Home Again Home Again Jiggity Jig

We spent last week in sunny Litchfield, South Carolina, and it was wonderful.

Having Andy around all the time, spending each day at pool and beach, eating delicious food, getting dozens of hot Krispy Kreme donuts, reading book upon book and soaking up all of the warm southern weather and hospitality were just what the doctor ordered.

It’s like a little taste of heaven on earth down there.

It might even be one of my favorite places ever.

And if you know how much I love New York City, that’s really saying something :)

We talk about how we should probably branch out and vacation other places…see new towns and beaches.  But Litchfield has a piece of our hearts and we just want to go back there year after year.

I’d love for my girls to have memories upon memories of summers spent there playing on the soft sandy beaches and doing all the traditional things we do.  Eating crispy hushpuppies at Lee’s Inlet Kitchen, getting a dozen hot donuts after spending the evening at Broadway at the Beach, browsing around the Hammock shops, picking out an annual family Christmas ornament, dining at the Island Deli, walking on the boardwalk by the Lazy Gator, looking for sharks teeth along the beach, having breakfast at Eggs Up Grill.

I’m sure we’ll have plenty of time to see other places, but this is one that I want to revisit year after year for sure.

Vacation is always weird for me. It makes me want to change my whole life around.  Come home and repaint the whole house, get rid of everything and downsize, take more day adventures with the girls, spend more time exploring the pretty places in Michigan, disconnect forever from social media and quiet my life down.

It’s like being somewhere else opens my mind up to all these options that I forget exist when I’m tucked away inside my little house everyday.  It makes me feel like more is possible than I realize and the limitations I place on myself and my schedule aren’t really real.  I can’t even explain it, but I feel exhilarated by it.

I’m glad to be married to a man who can keep me grounded but who is also up for the idea of repainting the whole house ;)

We’re not repainting by the way.

On our very long car ride I thought a lot about the blog.  Trying to figure out why I don’t feel inspired to write much these days.  I still love writing, I still love cooking and I still love taking pictures.  I just don’t feel like blogging it out.

And this is SO WEIRD because I’ve been passionate about blogging for nearly a decade.  I’ve loved the creative element of it, I’ve loved the connection with other people and I’ve loved the documentation of my life.

But lately I’m all, “Who really cares? Why am I doing this? What kind of blog is this anyway? Do I want to be a food blogger?  A faith blogger?  A mommy blogger? Am I afraid of leaving it behind?  Am I afraid of moving it forward?”

I really don’t have answers to any of it.

I’m still wrestling with the shift that occurred a few weeks ago.  From feeling alive and purposeful everyday to wondering what the heck happened to all that and feeling ambivalent and frustrated instead.

I choose to believe that God has just as much purpose for me when things are feeling awesome as when they feel murky as all get out.  I know He has good plans for me and that this time and space isn’t wrong it’s just different.  I’m trying to stay open-minded and more importantly open-hearted.

I’ve been wanting to listen more than I talk to Him.  I’ve wanted to be more open and willing than stubborn and self-assured.

But boy is it uncomfortable not knowing.

This week I’ll keep thinking and praying and maybe even journaling to see if there’s anything that is stuck that needs to come out.  Writing does that for me which I love.

I’ll also replay the sweet memories of last week over and over in my mind.  It was such a sweet reprieve from the regular grind.