I’m back.
Sort of. My body and brain still feel like they’re 2,800 miles away in Portugal, but in reality they’re settling into a routine – or current lack thereof – here in Nova Scotia.
We had a great trip. So many happy memories and relatively little angst from the kids (one of the biggest potential sources of liability on an international trip as a family). Everyone stayed healthy, praise the good Lord. The weather was divine. I ate my weight in pastries.
I will be back with all sorts of summaries and highlights and all. the. pictures. Until then, a sneak peek:
BONUS HAPPY THINGS
In addition to a great family vacation, there are so many other things to celebrate:
- Managing to get caught back up on laundry in ONE DAY. Such a relief.
- Food in the fridge. The larder was bare, but two big grocery hauls later we have food. Food which will last for approximately two seconds because we cannot seem to keep food in our house anymore (who replaced my toddlers with human food vacuums and, yes, I know it is only going to get more intense as they get older).
- Knowing school starts next week and with it routine. Hopefully? I am ready for structure and predictability, though also a bit scared of it, too. It’s been nice to have a more relaxed schedule.
- That I didn’t get very behind on work while away. I left an effective OOO message and aside from sending a handful of e-mails, avoided any and all work-related communications.
- John and I are supposed to have an at-home date night later today; our first in WEEKS.
- Fall is coming. I love fall. If I could live in a world of perpetual fall – the colours, the smells, the sounds, the crisp mornings and sunny afternoons – I would be ecstatic. I repeat: FALL IS COMING.
- Being back here – taking a break from the blog felt great, but it also feels great to be jumping back into writing.
Happy weekending, friends. I’ve missed you <3
Your turn – tell me all your current Happy Things.
Grateful Kae
Welcome home! Your pictures are always a work of art! Can’t wait to hear all about it. ☺️☺️
Elisabeth
Awww. Thanks. I know you know the struggle of deciding what pictures to post. There is so much to see on vacation, right?!
Suzanne
Yay! Welcome back! This looks and sounds like an amazing vacation. And lots of things to look forward to now that you are home!
Elisabeth
It was a great vacation, but it’s nice to be coming home so close to the start of the school year. A little zone for transition and them – BAM – schedules!
Shelly
Gorgeous photos!
Welcome back. My kiddos both of some painful dental/ortho issues going on so it’s lots of popsicles, jellos, soup and ice cream here.
Elisabeth
Dental woes are the worst – painful, expensive, and just so unpleasant for everyone involved. Hope they recover quickly and it sounds like you have the right food stuffs on hand to keep everyone as comfortable as possible.
Birchie
Yay!!! Elisabeth is back and all is right with the world!!! Welcome home!!!
Elisabeth
As always, you find new ways to flatter me…
Nicole MacPherson
YOU’RE BACK!!!! I have missed you dreadfully and I was hoping you’d write soon. I thought you were probably getting back to school mode. Oh yay yay YAY I can’t wait to hear all about your trip. I hope it was glorious and restorative and soul-filling and all the things. The photos so far look amazing (love the one of you three in a…cave? I think it’s a cave. Around the rocks, looking away, that is a great shot.)
WELCOME HOME MY FRIEND *throws confetti, cleans it up*
Elisabeth
Awww. I’ve missed you and this space. School doesn’t start until next Thursday so we have/had a whole week. Thankfully there isn’t too much to prepare. Our school is a “send in money and we buy the supplies” which I LOVE, and we’re reusing old binders and pencil cases, so it’s more mental prep at this point. I’m trying to brace myself for a year of lunchboxes, though both kids say they want to pack their own and I think I’m going to jump in to that with both feet this year.
We are in a cave in that picture; a rather famous one in the Algarve that is a go-to proposal spot, apparently.
While you’re cleaning up confetti, want to pop by my place and sweep my kitchen. It looks like a bomb (with very dirty feet) recently went off. Sigh. At least the laundry is done!
J
First, I’m LOL at Nicole who is so polite that she cleans up her confetti. A true friend.
I love your pictures, they are beautiful and Portugal looks beautiful. I’ve never been, never had a big desire to go (I focus too much on France in my brain space, I need to branch out and mentally travel more places. Maybe.)
I’m glad you are back, and I look forward to reading about your vacation adventures. I love travel, but I also love structure, so coming home is always a mixed bag. Sad about vacation being over, happy about being home. And I adore fall. Fall and spring are my favorite seasons. I think if I had parents with a lake house, though, summer might get a little bit more love.
Elisabeth
I think you’d LOVE Porto, which had a very, very “French” feel. But also, if you love France, why branch out if you don’t want to. There is more than enough in that country to fill a lifetime of travel adventures.
Fall is sheer delight in Nova Scotia (though, technically, “fall” is a short season I love, not to be mistaken with the fall of November and December which is really WINTER; though December has Christmas, so I limp my way through).
Lisa’s Yarns
Welcome back! I have missed you, too!! The pictures are amazing! I can’t wait to hear all about it. Good luck getting back on a routine and the right time zone! Our boys’ bedtime has slipped especially with their time at my parents. I am ready to get back into a routine as well. The last 2 weeks have been off between our lake trip and the boys’ week here. Taco is saying he doesn’t want to go back to school so I fear re-entry will be tough. Luckily Paul is ready to go back to school.
Elisabeth
It’s great to be back.
Bedtimes in the summer are HARD. I hope Taco settles in to the routine of things quickly and is happy to get back to school. Re-entry can be sooo tough (especially at that age). It’s great that Paul is so enthusiastic.
Tobia | craftaliciousme
Welcome back. Your trip already looks so amazing. I can’t wait to red all about it. I want to go to Portugal now. A friend of mine just shared a load of photos on Instagram too.
Fall is starting to creep in here too. It’s cooler when the sun doesn’t shine but still hot hot when the rays hit you.
Elisabeth
It’s a really lovely country and not too far away for you! Highly recommend 🙂
Michelle G.
Yay! You’re back! It seemed like you were gone forever!! I’m glad you had a lovely vacation, and I look forward to hearing more. Your photos are amazing!
Elisabeth
It felt like forever (in a good way).
Lindsay
Welcome back! I can’t wait to hear about the pastries and the memories and am sending you smooth thoughts of school and routine and fall!
Elisabeth
I’m sure there will be some bumps in the road with re-entry (there always is), but the kids are getting older so they’re more and more responsible for overseeing the back-to-school things. A bought her own school supplies, and they’re re-using old backpacks, so it’s mostly making sure we have enough food and snacks for lunchboxes and being there to pick up emotional pieces if they don’t get placed in the classes they want. (We only find out their teacher 12ish hours BEFORE SCHOOL STARTS – crazy, right?)
coco
I’m so glad you are back Elizabeth! I miss your posts! I even dreamed with you one night and told it to my husband. hahaha.. I swear, it was so funny, as we were visiting a place and you came to pick us up with your kids with your car to show us around. Maybe one day that could happen?
It seems that you had a great break from the pics. recharged and ready to get the kids back to school.
Elisabeth
Coco, this made me laugh so hard! I can’t believe I featured in your dream and was a “tour guide” of sorts.
You’ll have to come visit me in Canada <3
San
Welcome back, Elisabeth. I am so excited to hear about your trip and the pictures are already promising some great recap posts! It always takes a little time to settle back into a rhythm at home, but it’s nice to have you back!
Elisabeth
Thanks! It’s good to be back <3
Jenny
Oh hooray!!!!! You’re back! We missed you. I can’t wait to hear all about the trip! Yes, fall is coming. It’s definitely nice to get back in the routine of school again.
Elisabeth
I know you love fall as much as I do so – hooray for us.
School routines start for us in a few days. Hard to believe, actually.
Rachel
I am so glad you are back and looking forward to reading your travel recaps!
Elisabeth
Awww. Thanks! It’s great to be back.
Daria
Oh happy day, you are back!! Thank you for the images and happy things – I can SO relate to wanting to get back to routines and all things fall! Fall is my absolute favorite time of year and I’m here for it.
happy things…
1. a hike in the Great Swamp with the kids
2. a lunch at a diner afterwards- we were ravenous!
3. earl grey tea with milk and honey
4. quinoa salad
5. not overcooking the chicken for quinoa salad
6. dinner with my sister-friends yeaterday- we always do the end of summer get together since 3 out of 4 are teachers.
Elisabeth
Aww. “Oh happy day” made my day <3
Fall is also my favourite time of the year. It is just...the best. Even thinking about it right now gives me the warm fuzzies.
I haven't hard Earl Grey in over a month (it's what I get at my favourite cafe) and I am craving one. Maybe this week I'll work from a cafe once the kids are back to school? That sounds delightful!
NGS
Welcome back! It looks like you had a beautiful time and I can’t wait to hear/read all about it!
Elisabeth
Thanks! It really does feel so good to be “back.” It’s odd because when I was on a bloggy break I loved being “off” (though I kept up reading other blog posts, just didn’t comment) – but now that I’m back it feels like putting on a comfy pair of PJs.
Stephany
YAYYYY! Welcome back! You are truly missed when you go away. I love the sneak peek of your time in Portugal and can’t wait to read all about your trip!
Elisabeth
<3
Sarah
Yay! Missed your blog and read it backwards— loved the vacay highlights— what a trip!
Elisabeth
Ha! Front or back, it mostly works cohesively. It was a great trip.
Anne
Hopelessly behind, as always, but so glad to see you back (I actually double-checked on your blog while you were gone, worried I’d somehow lost your feed…). The trip – the pictures – it all sounds, and looks amazing. Cannot wait to read through your recaps, although I might try to keep up more in real time and save those for when I need more of an escape read. <3