The Simple Joys of a Long Weekend Away...

In a few hours, Ben and I leave for our first vacation of the summer. Sure, it's a bit of a mini-vacation, but we're getting out of town for 4 full days, we're packing our swimsuits and yoga mats, and we're hitting the road. Wooohoooo! Where are we going? Stockbridge, MA, where his father has a place in the Berkshires. It will be just *slightly* cooler than DC (haha!) and has all the ingredients for a relaxing vacation: nature, water (a pool and a lake!), hiking trails, an adorable little town, a yoga retreat center just down the road, and comfortable beds :) As you can tell, I'm super-excited to get away, even if it is only for a few days!

On my vacation wish list?  The following luxurious items:

• Finish reading Poser and Bringing Yoga to Life...start reading The Color Purple (all on my summer reading list)
  
• Bask in the sun by the pool (wearing SPF 50 for Babies, of course)
  
• Take a nap at least once per day
• Play with watercolors and do some sketching
• Visit Kripalu (only a few minutes down the road from where we'll be!) and if possible, pop in for a quick community yoga class or two :)
• Sleep in. Every single day. And go to bed super-early.
  
• Eat good summer food (see here for my faves)
• Do yoga outside/in nature
• Try NOT to think about the fact that we're moving three days after we get home and still have tons of packing to do (hopefully by writing it, I can let it go...)
  
• Go on a hike (or two!) with Ben and recreate THIS amazing picture from a few years ago in Stockbridge, when life was "easier" (Ben hadn't yet started working yet and was still the wild, free, hippie version of himself)...

Hehe!!! If that isn't a free-spirit on vacation, I don't know what is ;)

So what's on your wish list for the holiday weekend? Even if you're staying home with lots of plans/to-dos, take some time to treat yourself. Don't set an alarm and sleep until you wake up. Have a picnic in the park or take a long walk in the woods. Luxuriate in a bubble bath, go to the pool, or watch a movie you've been wanting to watch for months. Make some time for indulgence and just bask in doing nothing...

Have a wonderful and watermelon-filled 4th of July!

Namaste,
Mary Catherine

P.S. I'm not going to have internet access on this trip unless I take a jaunt down to the local coffee shop in town... since this definitely won't be happening every day, I won't be my normal, daily-posting self. I will, however, try to post a few updates and pics from time to time...I'll be back to normal next Wednesday...see you then!