I was preparing for this vacation with more than just a little trepidation, because, if I’m being quite honest, I didn’t enjoy last year’s vacation much at all (you can see some photos from it in this post, but I never went into great detail about any of it).
Which really sucked, because everyone else had a grand ol’ time.
I finally finished sifting through my billions of video clips (it was too much, I know); you can check out my collection of vacation Shorts here!
The fam and I returned from our 6 days of seaside vacationing on Tuesday, and ever since then I’ve been sifting through hundreds of videos and compiling them into aesthetic YouTube shorts (these are pretty much purely for my and my family’s entertainment, but there’s a slight chance that somebody else might enjoy them too).
I was originally throwing around the idea of making a longform video about the trip, but after spending the whole first day of the vacation capturing aesthetically-pleasing footage (think: sanderlings running along the surf in front of a pastel-pink sunset), my camera decided to throw a fit, mess with my SD card, and ultimately lose my gorgeous footage.
January 18th was the last day that we got truly decent temps. The morning was warm*, and rays of sunlight were shining through the rising mist over the stonewall.
Very New England-core✨
*a winter’s “warm”, of course
although I despise what the invasive bittersweet plant does (and do my very best to not let it produce berries on my property), its winter display (in my grampa’s yard) is always impressive
A collection of photos taken back in September during our little vacation down by the coast 🌊
weather at the end of September is really a coin toss ’round here, so we were pretty lucky to get decent temps, even if we did get quite a bit of clouds and a few passing showers
I know, it’s been a hot minute since I’ve given any attention to my little ol’ blog. The thing is, life has been anything but eventless (I did succeed in jinxing things when I said in this post that I thought life was beginning to calm down again…who could’ve predicted. I brought this upon myself, I know).
But what can I say, in the words of the majestic TSwift: I’m on some new shit / been saying “yes” instead of “no”
Has it been working out for me? Who’s to say. Some days I wake up with stomach aches, other days I feel courageous enough to do anything. But hey, can’t say I haven’t been giving life my all ✌🏼
(help)
(1, 2, 3, let’s go, bitch)
come to the beach, chill by the sea / see how your heavy life looks from the coastline ☀
The last time we drove down to the coastline was May 14th, and life was going incredibly well. We were all happy, busy, inspired, and thriving. And then June came around (no comment), July absolutely sucked, August was hell, and the beginning of September was super stressful and highly disappointing.
Before yesterday, the thought of taking a day trip down felt more like an exhausting chore than any kind of fun adventure. But now (dare I say the words, lest I jinx it?), it seems like life might actually be beginning to calm down and become a little more centered again.
(knock on wood)
And we finally made it back to our second home.
was she stalking the seagulls, or were the seagulls stalking her?
I cannot believe that we’re already into September — time is currently moving so fast, and also so excruciatingly slow (I’m still waiting for Agnes to start popping some kittens out, and I’m getting so impatient. I want to meet Amelia ! ! !).
Labor Day weekend means the annual country fair, and it’s quite convenient that Taylor now lives two minutes from the fairgrounds, so I just had to meet her at her apartment and then we carpooled there on Friday night. Last year the star of the show was a sweet half moon, this year we had a gorgeous full moon glowing orange above all the neon lights (once in a blue moon, baby).
I really was in awe, and just kept stopping in the middle of the crowds and pointing up to the sky like do you all see this??? I wish I could have captured her in high quality, but alas, I was only equipped with my phone’s camera (I brought Luna to the attention of some fellow fairgoers though, so you’re welcome to everyone who got to truly appreciate her beauty because of me).
there were so many friendly vendors that Taylor and I were chatting up this year, the vibes were impeccable
The other day I was sittin’ with Mom and Riley Mae and we were all watchin’ frogs sunnin’ in the sun. We watched as a little guy swam up to a rock, slowly streeetched, climbed up, and settled down into the damp mossy algae like a loafing cat.
“You know what I don’t believe?” I asked rhetorically. “I don’t believe that frogs actually eat. I mean, have you ever seen one eat? No, you haven’t.” Two minutes later this same little cozy frog launched forward and caught two bugs.
It was almost as cool as the time we saw a lil crayfish 3 seconds after Mom said “but we never see crayfish” and 1 second before Dad texted her “are you looking for crayfish?”
What are the odds??
Movie theaters really aren’t my thing™.
It may have something to do with the fact that I had a panic attack in one when I was 8…and then again when I was 10…and again somewhere in my teen years. Not to mention the fact that someone is always choking on popcorn half-way through the movie (come on, people).
I mean, sure, I’ve had some really fun experiences at the movie theater too, but some memories just stick out more than others, ya know?
So movie theaters really aren’t my thing™.
Drive-ins on the other hand? Love ’em.
click on the photos to enlarge them
This week I’ve been focusing on the simple task of being happy.
And by simple, you know I mean arduous.
Okay listen, I haven’t lost it completely…the foundation that I so carefully constructed during the last 6 months is still there…underneath some rubble. A serious lack of blue skies, a desk that is sticky from the constant humidity, and some unexpected happenings that have happened have caused a few recent earthquakes. Or maybe some natural, beneficial forest fires.
(it’s yet to be determined)
art by jordan rae 