Happy June!

I'm a little late in saying it, but here's wishing everyone a sunny, fun-filled June that perfectly kick-starts a wonderful long summer.

Photo from here.

Bon Voyage!

I'm off on a weeklong vacation in the Caribbean! This is one of my favorite places in the world, where my family has been going every year since I was eleven. It's our brief moment to escape winter. But more than that, it's a time to simply be together in an absolutely gorgeous setting. I can't wait for sunshine and blue skies, sand and the ocean. See you in a week!

Photo from here. 

Tempting

What do you say we all play hooky today and head to the beach?

Photo from here.

Little Getaway

Hopefully at this time tomorrow, my husband and I will be on the beach in Florida. We're heading off on a very brief trip that I think should be a lot of fun. I'll be back with photos next week, but in the meantime, please enjoy this lovely one.

Photo from here.

Breathless

It snowed again today. I realize this shouldn't come as a surprise, seeing as though it's only mid-February. It's just that I somehow came to the conclusion that we were done with snow, that it was time for winter to pack up and leave town.

Now I also realize I have a choice in this matter. That I could pack up and leave town and head for somewhere that doesn't get burried under feet of ice and snow each year. But I did that once and the funny thing is I missed the seasons. Not months of winter, necessarily, but the changes and the fact that spring feels so incredible following seemingly endless winters.

So I'm going to quit whining and try to embrace the cold. And if I can't quite do that, I'm going to take a look at these breathtaking beach photos by SussanahT. The muted colors and the calmness of the landscape are perfection.

Photos from here.

A Wandering Mind

There's nothing like a Monday morning to put you in a state of reality. Now, that's not a bad thing necessarily. But weekends and holidays are more fun, no? On this particular Monday morning, my mind is wandering back to vacation. I can't believe it was only weeks ago that we were on a beach. Sigh ...

Photos by me and my husband.

Bon Voyage

We're off on our annual Caribbean beach vacation. My family has these trips down perfectly: We relax on the beach, swim in the ocean and drink delicious rum concoctions.

Here are some of the other things I look forward to on these vacations:

* Waking up rested and refreshed and running to the windows to rip back the curtains and see what a beautiful day it is.
* Nabbing the perfect spot on the beach and sinking into our lounge chairs.
* Settling into that perfect beach cycle: get hot in the sun, cool down in the ocean, get hot in the sun. Repeat, repeat, repeat!
* Grabbing a round of pina coladas for the group.
* Kissing my husband in the water. (And each year I make my husband do "the lift" with me, a la the lake scene in "Dirty Dancing.")
* Talking with my mom and sister. There's never enough time to cover it all!
* Enjoying an ideal, simple feeling of relaxation as the sun starts sinking toward the ocean.
* Taking a shower and washing off all the salt, sand and sunscreen. This feels amazing!
* Dressing in something special and joining the family for a fun dinner.
* Going back to the hotel room exhausted and happy and sinking into bed.
* And doing it all over again the next day!

I can't wait for this trip. I hope we have safe travels and enjoy our time together. And I'll try to bring some sunshine back with us!

Photo by me.