42 Days

Only 42 more days and we'll be in Nantucket. This will be our third summer there and the week we spend there is my favorite of the year.

I wake up every morning and work out, Joe goes fishing. We meet back at the house around 9 a.m. and get ready for the beach. On our way out to Dionis Beach we stop by Something Natural and order a turkey sandwich, which we split later in the day, and two Nantucket Nectars.

Joe and I spend the day on the beach throwing Gracie's chuck-it as far as we can into the ocean and laughing while other tourists watch in amazement as our beautiful little lab swims a mile to retrieve it and comes right back to shore smiling with her ears bent back on her head and her tail wagging ferociously.

We read, we all take naps, we eat, we talk, we sit in perfect silence and admire how still we can be. After the beach we head back to our adorable little cottage and throw Gracie in the outdoor shower. While she lies in the backyard and dries off in the day's remaining sunlight, we head inside to shower and throw on comfy clothes. We crack open a bottle of wine and grill vegetables and fish or chicken and we sit outside and eat and laugh and enjoy each other's company until it gets dark.

Then we drive to Main Street and stand on line at the Juice Bar and wait for ice cream. Gracie gets vanilla, Joe gets cookies and cream, and I usually don't make up my mind until I'm standing in the very front of the shop with a crowd of people on my heels.

We do this for seven days straight and this trip is the most glorious seven days of my entire year. It's Heaven on Earth. Exactly what my life would be if there were no work, no responsibility, no stress. Just real life. Simpler.

Here is our little cottage that we rent time and time again. At around 1300 sq. ft., it's the perfect amount of space and we love that as our family continues to grow, we can keep coming back each year and make more memories here.