Vacation, all I ever wanted...

While I didn't have any big plans this summer, I wanted to take some extra time off to intentionally unwind, time away from checking social media platforms constantly, reading and responding to emails. All of that. 

Wednesday

My mom and I had a lazy morning of drinking coffee, watching some of the Olympic coverage and hanging out. Once we were ready, we did some shopping at Target (where I got a lot of good stuff - books, cosmetics), then we had lunch at Chick-Fil-A. We needed to get some things at Sam's Club but had to wait about an hour, so we stopped at our local Hallmark store which is so fun to look at all the goodies. Especially because it was filled with all the fall and Christmas goodies. I got the last Stars Hollow Gilmore Girls blanket on the shelf and one of the Gilmore Girls ornaments. 

After that, we got some necessities (and I bought more books) at Sam's Club. Their shelves were also filled with Halloween items, which has me praying for cooler weather and fall. We all need a little more of that in our lives. 

When we came home, I did some cleaning and organizing in my bathroom. My aunt bought me a few items a couple months ago to redo it with a more Beverly Hills Hotel vibe (meets Palm Springs) - the pinks, greens, palm trees style. It has inspired a lot of my style, especially my apartment living room a few years ago. It has a fun summery vibe and I'm loving it. I still want to get a few more accessories, towels and such. It was a good feeling! I showered, changed into my new pj's and had a pretty chill evening of reading and lounging. 

Thursday

I loved that these days allowed me to have slow mornings, which were my favorite! Coffee, reading, journaling, watching the Olympics and whatever else I wanted. Then, I was able to take my time getting ready. 

On Thursday, I met up with my friend Julie, who used to work in my office. We meet up every once in awhile for lunch, which is always fun. She's such a positive light in my world and someone so grounded and graceful to talk to about life. This time was no different. You can't go wrong with Mexican food, good friends and conversation. 

The rest of the afternoon was spent reading, getting some of my NetGalley reviews in and having more time to write, look for inspiration on particular websites and newsletters I enjoy and subscribe to. 

Friday

Friday was another chance to meet up with one of my closest friends for lunch at one of the newer Mexican restaurants! It was so good. I tried potato tacos, which were amazing. Then, we went to Barnes & Noble browsing book covers, reading poetry and laughing throughout the store. I got a couple more books, because I'm sure you can tell I needed more books (tee hee!). We had the absolute best time! We've always been able to make whatever situation we were in a fun one. 

I had to head home to get ready for dinner with my aunt. It was a fun mail day! I bought a new laptop that I'm very excited about, so I played with that, freshened up, then my aunt picked me up for dinner. We weren't able to go to Warner Bros. but it was nice to spend time with her. 

We went downtown to a Chinese restaurant, which was amazing! I haven't had it in awhile and it just hit the spot, you know? We ordered family style and nibbled on a little bit of everything with plenty of leftovers for me to take home. 

There was a mini street fair or First Friday taking place, so we walked over to see what they had. There were booths and live music. It wasn't too big so we didn't stay very long, but it was fun to see. It was a nice and somewhat cooler summer night than what we've had. It was a beautiful time of night as the sun set. Then, we decided to head over to Cracker Barrel to look at the store - We got some little knick knacks and treats, and my aunt dropped me off (after staying to visit with my dog a little longer and eat one of the pieces of fudge we got). 

Saturday

The fun continued on Saturday. Mostly lounging, listening to music, reading, the usual. Then, later on in the evening we had dinner with our family friends. We met at a pizza place and caught up because it's been some time since we'd hung out. 

We got ice cream at a new ice cream spot in town - I had the cookie monster, which was blue (vanilla) ice cream with chocolate chip and Oreo cookie crumbles. So good! I ate every last drop. There's no space to eat inside, so we took it around the corner to an outdoor seated area to chill. The sun was setting, the ice cream was dripping, we had good friends...Perfect summer evening! 

Once we'd all finished our ice cream, we went over to our friends' house to spend a little more time. We played with the dogs, saw some of their photos from visiting their family and catching up on some of the topics that were harder to do in a restaurant. It was great! It felt just like old times when we used to do it just about weekly. They've always been a staple/second family to me. 

Sunday was a relaxed day, doing a whole lotta nothing. I was ready and more energized for the week ahead. 

It's always a good idea to take a few extra days to rest - Do things you love, hang out with people you love and fill your soul. 

That's all for now, 

Shelby