Some Happy Scribbles...

haaaaaaappy birthday!

Hello! I hope the last two weeks have been good to you. We’re home after our big family trip to NYC, Montana, Canada, and LA, and it feels great to be back - even loading and unloading the dishwasher feels novel - we’ll see how long that lasts!

It was a milestone trip for us in many ways: three out of four of us had birthdays (Sadie turned 16!); and there were a number of firsts: our kids’ first time in Montana, Canada, and LA; white-water rafting as a family; and moose, elk, beaver, and mountain sheep sightings.

Another big highlight for me was spending the first night of our trip having dinner with Sadie at the bar at Gramercy Tavern, my very favorite NYC restaurant. The last time Sadie was there, she was in my belly: Jim and I celebrated my 32nd birthday at Gramercy, two days before I went into labor!

But the biggest highlight of all was the amount of time we spent together: thirteen straight days of breakfasts, lunches, and dinners, as well as car rides and hikes, during which we had unrushed conversations (interspersed with moodiness and bickering, of course) and learned new things about each other. Jim attempted to break up our routine of playing BS and 31 while waiting for our meals by teaching us Euchre, which he promoted as easy and fun, but on the first go-round was pronounced confusing and frustrating by the rest of us.

Traveling always expands my mind and gives me a fresh perspective on life. Here are some of the big and small things I discovered on this trip:

Packing a bag with plenty of space is seriously luxurious. We only stayed two nights in most places we went, so were constantly packing and unpacking. Instead of doing what I usually do and convincing everyone to pack light, we used these roomy LL Bean duffle roller bags which are almost bottomless, indestructible, and easy to maneuver.

Letting the kids negotiate their own rules is parenting heaven! One night, as we waited a particularly long time for our meal to arrive, a conversation developed about school-year schedules for screen time, bed time, and homework. Jim and I just nodded and listened as Sadie and Teddy went back and forth about what limits and rewards are appropriate at various ages. A very reasonable plan was negotiated and agreed upon. Now we just have to implement it!

Sometimes wearing an oversized striped shirt doesn’t do anything for me: standing in the security line in the airport on the way home, pretty confident I was channelling Coastal Grandmother vibes, Sadie pronounced my look “old man Italian tourist.” Yikes.

Jim can get himself off a horse extremely quickly. As we rode horses across a rocky stream on a very hot day, Teddy faintly mumbled, “I don’t feel so good…” before fainting and slumping slowly toward the water. Seemingly glued to my saddle, I watched as Jim dismounted, waded toward Teddy, caught him as he fell, and got him to shore. Teddy was back to normal after lots of water and rest.

Maybe the kids are finally moving away from negative social media. Sadie and her friends are into BeReal, a new social media app which prompts you to post a picture of yourself at a random time every day. The whole idea is to post a candid image of whatever you’re doing at that moment, and if you edit or take multiple shots, the app reports that.

It’s more fun when you travel to a place that’s very different from where you live. This is something I already knew but was reminded of during a hike through the forest of Waterton National Park with a very chatty guide. When we asked him what other national parks he likes to hike, our guide confessed that while they love their outdoorsy lifestyle, his family gravitates toward vacations in big cities, for the museums, shows, and energy. Which is something I’ll think about for our own future family trips - because we used to live in bustling Brooklyn, trips to the mountains or country felt great. But now we live in the country full-time, it’s a little more exciting and refreshing to spend time in cities and at beaches.

Steamers are amazing! Somehow I had gotten to my late-40’s having never used a hand-held steamer, and so when I discovered one in a hotel, I decided to see if it could unwrinkle the linen dress that had been in the bottom of my bag for 10 days. It worked like magic and I’ve ordered my own from Amazon (after checking Wirecutter for recs)!

So now we’re home, enjoying the warm days and crisp mornings, and settling back into our routines. I’m reading Carrie Soto Is Back, the new tennis-themed novel from Taylor Jenkins Reid, which is jiving nicely with all the US Open action! As soon as the tennis is over, and I have some spare TV-viewing time, I’m going to watch Steve Carell’s new show, The Patient, which is about a therapist seeing a serial killer. Sounds dark but I’m intrigued!

Thank you, as always, for reading, and sharing, and commenting and subscribing - I really missed putting this weekly dispatch together! Have a wonderful weekend, and I’ll be back next week.

xo
Amelia
P.S.: If you’re having a birthday or celebrating someone’s, here’s one of the things I received on mine and loved (you’re welcome!):

@ethereal.in.e @ethereal.in.e ♬ original sound - The Handpan Man

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