Finn and I arrived home from Florida around noon today and I can’t lie…this goodbye was a tough one. We had the best and most relaxing visit with my family. I was sad to leave…but of course grateful for the time we got to spend.
I do fully realize how fortunate I am to be able to travel to see them so frequently but gosh do I ever wish we were all closer. A friend of mine recently commented to me, “isn’t it crazy how much closer you grow to your own family after you have a child?” And it’s so true. I’ve always been close with my family but since Finn was born, things have changed so much.
I also have to note that I am very lucky that I can do a lot of my work (all but teaching/leading trainings) from anywhere. Now that Finn is on a more predictable schedule, I’m able to maximize naptimes and after bedtime to work on my yoga trainings and blog work.
Finn and I always stay at my grandmother’s place (most of you probably remember she’s just one floor down from my parents). When I talked to her tonight she said it was so quiet without us! I miss her so much already.
We spent most of our long weekend hanging out around the house, playing and going on walks. I think I left the condo development…oh three times in five days? Two grocery store runs and one yoga class. Perfect in my book. I’ve always been a bit of a homebody but even more so these days!
The big excitement of our visit was the annual Mardi Gras themed low country boil that my parent’s condo association hosts for the snowbirds that travel down to spend their winters at the beach. My dad is on the board and both of my parents are on the social committee so they were very happy when I scheduled our visit during one of the big events.
The food was crazy delicious. The condo association provided low country boil.
And everyone brought a dish to share. I have always loved potlucks so I was in heaven.
Also in heaven were my parents and my sweet boy. My parents were so excited to introduce Finn to everyone, and Finn was happy to “entertain” as my grandmother says. He was basically in a room full of grandparents so he wasn’t lacking for attention! haha
And for the record…Finn discovered his love for shrimp on this trip. He ate it two nights in a row and crushed it. So cute.
My grandmother and I watched A Star Is Born last night and y’all…I found it to be rather depressing. I adore Lady Gaga but that movie was all sorts of heavy and hard for me. I’d love to hear your thoughts on it. My grandmother and I both agreed that we want to go back and watch the last version of the movie with Barbara Streisand. So there’s a reason to book my next trip ASAP. 😉
But seriously…we will be back very soon. These trips fill my heart up like nothing else.
Have you ever had low country boil?
What did you think of A Star Is Born?
It sounds like a perfect trip! Just curious, have you ever thought about moving closer to your family?
My husband and I watched A Star is Born on a date night. I agree, it is a very heavy movie and so sad. We left the theatre completely depressed ;(.
Hey Holly! I have definitely considered it but for now will be staying put in Charlotte but visiting as frequently as possible.
I felt the same after having kids, I also lived far away but was able to travel frequently. It’s always hard to say cya.
As for A Star Is Born, I thought it went I. Way too long. The ending was hard for me, I hve had personal experiences with the ending and those scenes always spin me right back to my own memories. I would not hve watched it had I known.
Hey Samantha, I’m so happy to hear that you are able to travel to be with your family regularly. The goodbyes are hard. I always try to plan my next trip ASAP so that I know I’ll be back soon.
Yes, I hear you on the movie. It was my personal ties to some of the subject matter that really made it tough for me. I’m sorry to hear that it was triggering with you and that you’ve had to deal with such tough stuff.
My parents are “only” a 4 hour car ride away and I still feel like it’s too far. I’m envious of people who have family down the street! But also feel grateful I can just hop in my car if I need to.
Yes, my family used to be a 4 hour car ride away but since they moved to the beach…it’s 10 hours in the car or fly…so I pick fly because the drive is brutal. And I can’t imagine it with Finn. I try to focus on the tradeoff that I get to visit them in such a beautiful place.
I loved the movie. She showed some such strength as a character. While it was very sad at the end, if you view it more with the context of showing strength through adversity and hardship, it was amazing.
Yes, she certainly did and I thought she outshone Bradley Cooper something serious. I think this movie was tough for me because I have such a personal connection to some of the subject matter. <3
I thought that Lady Gaga did an AWESOME job in the movie, as did Bradley Cooper – both must have been difficult roles to play, even though the subject matter was so dark. Definitely a tough watch.
Living near family is AMAZING. I spent 12 years living states apart (even across the country for many years!) from my parents and now that I’ve been in the same city as them for the last 3.5 years (even without kids or a significant other) it has been nothing short of amazing. I can’t imagine being far away from them when I hopefully have kids of my own one day! You are a trooper and it’s clear those visits are full of love <3
Yes, I thought Lady Gaga blew it out of the water. Bradley Cooper was not my favorite for some reason. He was great but I thought he paled in comparison to her performance.
I’m so happy to hear that you are close to your family and enjoying it. I honestly believe that the older we get, the more and more we realize that family is everything. I’m so grateful for mine and try to soak up as much meaningful and quality time with them as I possibly can.
Where do your parents live in Florida? Looks we might be interested in moving there! We are at that age!
Loved this post! Your little man looks like your dad <3
He does! And we got some baby pics of my dad out and they really resemble each other as babies!
I made the mistake of watching A Star is Born while I was pregnant. Terrible idea. I woke up crying in the middle of the night. I loved the music though. I downloaded the soundtrack and love it for car rides.
Oh gosh, I can imagine that was difficult! The music is wonderful.
He looks like he loves the Ergo still! My baby is in the “do-not-confine-me-stage”. Heaven forbid he can’t move where he wants to… ha! Glad you had a fun visit with your family!
He really does. It’s so sweet.
I agree, A Star is Born was heavy. Particularly as my family has some experience with the movie’s ending, and watching it with my mom in particular made me very concerned for her, but ultimately it lead to some really good, heartfelt conversations.
I’ve never had a low country boil but would love to! And I’d also love to live close to my family – I’m about a 6 hour drive away, and getting ready to move to Tokyo for work next month so the distance is about to get sliiiightly longer! Thank God for FaceTime and modern tech!!
I’m glad to hear that it led to good conversations for you. Yes, I think I struggled so much with it due to personal experience with some of the “dark” parts of the movie. It was hard for me to watch.
OH WOW Tokyo! That is crazy. How long will you be there?
Love the pic of Finn with your grandmother. Nothing sweeter!