Our Week - The One with Summer, Week 3 (Back from the Beach and Dinner with Family)

We spent most of last week at the beach, and I’ll be recapping that soon, but in the meantime, I thought I’d recap our weekend after we got back from the beach.

Saturday, June 11

Saturday morning, we were up early to make the drive home from the condo.  We typically stop by Big Bad Breakfast on the way out, but we opted to eat a quick breakfast in the condo this year instead so we could get home a bit earlier.  BBB is known to have long waits and we knew it’d probably set us back a couple of hours, so we hit the road instead.

We made it back home just before 2 with Chick-Fil-A in hand to eat a late lunch.  I spent the next few hours getting in a cardio workout and unpacking, doing laundry, and putting things away.  I was a flurry of activity all the way until 4:45 when it was time to get ready for church.

Before:

After:

Typically, when we get home from the beach, we’re so exhausted that we just stay in all evening, but since our friars are leaving at the end of this month, we want to make it to every single Mass that we can before they’re gone. 

On the way out, Olivia asked me if we could take an outfit picture together and I wasn’t going to turn that down!  The only problem was that it was too sunny at the time, so we took one when we got home instead.  Look how sweet she is, y’all!  She never wants to take these pictures with me anymore, so I always love it when she does!

At Mass, we sat with my extended family as we always do, and Olivia was so excited about getting to go to Communion.  The last Mass we attended before the beach was her First Communion, so this time she was able to go with the rest of us.  Afterward, Olivia asked Father Paul to bless her new rosary beads and it was just the sweetest thing!

After Mass, my parents and my Mama Cass as well as two sets of aunts and uncles all went out for Mexican, and the kids asked to ride with Cokie to the restaurant.  And y’all, this dinner was soooo very extra special because it was the first time we’d all gone out to eat like that since before the pandemic!!!!

My whole life, I’ve always gone to 5:30 PM Mass on Saturday, and my whole extended fam has almost always gone out to eat afterward.  We’ve been doing that for literal decades, and of course, Covid messed it all up.  While we’ve gone out to eat with my parents after Mass recently, we hadn’t gone with everyone since March 2020, and it felt SO GOOD to be back to normal.  We all celebrated with a round of margs, and it was just the best little dinner.  (Also, Jacob took the pictures so that's why he's not in them.)

We got home around 8, and the kids wanted to watch a Walk the Prank, so I opted to go walk instead.  Sarah challenged Emily and me to a steps competition for the month of June, so I was ready to hit the pavement… I also wanted to burn off some of the vacay calories since we’d been splurging all week.

I got in a couple of miles, and I finished up just before 9.  This time of year, it stays light until about 9:15 PM here, so I’m able to get out and walk pretty late!

After my walk, we got the kids in the bed and I took a quick shower, and then B and I settled in to watch another episode of The Wilds and we also started the new season of Stranger Things.  It felt soooo good to be home after being away all week!  There’s nothing better than your own couch with a snuggly dog in your lap.  :o)

Sunday, June 12

Sunday morning, I made homemade waffles for breakfast, and then afterward, we all sat down to watch the first episode of the new season of The Floor is Lava.  We loved watching that show during the pandemic in 2020 and we were so excited to see that season two had dropped while we were on vacation. 

While we watched, I sat down with my planner and some hot tea, and I planned out the week ahead.  I also planned all of our meals for the next two weeks and I made the grocery list and got caught up on lots of things.

After that was over, I laced up my running shoes and got out for a late morning run.  Y’all, it was SO HOT and I thought I was going to pass out a couple of times but I got it done.  I’m not remotely conditioned for running in the summer midday heat and sun and it was miiiiserrrry.  There was actually a time that I thought I might have to sit down on the curb and ask B to come pick me up.  Lol.  But I made it, and I cranked out a very slow 2.5 miles.

When I got home, I got showered and then we headed to my mother-in-law and father-in-law’s house for lunch.  My SIL and BIL and nephews weren’t in town, so it was just us over there, and we sat around the dining room table with my MIL and step-FIL for the first time since March 2020… another milestone!  We’ve still been sitting at separate tables for our Sunday lunches, and it was so nice to be back around the same table again.  I’m so grateful for normalcy. 

Before lunch, my MIL took the kids out in the garden to pick some radishes for the salad.  They had helped her plant them a few weeks prior when they stayed with them while B and I were on an overnight trip, and the kids were excited to see the fruits of their labor.  They did not, however, enjoy the taste of the fruits of their labor.  Lol.  Neither of them had ever tried radishes and they both haaaated them.  I’m not a big fan either.  Lol.

After lunch, we chatted with my MIL for a long time, and then the kids played ping pong in the garage, and then we headed home mid-afternoon.  I had just enough time to crank out a blog post for Monday before we had to leave again to go to my parents’ house for Sunday dinner.  Right before it was time to go, I looked over at Olivia and saw this:

Haha.  Bless!  She must have been tired!

Momma outdid herself with porkchops, basmati rice, green beans, black eyed peas, and squash, and it was soooo good having all of those veggies after a week with few.  Haha.  Mama Cass and my Uncle Billy came, too, and we all sat around the table all evening before heading home just after 8.

When we got home, the kids still needed to get showered, so I laced up my shoes once again and headed out to walk.  I got in another 2.5 miles, and it felt great to move my body after a week of vacation and eating all the junky foods.  And I was treated to a gorgeous sunset!

It was a perfect weekend after a wonderful vacation!

Happy Wednesday, y’all!