travel

Here’s one of my favorite pictures from the trip. We had kayaked across the channel in the rain and saw the wild ponies up close and personal. Even started up a flirtation with our cutie of a kayak guide which lasted all week, so that was an added bonus! ;-)

To see more photos from the trip, click here!

What an excellent trip!

We rented a cottage on the eastern shore of Chincoteague Island, overlooking the channel to Assateague where the wild ponies live.

Every morning, when I came out of the cottage to have my coffee on the dock, I could look across the channel and see them grazing in the long marsh grasses. Morning and night, just across the way, I could look at any time and see the Assateague lighthouse, the beacon of which might have kept me up at night but instead provided a lulling rhythm by which to fall asleep.

We kayaked, and we sunbathed, and we read books on the beach. It was relaxing and idyllic, just as I was hoping.

I slept on a futon for five nights (God help me, that’ll never happen again on a vacation!), got a giant bruise on my left leg from a run-in with my kayak, blistered my toes by walking four miles in flats (didn’t anticipate such a long walk, but it was such a gorgeous night!), and got a little sunburned.

It gave me space to process all the craziness that happened in my life over the past few months, especially the two weeks before leaving, and I was even able to let go of everything and just exist for a while. I’m coming home with a new self-awareness, clear understanding of several things I need to do, and a better sense of who I am and how I’ve changed over the past few years.

I think one of my favorite things about travel is that it gets me out of the mold I often apply to myself, allows me – even forces me – to be who I really truly am. And then I can take those things I learn and go back to my ‘normal’ life with fresh perspective and renewed appreciation for who I am.

One big takeaway from this trip: I want to travel with my family more. I had more fun in four days with my sister in Ithaca than in a week on the beach with my best friend. What is up with that?! I think it’s because my sister and I allow each other to shift and change and just be, while that feedom doesn’t exist with my best friend. It’s entirely possible that it’s my doing, and it’s more than I want to get into right now, but it has given me an awful lot to think about and has made my appreciate my family more than ever before.

And… I cannot wait to get back to Chincoteague! The people are sweet, the horses are beatiful, the beach is perfect, the pace is relaxed, and I’m missing it already!

...and counting!!

I’ll be laying here:

doing this:

SO looking forward to getting away!

So looking forward to getting on the road for my getaway on the beach with my best friend!

Ok, so Amsterdam is out.

I can’t really explain why, except that it just didn’t feel right. I never thought I’d be this person, but I decided a smaller more local and much more cost-effective vacation would be in order this year.

My traveling buddy wasn’t thrilled, but then we remembered that, on the way back up from the Wedding From Hell in the Outerbanks last year, we spent a few hours on this adroable island on the coast of Virginia and promised ourselves we’d come back for a week sometime.

Well… that’s going to be this June. We’ve reserved the cottage and we’ll be driving her car down, so it’ll be probably the least expensive trip we’ve ever gone on together. There’s going to be lots of beach time, and roaming around our beautiful little Chincoteague Island.

Not the grand European tour we were envisioning, but it just feels right to be doing something more low-key this year. I relax a little bit every time I think about it.

Now it’s just a matter of picking out the right bathing suit!

So I had given up all hope of international travel this year, in favor of staying home, tightening the old belt and saving some money. But then my bff Babsy has managed to get her hands on two very cheap tickets to Amsterdam…

And I’m so excited!!!

Looks like we’re gonna pop into Amsterdam then take a little road trip through Germany, Luxembourg and Belgium, and end up back in Amsterdam for a few days before coming home.

OMG, I’m so excited!!

_{ahem.
Yes, I did just say OMG.
No, I am not 18.
Yes, it will likely happen again.}

Oh, yay!

I can hardly wait!