Vacation Recap
We got back from our 9 day vacation yesterday and I'm still reliving the amazing memories from it.
Neither my husband nor I took many photos because we were committed to just being present this entire trip instead of looking on our iPhones or laptops as we do frequently in our normal day-to-day lives. That said though, here are some.
We started off our trip going to Minneapolis for my husband’s good friend’s wedding. I now understand what the hype is all about. Minneapolis is cool. Super cool. People have been telling me this but I never believed them because, um, I’m from LA, the superstar of cool. Minneapolis is urban but not busy, a large river runs through it, there are many yummy and interesting eateries and craft breweries, it’s clean, there’s recycling containers for all sorts of recyclables (i.e. electronics and plastic in addition to paper recycling bins) around the city and the playgrounds are some of the most creative I’ve seen. The wedding was beautiful and classically millennial: the venue was at an old warehouse with concrete floors, there was a food truck for dinner, you get the idea. Loved it.
The following Saturday was my sister-in-law’s wedding in a rural town of Massachusetts so instead of going back to California, we decided to vacation for a few days between the two weddings on Cape Cod. Our two friends from Brooklyn and their son joined us. The entire stay consisted of going to the beach, sleeping, eating and talking. It was one of the most relaxing times I’ve had in a while. The kids absolutely loved the low tide beaches at the Cape and my 2-year-old son kept saying, “I swimming in water” every night as he recalled the most exciting part of his day.
Papa and son on Skaket Beach.
Daily dinners of delicious seafood.
The finale of our vacation was my sister-in-law’s wedding, which I officiated and my husband was a groomsman and gave a speech. I could go on forever about how beautiful it all turned out but what has stayed with me the most from the weekend are memories of hanging out with friends and family on the lawn on the days before, during and after the wedding and watching all the kids running around. There were numerous instances during the weekend when my husband and I had no idea where our son was but we didn’t stress because we knew he was in good hands, somewhere.
He especially bonded with his ten-year-old cousin whom he kept calling, “friend.” It was bizarre for me to watch this friendship because James and I remembered watching her when she was younger. How funny and beautiful that now, she’s the one watching my kid. It reminded me to always take the long view while going through this life. You never know who will end up watching your kid, it may be the kid you once watched.
I have always loved family get-togethers but they have taken on a special significance now that we have a child. To see all the generations come together and bond is so heartwarming. I feel especially blessed because as a Korean immigrant, I grew up with a very small family in the United States. Whenever I watched movies of large extended families, my heart would ache with longing. Well, I got exactly what I longed for when I married into this family, with all the delicious American comfort holiday food included!
The hardest part of coming back from a lovely vacation is getting back to work! Fortunately, I do have the luxury and privilege of loving what I do so on the heels of Labor Day Weekend, my prayer is that everyone has this same luxury and privilege of finding fulfillment from their work. At the same time, I hope our lives are constantly balanced with much rest.