i live for summer

11 signs you are suffering from PVDD

Gallery posted on by mommyinthemidwest

IMG_4919

You might be suffering from PVDD (Post-Vacation Depressive Disorder) if:

  1. You can’t stop looking at your pictures and videos from vacation. They might make you tear up just a little bit, but this is not required.
  2. You can’t stop making other people look at pictures of your vacation. The sharing of said photos on social media applies.
  3. You reset your computer desktop background image to a photograph from your vacation within 1 hour of your first day back at work.
  4. You think/talk about planning your next vacation 4 times per day or more.
  5. You replay parts of your vacation over and over in your mind and wish you were back in that very moment.
  6. Similarly, you say to yourself or significant other (or even worse, acquaintances/strangers), “__ day(s)/week(s) ago, we were _______” (fill in the blank with a magical vacation memory).
  7. You have only been home for 3 days and have already started a photo book or other memorabilia as a tribute to the beloved vacation that is now a part of your past.
  8. You and your significant other make sad puppy dog eyes at each other when a beach is shown on TV or mentioned by anyone within earshot.
  9. You seek reassurance from your children that they really did enjoy themselves by constantly hounding them to recall favorite activities from vacation.
  10. You search job listings and real estate in the area where you vacationed so you can pretend you are moving there for good.
  11. You spend more time than you ever thought humanly possible coming up with acronyms and lists about how you display your PVDD symptoms.

If you have experienced 6 or more of these symptoms in the week(s) following your most recent vacation, you should seriously consider consulting with a professional travel agent to book your next getaway as soon as reasonably possible.

xo,

~C~

summer wrap up: 2014

Gallery posted on by mommyinthemidwest

High temps are predicted to reach only into the mid-60s this weekend, so the realization that summer is ending has become impossible to ignore or deny.  I always say that Spring is my favorite season because of the awesome weather and – oh yeah – my birthday, but truly it’s my favorite because it renews my spirit and gives me something to look forward to…Summer.  In the same vein, Fall is kind of my least favorite season.  I hate winter more than Fall for a lot of reasons but it’s hard for me to get wrapped up in pumpkin-mania and chunky sweaters when all I can think about is the fact that Summer is over and Winter is chomping at the bit to get it’s claws on me. My disgust for Fall and is something I have written about since 2010.  Nothing has changed.

I guess that’s not entirely true – what’s different this year is that we’ve had less than five 90 degree days and just as it finally started to FEEL like summer, it is ending.

Regardless…that’s not the point of this post. My intent was that this would be a happy kind of post. A reminder of how much fun we packed into this short, mild summer and how many firsts we experienced together as a family.  If I had made a Summer 2014 bucket list, I think just about everything would be checked off!

– The unofficial start of Summer: Memorial Day. We took a road trip to Tennessee for the long weekend to visit my mom, sister, and my sister’s family.IMG_8484– Strawberry goodness: Strawberry picking and a few days later, a strawberry festival that we have gone to 3 years in a row.IMG_8807IMG_9321-Theo found his way into the spotlight, singing “Let it Go” at Karaoke night at our favorite local ice cream joint.IMG_8743-Simple Pleasures: Countless picnics and trips to the splash pad, pool, parks, and the farmers market.IMG_8679 IMG_8781 IMG_8793

IMG_9417IMG_0999IMG_9111-The YMCA: Soccer Clinics & Swim LessonsIMG_9485IMG_2512-Father’s Day weekend: Spent with friends at the lake.IMG_9786 IMG_9886-Family: A very special visit from my mom and grandma. That’s four generations right there.IMG_0090-Sunflower picking.IMG_0573 IMG_0559-4th of July/11th anniversary weekend.IMG_0719 IMG_0687 IMG_0659-Mini-vacation: We went with some friends to Holiday World for the first time. The boys and I camped in a camper for the first time. 7-19-14IMG_1157-Bliss: A beautiful backyard wedding. True Love.IMG_1506 IMG_1665 IMG_1670-First time bowling as a family:IMG_0984 -Dexter started pre-school:IMG_2103 – The Indiana State Fair.IMG_2292 IMG_2423-Time spent with my long-distance BFF.bffwammfestphoto-Fun celebrating a wonderful friend’s 40th birthday.IMG_3016 -Fun with friends on the lake.IMG_3094 IMG_3114 IMG_3134 – Fun with friends at the Luke Bryan show.IMG_3259 – Fun with family camping at a Jellystone Campground + Resort and Mammoth Cave.IMG_3382 IMG_3408 IMG_3434 IMG_3441 IMG_3526Looking through these memories, it’s hard to believe we squeezed so much into three months.  Summer, oh, summer. Why do you have to go?

xo,

~C~

 

catch the moment: week thirty-two

Gallery posted on by mommyinthemidwest

I just realized last week as I was looking at some other 365 posts that I’m ahead by a day on my days/dates.  It was fine at the beginning of July…somewhere since then I have skipped a day ; I wonder if anyone else in the group is having trouble with this! Meh- I will figure out where I messed up eventually, because I plan to do something cool with this project – meaning (more than likely) a photo book – when it’s over.  For now, I just wanted to explain why I ended last week on day 218 and I’m also starting this week on day 218 in case any of my fellow 365ers thought I lost my marbles (likely). Whoopsy!

Every week, I link up with our Catch the Moment 365 hostesses, Mindi from Simply Stavish, Sarah from Nurse Loves Farmer, and Stephanie from Behind the Camera and Dreaming to share one photo a day for the entire year. I know that I would not have stayed motivated without the support of the CTM365 community!

218/365: August 6, 2014 – Dexter’s first day of preschool. He’s adjusting. More about that soon. 8-06-14

219/365: August 7, 2014 – Dexter sleeping. I turned on the hall light and cracked the bedroom door to try to play with the light but didn’t have tons of luck.  By the way, you can file this under: Forgot to take a picture until about 11pm. 8-07-14

220/365: August 8, 2014 – Friday afternoon shenanigans at the library. 8-08-14

221/365: August 9, 2014. A Saturday afternoon on the lake.  As you can see here, we’ve done a great job of keeping sunscreen on Dexter’s fair little face this summer. 8-09-14

222/365: August 10, 2014.  Our day at the Indiana State Fair. A Midwestern family tradition that we love. 8-10-14

223/365: August 11, 2014.  Late, late, late night trip to the grocery.  File under: Too busy to take a picture until I had a moment alone at 10pm right in the middle of the Kroger chip aisle. As a sidenote, this was the day Robin Williams died.  🙁 His life and death were the only thing I could think about as I wandered through the store.8-11-14

224/365: August 12, 2014. Theo was proud of the “ship” he built and wanted me to take a picture of it.  Sure, son. No problem. 8-12-14

 

My favorite pic this week? I dunno… it has to be a tie between that first-day-of-school cutie (day 218) and the firefighting astronaut (day 220).  Which one do you like best?

~C~