It's the Monday after our week-long, kids-free vacation. Real life and responsibilities loom a bit larger today, as my salty swim suits still dry out in the bathtub. We returned on Saturday after a week on the Big Island, where we stayed at my aunt and uncle's beach house. (Lynn and Bill, you are so generous! Thank you!)
It was four years since Jonathan and I'd been away for a whole week without our kids, and it felt just as amazing as we'd hoped. I anticipated that Hawaii would be restful—and it was—but I didn't realize just how much fun we'd have being goofy and carefree. We played hard all week...snorkeling and paddle boarding most days, hiking, swimming with huge manta rays, laughing a ton, and making the sunset our biggest priority each night. I didn't fill a single sippy cup, and my biggest responsibility each day was deciding between a Pina Colada or a Beergarita. Sometimes (okay, a lot of times)— I chose both.
We appreciated every second of our trip, knowing that time away happens far less than we'd like, and realizing that our parents both made a lot of sacrifices so we could leave our kids behind. (Thanks Mom/Dad/Steve and Marlene!)
What's funny is that before we left I started feeling so bad that our poor young, vulnerable children would be miserable without us for a week, and weren't we terrible parents for abandoning them right after moving? Let's just say they were spoiled rotten all week, and supposedly didn't ask about us once. I called on our last night to say hi, particularly missing them, and Anna said, "Mom, I'm busy watching Curious George right now." Alrighty then...I guess I'll head back to the beach.
Here are a few things I enjoyed while on vacation, that maybe you'll enjoy too. It's Monday, after all, and Mondays can be rough.
I purchased these Oh Joy bandaids in Kona after scraping my fingers and ankles on coral. I can officially say, I now understand my kids' fascination with bandaids. They're so cute, I just want to wear them for no reason!
I kept seeing these jewel tattoos in various magazines and blogs and had a big crush on them. They look so pretty on tan skin so a beach vacation seemed an appropriate time for a try. I must say, I loved wearing them even more than I thought I would. Also, (shhhh) they are on clearance at Target! (I just bought another package to wear to a wedding this fall.) FYI, Target has free shipping on all items this week. $5.25, people.
Our daily vacation happy hours consisted of this popcorn + poke + pina coladas + paddle boarding. Simple. Easy. So good. Have you heard of hurricane popcorn before? Dana introduced us to this stuff and it's much, much cheaper in Hawaii so we enjoyed it while we had the chance. (We also brought home a Costco box of it for future at-home date nights.)
I devoured Big Little Lies and finished Go Set a Watchman. Big Little Lies is a page turner—highly recommend—while the second one is a slower reader, but (in my opinion) a must-read for those who like Mockingbird. Don't buy all the "Atticus is a racist and you'll hate it" rhetoric. The story, and the character's thoughts and feelings about race, are so much more complex than average book reviewers are reporting.
Coconut strips. Oh my. Why had I never bought these at Trader Joe's until now?
This pink lipstick is so on fleek, you guys. (Apparently, "on fleek" is a trendy phrase to use these days? This is what I'm told.) Jenny gave me this little tube of Sugar lip treatment, and it smells so good and feels so good. The Sephora sales person says "fresh" is a good color for blondes . I never wear color on my lips but this got worn to dinner every night on vacation. Smooch!
What have you been reading, listening to, and buying these days?