August = Time for a Road Trip

August always makes me feel like I have to cram in the last everything before summer comes to a screeching halt. Somehow I always seem to forget that life along Lake Michigan allows us to extend summer into September. The lake stays warm and keeps the lakeshore warmer too. Bike rides to our downtown and Farmers’ Market still happen, afternoons at the beach and picnics in the park with our dog Max can still be fit in between fall sports.

So knowing I can extend summer, I am not going to feel rushed this August. I am not going to go crazy trying to fit in so many memory making events, fill up every weekend, feel like it’s all going to end the Tuesday after Labor Day! Instead, I am going to be intentional, thoughtfully plan a weekend trip and get our family away from it all.

We live in a beach town that tourists visit regularly, but when we’re home we don’t act like a tourist. We work on the weekends, in the yard and for our businesses. There is always something that needs our attention, something we didn’t get to during the week, one more email that needs to be answered. When we leave our town and spend time together, in the car, in a cabin or tent, without good cell phone service, we have to relax. We spend more time talking and laughing together and less time on our phones. We read books and play games and soak up our surroundings instead of just passing through it.

It’s time to plan a road trip and honestly it doesn’t even have to be far from home. It just needs to be far enough where we can decompress and focus on time together. Sounds like a perfect way to spend time to end the summer!