Jon with Nana, Pappy, Mom, and Dad; Connecticut, summer 2009
I'm afraid I've been giving America short shrift on this blog recently. It makes sense, I guess, since I was just in London for 12 days and I'll be flying back to England in five weeks for my wedding, but I'm still feeling a little guilty about it. Maybe part of the reason I haven't been so gung-ho about this #AmericanSummer is because I don't have a real vacation planned. I mean, my bachelorette weekend away on the Eastern Shore will be amazing and yes, I have two trips to the UK this summer, but, honestly, they're more like working holidays. I did so much wedding stuff (and professional things as well) while I was in London recently and I'm sure that the days leading up to my wedding will be full, too. Anyway, all of that is very grown-up, you know?
But last night we had our first massive thunderstorm of the summer in DC and today my parents head up to my maternal grandparents' house in Connecticut and, because of that, I'm feeling a great pull to the summers of my childhood. We'd pile into the car (a boxy Volvo station wagon, obviously; I take great delight in the cliché that my family was in the '90s) and drive up I-95, the way back stuffed with duffle bags and kid-friendly snacks. Snickers, our yellow lab, would take turns standing on either my sister or me so he could stick his head out the window to catch the air flying by, and Sarah and I would shriek when his drool dripped onto our bare arms. We'd have to pull over at rest stops at least twice for pee breaks, making the 6 hour journey last about 8, and I only ever remember getting Nathan's Hot Dogs for lunch. At various points, Mom and/or Dad would yell at us to stop fighting, and, when we were all getting along, we'd play word games and look for license plates from far away states. When we finally pulled onto the dirt road that led to Nana and Pappy's house, the relief from all was palpable.
Writing out all of that makes me feel like I should go apologize to my parents. Hang on a second...
Sarah and I spent a fantastic weekend in the country with our grandparents last summer, and it's actually where Jon really got to know Mom and Dad and met Nana and Pappy back in August 2009, so it's got wonderful adult memories associated with it, too. I'd love to go back next summer with Jon and Charlie and the whole mischpocha...
dress / cardigan / sunglasses / shoes
linking up with {long distance loving} and with Found Love, Now What? and We Took The Road Less Traveled
