Tag Archives: vacation

Daycation!

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New England towns (and states) are packed together like a can of sardines.

This makes low-budget tourism reeeeeeeally easy. Since we moved here, we’ve taken a number of day-trips:

  • Touring the Ben & Jerry’s factory
  • Climbing Mt. Monadnock
  • Finding the teeny-tiny stone called Plymouth Rock
  • and other stuff

This Saturday, we headed north into New Hampshire & Maine. We spent the day at a music festival and went on a tour of a New England brewery. We had a BLAST – well, except for the fact that it was hot as you-know-what outside, and we don’t have air-conditioning. Even so, the trip was well worth it.

It was a GREAT daycation! Have you ever been on a daycation? Where’d you go? What’d you see?

What do you want?

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  • Chocolate. All the time. I think I’m addicted. I think it may be hormonal. I think chocolate is my catnip.
  • Money for my music. Let’s just be honest around here. I spend a lotta time writing songs, and some of them aren’t so bad. Wouldn’t it be nice if someone wanted to record one of my songs? Royalties. Yes….. Royalties.
  • A vacation. A long one. Filled with NYC and Niagara and Montreal. And lots of time with Drew.
  • Cowboy boots. Or maybe I should say cowgirl boots. Worn ones. Real ones. Cute ones.
  • My own home studio.  Mellow. Warm. Funky. Inspiring. And, most importantly, soundproof.
  • Endless 80-degree days. Need I say more?
  • What’s next. I don’t know what it is, but I want it. I’m excited. We are perched on the precipice of time, teetering… waiting… watching. The moment is rushing at us, but it isn’t close enough to be a clear figure yet. We can’t make out what it is. Just a blur of possibilities. A blur of dreams. I anticipate the day when the blur comes in to focus.

What do you want?

Thanks for the idea, Christina.

ohio feet in new england water

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i took the girls to my favorite beach – well, favorite of Massachusetts! it’s a pebble beach and i’m sure some of you have seen pictures of it in times past on my blog.

Alece and i knew what to expect, but this was QUITE the experience since Cathi’s Ohio feet have never touched New England water. Cathi wanted to take home a few souvenirs of the trip to the beach, and this is what came of it:

meeting her was ABSOLUTELY dreamy!!!

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i am standing in the parking lot, sheltered from the south-Georgia heat by the shade of spanish-moss and live-oaks.  i’d JUST gotten to St. Simons – a surprise trip to see a friend who was about to have a baby.

a white mama-mobile pulls up behind me and she hangs her head out to get my attention: “Mandy! Mandy! I’m Sarah Markley – I have a blog.” (as if i wouldn’t recognize her face?!)

“I-READ-IT-EVERY-DAY!!!”  she and her family are there on vacation. no surprise, EVERYBODY goes to St. Simons Island for vacation. we talk for a minute and then she puts the car in gear with “i just wanted to introduce myself.”

i watch the back of her car and think: that was too short.

“Sarah!”

“Sarah!!!”

“SARAH MARKLEY!!!!”

her brake lights shine – and i catch up with the car: “How long are you gonna be here?”

she smiles, “a few more days.”

“well, i’d love to sit down and talk with you. let me get your information.”

i climb in the passenger seat – and as i’m talking about St. Simons and all the people i’m going to see and asking about her daughters (who are conveniently with Chad, her husband, for this brief moment of spontaneity) she starts driving past blue water and blue skies.

i introduce Sarah to everyone at my mentor’s house, then explain: “if i don’t hug some necks soon i’m gonna be in big trouble.”

my mentor gives me the LOOONGEST hug and i think “NOW sarah will understand why i miss this place so much.”

suddenly my eyes pop open.

the clock says 6:09 am.

this jolt to reality has left me confused – where am i? St. Simons???

all that excitement exits my body with a sigh. i’m in boston.

it was just a dream.

WW – remember the hostile takeover? – 5.28.08

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while y’all are playing away, i’m stuck behind a desk making sure none of our seminary students go homeless in the fall…. :(

TheNorEaster so WITTILY closed last week’s party with the following: If Tam is taking control of Mandy’s blog, does that mean Tam would never need a dictionairy to know the difference between a fruit and a vegetable…?

for those of you who are new to my and/or tam’s blogs, you might not have picked up on the fact that we were “arch rivals” for quite a while. we were, until we teamed up to create MTTV. anyway. while i was on vacation (thank you if you’re reading this) i asked auntie tam to blog-sit for me. she not-so- single-handedly led a blog revolt. yes. it was ugly. this fiasco is what he’s referring to. (give me a ‘ha!” in the comments if you like chocolate ice-cream and a “random” if you like vanilla) and my answer? she would definitely need a dictionary. unfortunately, she’s not resourceful enough to go find one. she’d just make something up. ;) [[[i heart you tam]]]

ok. starter question: would you rather be eaten alive by mosquitoes or death by sunburning? (can you tell i’m excited about summer!?!) hehehe!

rules and/or expectations: answer the last, leave the next. REFRESH REFRESH REFRESH!!! this is important – because things happen fast around here and somebody might be a faster typer than you. so refresh before you hit submit.

i heart homeless seminarians.

but i heart y’all more.