation this year, we set very clear boundaries. We picked our dearest to commit to spend time with, the friends we stayed with, my best friend from high school and her husband, Bridget and Steve, our friends Greg and Maggie who are about to have a sweet baby girl (literally any day now), and my best friend from college, Sara. Turns out, Bridget was off filming #AmericanBlogger and galavanting in Vail and Sara was in Maine. With some serious discipline, we let those plans go and didn't back fill the time.

You guys, having full days free to relax is amazing!

I know, this isn't new news, but it also isn't something I do very often. Granted, it wasn't completely relaxing with two kids. But all in all, our beach vacation went well. We ate lots of ice cream, visited our favorite beaches, and I almost read an entire book. We miss the friends we didn't see, but we are so incredibly thankful for the family time we had, it affirmed the decision. Until next time Boston. (but don't you all worry, there will be plenty more beach pictures coming later this week!)

I am linking up with Blair for Life Lately.