Back!
Our trip was Saturday – Saturday and the length/intensity felt right to us this time! To recap, we did:
| 1 day / 2 nights | Universal Studios |
| 1 day | Kennedy Space Center |
| 4 days / 5 nights | Amelia Island |
Plus 2 days of mostly driving (last Saturday & yesterday!).
We drove home yesterday and I ordered groceries and generally sighed with contentment over the fact that we would have all of Sunday to recover/organize/etc.
We enjoyed a really relaxed last beach day on Friday followed by an afternoon at the movie theater eating sugary snacks and watching Minions: Rise of Gru and on Saturday packed up (relatively easily) and drove 5.5 hours home.
On this trip I slept a lot and enjoyed plenty of YouTube. I even left myself surf Insta for a bit (who am I?) just to catch some of the fall planner release news. (Spoiler alert – I’m still over Insta. I actually find it kind of boring? Who am I!?).
Q4 Energy!
And now, I’m filled with Q4 (Quintile 4) energy — back to school season! I have already created a printout of our (theoretical) family routines and reviewed with all stakeholders. Some are more excited than others.
School starts Wednesday and a few of the kids’ activities start right away, while others are next week or beyond. Annabel actually has her first ballet class (well, her first in 4 years) tomorrow, and I believe gymnastics starts this Saturday (all 3 kids have signed up, YESSS). We are going to do a bun practice today . . . I have traumatic memories of bun-hairstyling from back in the day, so we are going to watch some YouTube so I (and A) can learn to do it properly.
Today:
- Run (longish run). I didn’t weight train this week but I did run x3 in Amelia Island. No speed workouts, just regular runs. I will get back to usual ‘training’ next week.
- Plan next week’s workouts
- Put next week up on whiteboard (drop offs, activities, dinner, etc)
- Bun practice
- Unpack my stuff (kids’ stuff – done last night!)
- Organize desk/Sunday basket routine
- Think about and write out Q4 goals!
- Clear gmail. Inbox zero has been elusive lately but I will get there today.
- Print photos from trip (with my sticker printer) and add to 5 Year Journal for posterity
THEN – date night! Josh wants to see Top Gun. I am contemplating whether I will acquiesce vs lobby for a different movie. What I REALLY want to do is get a massage but I think most places are closed Sunday evenings and that would have taken some advanced planning which — this time — I didn’t do. Oh well.
16 Comments
I am not usually an action movie type of person and Top Gun was not top of my list but it was amazing! Also I am a huge fan of your planner reviews. Used hobonichi last year cause of your blog and want to try cultivate what matters this year but it has been sold out . I am also a physician but work exclusively telemedicine for several years, prior to COVID as well (psychiatry)
I’m so glad you guys had a great trip but I am mostly commenting to say OMG DO TOP GUN. It was so good! I’m a big fan of the original so was VERY skeptical of a sequel (And I dislike movies because I’m too anxious to not get anything else done for that long). But! It totally delivered. My husband 100% agreed. Report back if you decide to go 🙂
I must know where you got the Pokemon puzzle! Thanks!
Target!!!
Here’s the link: https://www.target.com/p/buffalo-games-entertainment-pokemon-eevee-evolutions-jigsaw-puzzle-500pc/-/A-80903026#lnk=sametab
Yay for great vacations that end the summer on a high note! Especially since your couples trip was messed up by COVID. I hope today is productive enough that you feel good about starting the school tomorrow! Good luck!
I LOVED Top Gun. I was just thinking today how going to see that (with my husband, sister, niece and her boyfriend when we were visiting South Carolina) was one of the highlights of my year. I’m not a huge movie fan and would rather stay home and read a book. I found this movie so entertaining and liked it a lot more than the original (though there are plenty of nods to the first movie, too). So good!!!
G’s bathing suit is adorable. Gah.
So excited for all your routines falling back into place. You sound like you’re in a great headspace, the kids are at a great age, you’ve weathered some summer hurdles (like getting COVID when you had fun plans arranged). You sound relaxed but purposeful which is a great combo <3
My ballet hair hack was to make my husband do drop off and pick up – they would never give a man a hard time about the bun, they just get an A for effort!
Sad but true…
HA. LOVE IT.
Two words: donut bun. If you aren’t already using one, I highly recommend!!
Yes! Love a donut bun 🙂
I just did one without but I ordered one which will arrive in time for G’s class! Hopefully this will help. My kids have SO MUCH HAIR . . .
So happy you’ve had a good vacation!
I have a question that may be ignorance on my part, as an English person living inland.
What makes you drive 5 hours for a beach vacation when you live near the beach? Is it that Amelia Island has a different vibe or different weather or is just a place you prefer? Just curious so hope this question doesn’t seem critical in any way – you obviously have your reasons, just wondering what they are 🙂
haha great question! Amelia has a much more relaxed vibe and far wider less crowded beaches than we have down here. It also feels like an entirely different place, which adds to the ‘vacation’ feel.
Thank you! Those reasons all make total sense 🙂
Insta definitely isn’t as fun as it once was…