Tada and me: Ponte Vedra Beach, FL.

We are back from Florida. We miss it so much already. It was amazing. So amazing that I took 1661 photos and narrowed it down to 287 of my favorites. It's a start. 


An amazing thing happens when you go on vacation with extended family. Your children become distracted. Their needs spread out to countless other adults who have conversations with them, get them things, fulfill their many needs if they are able. The kids wear themselves out, swimming for hours each day, with endless supplies of food and drinks and a house with rooms for this and for that. Then it's time to go home. You squish into a very small space for five hours, moving very fast at 38,000 feet. It's just you and your spouse again, with the hoodlums. Packs of candy and a million bottles of juice disappear and finally you're home, brushing teeth, checking the mail and flopping into bed. 


What happens the next day is like a kick to the teeth. The hungry, bored, restless vacationers are in need of entertainment. And the only adult there is you. You and your pathetic worn out body, void of any new tricks or toys. And you live in a shoebox with no pool, no snacks and no Nana.


Tomorrow is a new day. Perhaps a day of serenity and back massages. My fingers are crossed.

Leaving on a Jetplane... with lots of children and Nabisco products.

Ruby puffing a dandelion today.

We are leaving tomorrow for a couple of weeks in Florida with my husband's fantastic parents and family and my girls' cousins. We are excited out of our minds. A week at a beach house, kids everywhere, music, playing, sun, great food, laughter, laughter, kids, laughter, movies, laughter. The alligator farm, meeting up with friends, seeing cousins every single day, swimming in Nana's pool, sitting on Nana's lap (if you're small enough!).

A photo from two years ago below. It is everything Florida is. Naked babies, warmth, water, colors, and lots of turquoise!

Click here for some MyMatilda newborn photos...

Eureka, CA.

I have so much to say... and don't know where to begin. I'll start out by saying, Jake and I and the girls drove 18 hours just to get to Eureka, California, my hometown. It usually takes 14 but with kids, much longer.

Have you ever wondered if you have any deep reservoirs of patience? Do you wonder if you have what it takes to make it through a traumatic experience and come out in one piece? Well get in the car with your kids and take a really long road trip. That'll do it. That'll teach you what your strengths and weaknesses are! But for the most part, it was nice to be together. For better or worse.

About an hour from Eureka, while Jake drove us through the redwoods up the coast, I answered the phone call from my parents that said the graveside service that was supposed to be that day was cancelled. Because of the earthquake in Japan (so, so terrible) a large part of the coast was under a tsunami warning. Businesses, such as mortuaries, were not permitted (by F.E.M.A.) to conduct their usual business. The mall and most other places were closed.

A huge bummer.

It was, however, really nice to spend some quiet family time in the funeral home talking about my Grandmother. She was a fantastic lady, full of incredible vigor and laughter and music.

We were only in Eureka for a short time and squeezed in as much as we could.

I hadn't been home in 6 years. I had missed it so much. I walked in my parent's house and immediately started crying. Everything I saw and touched was beautiful. My mom's nicknacks and wall hangings and books that she's had since before I was born, every single thing reminded me of my childhood and each one carried a million memories.

It was so good for my soul to be home. I reflected on myself quite a bit. I was just so happy to be there. Everything in that town is such a part of me. The grass and the constantly wet ground, the cold wind, the rain, the trees. It's all so beautiful.

My girls loved being there and exploring their Grandma and Grandpa's house. My brother and sister still live at home and are incredible with our kids.

Until next time---