For about 7 years now we have tried to plan a family vacation tradition with our best friends & it has never worked out.  Until this year that is! It was short a short trip, but a sweet one full of memories! Though I love the ocean, we decided to stay closer to home & went to Kelley's Island Ohio. I had not been there since high school.

Kelley's Island is beautiful. You take a ferry to get to the island & it is so peaceful there. We kept asking each other, "why don't we come here more often?"  It's an island in Lake Erie & has a population of approximately 313 on the 4.1 square mile island.  Most people drive golf carts or ride bikes around the island, we did both and it was so much fun! All the kids said the golf cart was there favorite thing!

We spent our time at the pool, eating at the local restaurants, searching the beaches for shells, taking walks, exploring the island, getting ice cream down town & watching sunsets over the water. It was a great vacation!

I found that I couldn't stop snapping pictures of the scenery, especially the water. I have always felt most alive by the water!  I have dreamed of owning a little beach cottage one day. I always pictured it by the ocean, but I am considering changing my dream to owning a lake house!

My best friend of 24 years & our kiddos. 

Did you go on vacation this year? Where are your favorite vacation spots?

Come Away With Me...

image via jessicaNdesigns on Pinterest

♥ The shop is closed. 
♥ Email set to vacation mode. 
♥ Ready to enjoy a weekend camping with my family. 
♥ Back to reality on Monday!

I'm Leavin' on a Jet Plane...(Ok in a mini-van)

By now, I have flown the coop with the family & am enjoying a much needed vacation.  We plan to do alot of swimming, eating, relaxing, some hiking, reading, golfing (hubby anyway) & exploring a new place! 

This coming week I have a FUN guest blogger series featuring some of my favorite bloggers!! I hope you enjoy it & be sure to go show them some love for keeping my blog alive while I take some time off!

Vacations Past...

2 summer's ago we took a family trip to Washington State! 

It was BEAUTIFUL there! 

We stayed in this amazing Cabin!

It was so secluded and peaceful!

But flying from Ohio, to Texas to Washington (cheap tickets)

was NOT BEAUTIFUL...

Pre-take off we had already 

opened the emergency bag of suckers! 

Let me tell you...flying with a 18 month old 

and a 2 1/2 year old was 

A.NIGHTMARE. 

We were those people, who everyone looked at 

and cringed because we were on their flight.

{a story all in itself....}

When we arrived we checked out the river behind our cabin.

 We ate ice cream.

 Lots of ice cream!

 We went hiking to some AMAZING waterfalls!

We stopped at Diablo Lake

I have never seen anything like it, it was turquoise!

 I can't remember the name of this place, but it was probably the highlight of the trip for me! 

The water that runs down into this lake is said to be from a glacier and it was FREEZING

But we had to jump in anyway:

 THE GIRLS THAT IS!!!

It was so much fun!

 We hiked up a trail to the top of this peak...

AMAZING view! 

This is the family: 

My husbands brother, his wife and son. 

Us in the background. 

My mother and sister in law

 We had so much fun, except for the nightmare flight! 

But on the way home we benadryled the kids (Shhhhhhh) 

and they slept the whole way.

Otherwise I would have had a nervous breakdown. 

FOR REAL

This year we are going to the Mountains again, 
this time in Virginia. 
We are staying at the Massenutten Resort. 
I can't wait! 


Where are you going this year?

is it july yet?

i am so excited about vacation this year! we are going to the outer banks, n.c. with friends we haven't seen in about a year! we rented an amazing beach house on the 4x4 beaches. it is quite a drive up the beach...but it will be so peaceful and relaxing! {if you don't count all the noise the kids will be making}

i can't wait to watch the kids experience the beach, lay out in the sun, sit on the deck and listen to the ocean, eat good fresh seafood, make sand castles with the kids, swim in the pool, visit the light houses, catch a glimpse of the wild horses that live there, wake up in a dream beach house & make memories with our friends that will last a lifetime!

What are your plans for this summer?

pictures sources: horses & horses, sandcastle & sandcastle, beach