Travel aside — Can we, mother-to-mother, just vent for a minute? Why the heck do the weeks surrounding back-to-school feel so completely nuts? If you are a mom, you know EXACTLY what I mean. It’s that sigh and knowing look we give each other as we rush past, coffee cup in hand at pick up circle, drop off, in the car, or on our way to some endless list of activities and sign ups – it is the week of back to school.
Back to school is a time of mixed feelings for me – it signals the end of summer (my favorite season), the end of long summer nights with no bedtimes, no schedules, just our family and the joy and freedom of traveling un-tethered to the school schedule. Time where my days in flip flops in the Northwest are numbered and I must contemplate bundling up once again until next summer, while the rain spits down and the sky becomes mostly gray. Then again, it is also good for us all to have a break and a new routine. I love the excitement in my kids eyes as they meet their new teacher for the first time, see their old friends again, and I personally get very excited about trading that pair of worn flip flops for my favorite fall boots that have seen the dark corner of my closet for too long.
Fall is a time of change and I’m okay with that. It’s a time when I feel again like anything is possible, to start dreaming of what I want to get out of this year, to start dreaming of how my children will learn and grow and where our travels will take us next. We traveled a LOT this summer. Over the next several weeks, I’ll be sharing some of our favorite travels this summer, as well as where we are dreaming about traveling to when the weather starts turning cold.
Travel well. Make your family’s journey extraordinary.
Anne Taylor Hartzell