My First Summer Working (With Kids)

*Posting 2 months later*

This is my first summer working in a real job, and I was a little anxious about the loss of time and freedom with the girls that I'd had for the past 7 years. They have done summer camp at their school and a couple other places for a few years, but it was always half day, and sometimes just 3 days a week. This year, they needed to do 5 full days (from 9-3) each week. So I felt like I could at least try to replicate what they love most about summers - no obligations, not having to be anywhere, doing fun things - in other ways. We had our babysitter, Debbie, stay with them for 2 separate weeks to do "camp Debbie." They adore her, and she genuinely enjoys being with them and comes up with creative things to do with them. She is also a preschool teacher, so she has lots of crafty materials and ideas ready to go. They switched between our house and her house, and a couple outings here and there, but her house has a pool, so they got their fill of summer swimming in. They also baked quiches, soft pretzels, and pizzas; went to the zoo, a small beach, a splash pad; played games, did crafts, and generally had a bang-up time.

Their summer camp weeks at their school were pretty good, but not so different from their normal school days - just a little more free and crafty. To break it up a little, I had them come in to work on a couple occasions as well, and it was surprisingly not bad. Luckily, my office is very liberal about having kids in over the summer and other times, so they welcomed the girls in. They sit in my office with me and do some activity books or drawing, have some snacks, and do a little screen time. Evie even came into a couple meetings with me one day. We usually go over to the student center and eat somewhere fun and walk around the beautified campus finding bull statues and water fountains.

But what I was most looking forward to was our vacations. Gabe and used to take annual trips to Boston after we moved back to Tampa, but we hadn't been back since having Evie (the last time we went was when I was pregnant with her). We usually have family vacations, which I love, but this time I really wanted to choose based on place, so I chose Boston. We had our first airb&b experience, and it went really well. We chose a little place in Brookline right on Beacon Street, and right across the street from the T (their subway system). It was an older place with a somewhat quirky layout, but it worked out just fine. Lee joined us for most of the time, so that made it extra special. We pretty much did everything we hoped to do, including visiting Waltham where I used to live, going to the Aquarium, going on a Duck Tour (this was before the Missouri accident), eating at Faneuil Hall/Quincy Market, visiting one of my old friends and his family, taking the subway downtown and walking the Freedom Trail, and going to the beach at the coastal town of Rockport. As a bonus, we were within walking distance to restaurants, stores, and two parks, and we took advantage of all of them. The weather was gorgeous most of the time - we seemed to be there at the perfect time - just at the end of a heat wave and before a new one. I didn't do ANY work while I was there. I didn't even take my laptop. It was very freeing. My reflux/throat symptoms weren't always great, but I was focused on absorbing the beauty all around me. It was almost a full week of choosing things I/we wanted to do, and that was what I realized I needed.

Walking down Beacon Street.

Seals at the Aquarium.

On the Duck Tour.

Visiting friends.

The State House.

The path down to the Rockport beach.

They loved finding big rocks at the beach.

So after a couple weeks back at home, we were ready for our final vacation at the beach. And this is where I am now writing this blog post. We got here on Saturday afternoon and immediately went down to the beach. We're on the Atlantic side, in New Smyrna Beach, which is different from what we're used to on our coast because it's colder and there are waves here. So we packed our body boards, even though our minivan was full to the gills, to enjoy some body boarding - and the waves haven't disappointed! We went out to dinner with our whole family - us, Lee, Catie and her family, and my mom and Brian on the first night. The next day, we were having a baby shower for Catie, who is 35 weeks pregnant, at my mom and Brian's house in New Smyrna. It was beautiful (my mom did all the work!), and we got to catch up with family that we don't see as much anymore. After coming back to the condo, we went out to the beach for some pre-dinner fun, and then had everyone over for dinner at the condo...

Mornings on the beach in pajamas.

Catie's baby shower.

On Monday, we didn't want to make any plans, so we just stayed by our condo the whole day. We went out to the beach in the morning after breakfast and just hung out for a few hours. It was wonderful - slightly overcast so it wasn't too hot. The girls entertained themselves playing in the water or sand a lot of the time, so I could actually lie there and read for more than 10 minutes. It's funny how everybody feels the freedom the beach gives us as soon as we get there - Eleanor wants to run up to the water; Evie stands with her arms raised up and closes her eyes; Gabe and I just take a deep breath and marvel at the purity and beauty around us (at least I think that's what he's thinking, too). We were eventually joined by the rest of the family, and the girls got to play together in true cousin squad form. Our body boards came in handy - they each took one and set off to play in the waves. We went in for lunch and took a little rest before going to the pool in the afternoon. It was easiest to have dinner again at the condo since we were already over there, so that's what we did.

I mean, doesn't this look like an ad?

Fun on the body boards.

Cousin squad performance!

Oldest wooden school house in the U.S.

The next day we wanted to go to St. Augustine, so our little family and Lee set off northward for a day trip. We started off on a trolley tour that the grown ups in the group really appreciated, but the kids, not so much. So we got off and ended up spending most of the time walking down the old tourist strip and through Fort Matanzas. The fort was mostly occupied by the Spanish several hundred years ago (I read the details while we were there but it's all fuzzy now). There are rooms that show what it was like for the soldiers to live, how they stored ammunition, how prisoners were kept, and other interesting artifacts of life back then. One of my friends who took a long road trip this summer and had her daughter to all the junior ranger programs at the national parks they went to, where you get a booklet with questions and information, and you answer the questions by exploring the area and maybe talking to rangers or volunteers. So when I saw that they had a junior ranger program at the Fort, I was so excited for Evie and Eleanor to get to take part in this educational and patriotic experience (though I can't say they initially shared my enthusiasm). They managed to do it, though, and they got their little badges at the end. We called it a day and headed back to the condo. At some point, we ended up back on the beach in the evening before eventually retiring.

Just walking down a historic fort.

On top of Fort Matanzas with the Junior Ranger badges.

Excited to be on the boat together.

The next day, my mom and Brian planned a boating excursion for all of us on a pontoon boat (Lee and Jonathan weren't able to join). We got up early and met at the boat place and got ready to go on a 3-hour tour...a 3-hour tour (or maybe it was four). It was a gorgeous day - sunny and partly cloudy. Almost as soon as we left, we saw dolphins playing in the river. Lots of them! The girls were thrilled and squealed with excitement every time the saw the shiny little fins or backs of the dolphins popping up and down. We were off to a magical start. We enjoyed the breeze as we made our way to a disappearing island - it was there when the tide was out, but it "disappeared" when the tide was high. We anchored the boat and waded towards the island. The girls immediately came across some hermit crabs, and from one or two, it seemed there became hundreds. They were everywhere, and we stopped frequently to examine them and see if we could observe them walking sideways (and we did!). The girls were like little explorers, looking around at each peculiarity of the island, making interpretations about what they saw.We stayed there for about half and hour, and then waded back to the boat and hopped on board for some snacks. We then went to a marina to have a little dip in the pool before having lunch there, but almost as soon as we got in, it started raining. We had a nice lunch inside the marina, and then headed back, making our way leisurely to the boat slip. Brian drove the boat almost the whole time (my Mom did some, too), so it was really nice to be able to just relax and enjoy the ride. I believe we did the pool thing again in the afternoon, which seemed to be the girls' preference, and I can't remember exactly how dinner happened, but it did, and we eventually went to sleep.

Searching for treasures on the "disappearing island."

Walking back from the island.

On Thursday, the whole family (minus Jonathan and Brian) went to a place called DeLeon Springs, which also has an old sugar mill-turned-pancake house where you can make your own pancakes on a griddle on your table. I have vague memories of doing this as a child, but it had been a very long time since I'd been, so I was excited. We also don't have natural springs that are very close to us in Tampa, and that was something we grew up living near, so it was nice to show the girls what they were all about. We got there when they opened, but there was an electrical problem, and the pancake house was not operational. So we put our names on a very long list, and went out to the springs to make the best of it, hoping it wouldn't be long. The water was freezing! The girls were all brave, though, and went right in (and then out, and then in, because it was so cold). We laid out while the girls played in the water, trying to wait patiently for pancake time. It was probably close to a couple hours after we got there when they started calling people to be seated, and luckily we were close to the top because a lot of people had left by then. It was worth waiting! There were 3 different kinds of pancake batter, and then whatever toppings you chose. You also get to cook your own eggs not the griddle, so we had a lot of food going at once. We all at so many pancakes, and they were so good! The girls really enjoyed pouring the batter and trying to lift the pancakes off with spatulas. After having our fill (and then some), we made our way out. We hadn't seen Catie, et al.'s new house, which was nearby, so we stopped over there for a bit to look around. It is a newly built house that has a pine forest in back, so it's nice and quiet. It's a 2-story, which our girls think is so fun, so they enjoyed going upstairs and looking around and playing in their cousins' room. We got to preview the new room for baby Charlotte (due any day now). It is a beautiful house, and it made me sort of antsy to spruce ours up or consider looking around ourselves.

After our little family and Lee left, we spent the rest of the afternoon near the condo. We wanted to try a restaurant out for dinner, so we walked towards a place I had heard good things about and stopped at a couple shops along the way. It's become tradition to go to a shop called Gifts with Humanity (kind of like a Ten Thousand Villages), so we all squeezed in there and browsed until everyone came up with something they liked. The girls got an extra worry doll each because the shop owner was nice and thought they were cute. We walked a few more blocks to a restaurant called Third Wave, unsure of what it would be like, and we were pleasantly surprised to find it perfectly suited to our needs. We dined al fresco, and had wonderful food all around. After a couple unnecessary but greatly appreciated desserts, we headed back home, knowing the next day would be our last full day at the beach. (This might have been the day Evie lost her tooth, so we scrambled to ensure the Tooth Fairy came that night, and this was a special vacation fairy that gave a $5 bill instead of a gold $1 coin, because sometimes that's all the Tooth Fairy has on her).

The next morning, we went out to see the sunrise. That is one of my favorite things about staying on the water - just walking out in your pajamas on the beach. I also have pictures of them eating fruit loops that morning for breakfast, so you know it was definitely a vacation! We played on the beach that morning, and stayed out even through a very brief little rain storm. We were very lucky with the weather overall, and this was the coolest I remember it feeling from all our beach vacations (coolest meaning not sweltering hot at all times). My mom and Lee and Catie and I had our own little outing for a girls' lunch at a beachside restaurant that was very nice. It's almost impossible to get adult time alone when you do family vacations. But Gabe watched our girls and my Aunt Pattie watched Catie's girls, so it all worked out. After lunch, we did some more pool time, as was the routine, and we all gathered again at our condo for dinner. Mom and Catie's girls made apple pie because Catie was having a pregnancy craving for it, so they brought that over. We had shrimp and salad - a traditional beach meal for our family - and we all pretty much devoured all the food. The cousin squad gifted us with a couple more performances, and then we all went down to the beach for one last visit.

Ladies' lunch.

Sunrise.

Last evening together.

The next morning, we pretty much only had time to clean up and pack up, and then we headed back to Tampa.

This vacation was much needed, especially since I knew things were going to start picking up at work after I got back. The next week I would delve into a week-long new faculty orientation (even though I started in the spring - it only happens in the fall), and Gabe and I (and Lee) would juggle childcare since there weren't very many camps left, especially that both girls could go to, and we still had another week until school started for the girls. We some how made it through the beginning of the year chaos, and now things are starting to feel a little more regular. I think my intent was to write about my conflicting feelings about working more this summer, but I ended up realizing how much I appreciated our vacations. Maybe that was my point - if we're going to be working as much as we are, we should make it a priority to take dedicated breaks over the summer (and really, throughout the year). I know I need it, and I think we all do. This was something Gabe and I talked about as we sat on the beach in Rockport during our Boston trip appreciating the healing calmness around us. Were we living our our ideals? What would it take to be even more intentional about letting go of the pressures of daily life that build up throughout the year and really take advantage of what the world has to offer? How could we take it a step further and plan international trips? We didn't come to any definite conclusions, but the conversation sparked an interest for both of us in figuring out how we really want our lives to look in the near future. But for the moment, I'm okay getting back into a little routine, humdrum as it may seem.