Hitting the Reset Button on Life

Last week was our annual Barone family trip to the Outer Banks in North Carolina. Each year this trip is filled with fun, laughter, game nights, beach days, and plenty of nostalgia.

This year was little Olive's first time on family vacation. So, it was super special, and quite ceremonious, when Michael dipped her chubby, little feet into the ocean for the first time. The look on her face alluded to confusion and dislike. However, she really seemed to enjoy the pool and her new octopus toy.

A girl and her octopus....
 

The week leading up to our vacation was total insanity to say the least. Nevertheless, I somehow managed to clean my house, do all of the laundry, and pack everything with the exception of the baby's sunscreen.

All week I couldn't stop thinking about sipping coffee on the back deck of our beach house, swimming in the pool, napping on the beach, inhaling the sea air, reading a good book, and listening to the salty waves.

As a Christmas gift to ourselves last year, we purchased a nice camera. We figured that, since we would want to take 9 million pictures of our child, it might be a good investment. So, I brought it along this year to capture the beauty of this place.

This week has been a time for me to connect with family, bond, think, dream, and evaluate. Its been nice to have the space to think (since its hard for me to keep a whole thought in my head for more than 5 minutes, as of late). 

I wanted to share some moments that really capture the ambience of this place. 

It's clear to see why we keep coming back year after year.