vacation: all i ever wanted.

well, it’s over.

weeks of preparation: packing, sewing, cleaning and cleaning and cleaning, organizing, cooking, shopping…all done.

if you follow me on instagram you’ll know what we’ve been up to. back-to-back trips-- two weeks ago we left for our annual family trip to cape cod. saturday to thursday spent in a lakeside house with grandparents and uncles and aunt and friends.

this is SOOC—no filters at all. amazing, right?

all the usual fun—huge meals, lobster dinners, gorgeous sunsets, fishing off the dock, mini golf and batting cages. it’s quality family time snuggling up with our babies. and laughing. lots and lots of laughing.

and then one night at dinner our kiddos surprised us with an early anniversary gift. they went online (storybird) and wrote a book for us. they ordered it with help from the grandparents and paid for it with their allowances.

we had absolutely no idea.

so when we opened the little package that they had wrapped up and started reading this “Story of US”, well…it was a serious ugly cry.

i honestly can’t remember the last time i cried like that. it seems like maybe? possibly? we’re doing something right? i hope. i do know that this will be something that’s treasured forever.

i can’t even write this now without tearing up. 

::deep breath::

okay so…we came home on thursday and spent friday and saturday in a mad dash of repacking, food shopping, dinner freezing, and yes—last minute sewing. because that next sunday we left for our 15th ANNIVERSARY CRUISE! three other couples joined us in celebrating anniversaries. between all of us there was 57 years of marriage and  14 children left behind with grandparents and aunts and uncles—for pretty much the first time.

jeremy + i haven’t left our kids for more than one night since we had them. and considering guinevere was born after 1.5 years of marriage…well, i’d say it was long overdue.

a one week cruise from bayonne, NJ to sunny bermuda and back again—just what the doctor ordered for all of us.

warwick bay beach

it was gorgeous. we snorkled and swam and relaxed. there was an incredible amount of food eaten. and i laughed so hard i think it counted as an ab workout.

tobacco bay beach – awesome snorkeling. until i came face to face with a moray eel. (insert mental image of me frantically splashing and screaming “EEEEEEEL” through my snorkel)

we had goals for this trip, and i think we checked off every one.

formal night. some hot mommas and handsome fellas ;) who were made to put roses in their mouths by the photographer.

1) to refer to each other as “shannon” and “jeremy”, not “mommy” and “daddy”.
2) to not cut up anyone’s food but our own at the dinner table.
3) in line with #2, to not wipe anyone’s bottom but our own in the bathroom.
4) to not worry about the time or look at a clock, except as far as to determine when the next onboard show was.
5) to sleep whenever we wanted, for however long we wanted.
6) to not wear the “mom uniform”, but to fix my hair and put on my makeup and wear cute stuff—even to breakfast.

check mark on all of those. they were 100% accomplished. and yesterday morning we were excited to see our babies, but very very very sad it was over.

all four couples have been instagramming and texting back and forth things along the lines of “i ordered a coffee and ice water, and no one brought it to me!” or “would you believe there’s no chocolate sensation in my refrigerator!?!?”

it’s been a rough return to reality. if my stinking house would just stop swaying back and forth i may be able to accomplish something. ;) now if you’ll excuse me, i’m off to snuggle my googies a little more.