Back to life, back to reality...

We're home. And for the most part, it's good to be back. We had a wonderful time on our trip, even though the weather could have been a bit less damp and a tad warmer, because we got to spend some quality time together as a family. Mark and Anthony got to have tons of bonding time which was great. I sometimes feel guilty about all the time I get with Anthony, so it was nice to see Mark get a bit of it too on this trip. As an aside, as Mark was leaving for work this morning, Anthony noticed that Daddy was packing his bag, walked over to him, hugged his leg, and said, "Bye, Dah-y." "Ohhhh, Bud! I'm going to miss you so much today. I wish I could stay here and hang out with you all day." That says it all.


But yes, despite all the fun that comes with going on vacation, there's something to be said about coming home and getting back into the regular routine. It feels good to be back, especially since we were greeted with fall-like weather when we returned. Bonus! I currently have the windows open and there's a nice, cool breeze circulating throughout the house. Love it. Today will be spent doing laundry, going grocery shopping, mowing the lawn, and mentally getting refocused with WW and working out. Man, a week can totally derail you- yikes!

So here's a recap of the last 3 days of our vacation...

Friday, August 8th

We woke up and headed to the KOA Pancake Breakfast. YUM. That's all I have to say about that.

Even though it was kind of spritzing rain, we decided to head back to Acadia National Park to do a short hike on the Beech Cliff Trail, as the little hiking guide we bought claimed, "for such a short and easy walk, this is probably Acadia's most rewarding view." And boy, it didn't disappoint. Despite the overcast skies, the scenery was amazing. I can only imagine what it would have been like if it had been clear out. Ah well, hopefully next time... Anthony was a trooper on the hike! He climbed rocks and dodged puddles like a pro! He must have worked up an appetite, as he ate a huge lunch upon returning to camp and then slept like a log for nap.


After nap, we headed to a local winery, before going back to Acadia to drive around since it was flat-out raining at this point. And c'mon let's be real - if there is a winery to be found, the Lewins will find it...and stop in for a visit... The wines were great - we bought a few bottles to bring back home and then headed to Acadia. We stopped at Jordan Pond, walked around a bit (since the rain had subsided), and then did the obligatory visit to the gift shop. Anthony insisted on getting a "voof." (Can you figure out what that is? No, I don't blame you. It's "moose." Don't ask, I don't know...) We also bought him a book, Goodnight Maine, that he's really enjoyed reading since he can relate to so much of it, having just been there and seeing a lot of what the book talks about.


We left Acadia and headed back to Bar Harbor one last time for dinner before heading back to camp and packing up all that we could so we could get an early start Saturday morning. What a fun way to end the trip. Bar Harbor is so cute and our meal was great. Anthony especially enjoyed sharing Daddy's clam chowder with him!

Goodnight Maine, we had a great time!

Saturday, August 9th

We got on the road around 9am and took scenic roads through Maine and New Hampshire since Markquest was at the wheel and he can come up with alternate routes like nobody's business. The stretch of 95 through Maine that we drove going up is so boring and the part of NH we had to travel through was dead stopped due to an accident or something, so we welcomed the detour. It added about 2 extra hours to our drive, but was worth it since we got to see so much of the two states that we wouldn't have seen if we had just stayed on the highway. We got to our Motel 6 in Hartford, CT around 6:30pm and Anthony went down around 7:30 without a struggle. Phew!

Sunday, August 10th

The drive from Hartford home was pretty non-eventful yesterday, unless you count the MAJOR hail storm we got caught in on the Jersey Turnpike! Holy hail, Batman! The hail balls were the size of quarters and, although the size didn't surprise me since I have seen bigger hail before, I have never been in a hailstorm that lasted for as long as this one did. It hailed for a good 20 minutes or so...nonstop. It was so loud that we couldn't hear each other talking unless we yelled. Crazy! Luckily, for us, we hit the area where it was hailing as soon as it started so we didn't encounter any ridiculous amounts of traffic; just the regular "slow down to almost a stop because it's lightening, thundering, raining sheets of rain, and hailing" traffic that is a given in that kind of situation. Once the weather lightened up though, we were on our way as if nothing happened. And as soon as we hit Delaware, the skies were sunny again. Weird.

We made a stop in Maryland to see Gramma/GG, in which she insisted on taking us all out to lunch. We lucked out and got 2 for the price of 1, as Lisa had just taken Gramma to church and was able to do lunch with us too. It was such a good visit, especially since Mark doesn't get the opportunity to see her as much as Anthony and I do since we usually go visit during the week when he's at work. And also, Anthony is growing and changing so quickly these days that it was fun for GG to be able to see all that he can do now and to spend some time with him. He loved seeing her as much as she loved seeing him, especially since she let him have a sip of her iced tea. He reciprocated though by sharing his grilled cheese with GG. So cute!


All in all, SUCH a good time away from home. We needed it. As Mark was getting ready for work this morning, he was whistling and when I asked him why he was so happy on a Monday morning after being out of the office on vacation for a week, he simply said, "I don't know. I think I'm just recharged."

Amen.