A Bird's Eye View in Perdido Key!

Beach buddies!

I'm a little blinded here but I love this pic of me and my boys!

Our canopy crew!

I wish I would have gotten a picture of the end result - this guy was a true artist! Check out his tools strewn all over!

Matching jammies were a happy accident!

Dinner outside at The Gulf - a perfect restaurant for big groups and families. The kids could run around and play on the soft grass while we ate by the water.

All the daddies with their babes :)

We spent last week at Perdido Key Beach with friends! It's so great being able to connect with friends who have kids the same ages - they played together so well and we were all equally inconvenienced by our kid-whipped schedules. So it was great! It was especially nice to be able to put the kids down for bed at night and play games and eat dessert and catch up on life. Nothing like friends who totally understand your stage of life because they are right there alongside you. Also, I learned to play Settlers of Catan and I'm a little obsessed - anyone want to come over and play a tournament?!

The weather was unbelievably perfect and the view from the 12th floor condo was kind of unreal. I've never stayed so high up before and been able to drink in the view from above. The birds are so lucky, you guys. They see the world so beautifully!

That view actually really inspired me, gave me reason to pause. I don't take enough time to just let my mind be free. I am always busy, wrangling kids, writing, taking care of life things, and when I do get a free moment - I check my email, respond to messages, scroll Instagram, etc. But I never let myself just sit in the quiet. Think about it - when was the last time you just sat alone, quietly? I did that up on this 12th floor terrace with my feet kicked up and my heart high to the Heavens and I have to say, it was nourishing for my mind and soul. I can't remember the last time I really, truly gave myself enough room to let my mind wander and, I don't know, have original thoughts. I'm so busy during the day pouring my energy into my family and all my leftover mind space usually get put into this blog and my other writing work. But I haven't given myself freedom to think about whatever I want in such a long, long time. I've got to take time to do this more! I have a great brain. I almost forgot that.

With Labor Day coming up this weekend, I hope you are able to rest and relax and give yourself some quiet time to think! We are trying to decide if we take one last spontaneous trip to the beach, but the weather is looking a little rainy, so it might be hometown house projects for us :) Happy Labor Day weekend to you all! xx

Family Beach Trip!

This stretch of beach is very much like a second home. I've visited this place every year for over twenty years and it never ever dulls in it's extraordinary way of smoothing out the wrinkles in my mind. Watching my son build sand castles, learn to body surf and pick up seashells in the same sand that I did as a little girl is a wildly special experience. And since Stevie's family and my family took this vacation together every year for years, this is a cherished place for both of us. It just doesn't get old. In fact, as the trip comes near, we lean into the joy of planning and preparing for it. It's like we both know that we are about to drop all of our fears and doubts and stresses into that ocean and receive an overwhelming ovation of peace and soulful prosperity.

I have the funniest memory of Stevie when he was like 17 and I was 13. He and my cousin David used to troll the beach wearing puka shell necklaces and attempt to hit on girls. I thought he was so lame.

And then I married him :)

It seems like every year that we visit this beach, we have handfuls of life possibilities that we discuss while we walk along the water. Something about walking along the shoreline absorbs all the questions of our circumstances.

I remember walking the beach hand-in-hand while we excitedly discussed getting married.

Walking this beach, nervous and excited to move to Boston for him to go to Harvard. What would New England be like??

Walking this beach, thrilled about moving to New York City. And scared about pursuing my dream of being an actor in that crazy place.

Walking this beach (okay, waddling), gigantically pregnant and anticipating how our life would change as we added a member to our family. If we only knew the magnanimous source of passion and joy Everett would bring to us - and now Daxton, too!

Walking the beach, weighing the option of job opportunities, moving potentials, dreams, family, struggles, victories, an a myriad of other elements.

Walking along this shoreline has really helped us work out a lot of things over the years. Thank goodness for those meandering walks, where the ocean itself has been like a voice of reason in our discussions. And now we are joined by our sons in enjoying this special place. I am overcome with gratitude for this shared haven of sun-splayed comfort and peace.

Time stops here. The days run together and I almost forget that I have a phone or a camera or that technology even exists. It's always exactly what I need, at exactly the right time.

Life is so beautiful, friends. I hope you find a place where you can drop your worries and doubts and hopes into your favorite body of water this summer. Even if it's only the neighborhood pool, there's something neutralizing about those waters :)

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Steamboat Springs.

I remember breathing in the fear. Shivering goosebumps, nose wet running, drawing breath and ice down into my lungs. Pulsing with fear. Laced with exhilaration. Anticipation. And the frailest hope that I could maybe, maybe, make it down this insurmountable crest of earth called mountain. Scanning the directionless horizon, the crystalline range shifted into vivid focus as I realized that there were only two ways off this mountain: on my skis or in a body bag.

I remember this feeling it like I remember my own name.

That kind of fear. It's not something you forget.

Luckily, this trip hadn't the faintest whiff of such a purely vulnerable terror. Because I had already conquered the beast, the fear of heights and skiing, three years ago (remember this?),

Skiing in Steamboat Springs, Colorado this year was pure magic, basking in the sugary powered snow and shimmying down the slopes with a free tenacity that made me feel younger and older, all at once. Young and strong, but older and more relaxed in my truth. I wasn't afraid anymore. Instead, I was gripped with joy and gratitude. Getting older, getting a little better at life and, thank goodness, skiing - it's wayyy more fun than being young and chaotically stressed about everything. Like mountaintops. Instead, this vacation was just - SO MUCH FUN. Ever had the time of your life? For me, skiing down the slopes of an impetuous mountain, conquering the fear of swooping between the mythical Aspen trees, even face planting in the snow as I tumbled off the trail (that's what I get for trying to "get air") - I was having the time of my life.

I am so grateful for vacation. Vacation rocks. Vacation was invented by a genius.

Last week, Stevie and I joined his (our) family on a 5-day foray to ski and have quality family time. I was so relieved to strap on a pair of skis again - it had been a minute since my last ski trip. Getting pregnant and giving birth can hold up the skiing progression. I'm sure you're surprised to hear that :) My last ski trip was three years ago so I have been more than a little eager to get out on the snow. The challenge of this particular trip was the Everett factor. We decided to leave him at home with my parents. He obviously wasn't going to spend hours out on the slopes with us, and honestly, I was ready for a little mommy break. It was my first time leaving him for more than a night and it was really hard, but really wonderful. I missed him like crazy, but it was really healthy for me to focus a little more on myself and just have some good fun. I mean, this was not a trip for kids. Every evening when we came in from skiing, we all went straight to the hot tub with a mug of something dandy and we just sunk into the sensation of painful muscles and awesome memories. Painful in that good, sleepy, I-worked-for-this-pain kind of way.

In attempting to keep up with the boys (somewhat), my sis Lauren and I were wiped out! Those guys can obviously outski me but it was fun to challenge myself and experience a progression in my ability, even with the 3-year absence. We spent a lot of time on blue-black and black runs, which was awesomely exhausting, but my particular favorite were the tree runs. In between those snowy trees, there is a lot of hushed quiet.

Word on the street is that Steamboat Springs had a really warm, snow-less February. The very day we arrived, snow began dumping on the city and didn't stop until there was 25 inches of FRESH POWDER. You guys. That is what you call a gift from THE HEAVENS. That powdery, fluffy snow was incomparably sweet and literally made our trip the successful event that it was. Thankfully, we all skied to our hearts content and there were no injuries the whole week. Those mountaintop prayer sessions really work.

But even more than the skiing, I am so grateful for stealing a few days away with these beautiful souls whom I hold so dear. Even though we all live near each other, these days its just hard to connect and spend really quality time together. Having a lot of kids in our family, along with everyone's busy schedules, makes it challenging to have deep meaningful conversations all the time. I'm not making excuses, but it's just real life. My in-laws lead a large church and even though our entire family is involved in some capacity or another, that certainly makes everything a bit busier than it used to be. Sometimes you just want to hang out with your family. And last week, that's exactly what we did. We hung out, played on the slopes, cooked dinner together, and talked a lot - about our kids, about our dreams, politics, about movies, about the meaningful and meaningless. We threw around business ideas and dreamed about the future. It was so comforting, just watching my siblings-in-law and parents-in-law share stories and dreams and the heartfelt richness that they each carry. As I am getting older, I am increasingly more grateful for the bonds of family. I know I am a lucky girl, with all these siblings and nieces and nephews and parents.

Best trip ever. Thanks, Steamboat Springs, you were mighty good to us :)