Stream-of-consciousness. Beware.
I don’t know why I feel it’s important to start this post with a little mental unraveling, but I will say this…
The photos and stories shared here are pieces of a larger puzzle. You know that, right? Amid crafts and family outings and pictures of happy babies, there are–as there is with every one of us–days when things feel so completely messy. I actually think those days are beautiful in a way too because we learn so much from them, but I tend to lean to what makes me happy for blogging.
With that said, yesterday we took a family road trip and it was a glorious day. And before I post that pretty little day–even though I don’t have to say this–I want to say that the day before wasn’t glorious. That the decision to go be with our family for the day arose from good, hard talks and tears and all the stuff that makes a family real. This doesn’t feel good. I wish you wouldn’t do this. I wish we could be better at this. I’m sorry. Let’s make changes. We have those times, and we always have. My not blogging about them certainly doesn’t mean they don’t exist.
To me, that’s what makes this day and the captured memories from it even more special. I’ll look back at all these moments where kids are smiling and waves are breaking and hair is whipping all beautiful-like in the wind and I’ll know that every bit of that goodness was hard-earned. Family is always hard work. And every memory, every hey-look-everyone’s-smiling moment, every holiday, every beach trip, every blog post is hard-earned. But the best things in life are, aren’t they?
So here’s a really special day that was amazing. It came in the middle of real life. And there will be more. Of all of it.
Bring it.
Our staycation day trip to a local island. It felt like vacation. And we only drove 45 minutes.
To Spontaneity and that beautiful mix of real life plus post card perfection. All of it makes me feel grateful. Motivated. Happy for right now.
Happy Weekend.
*****
A Friday Perk for you:
Our friends at Tea Collection are offering a special 25% discount just for you on my favorite Tea dress right now. We love the cheery chrysanthemum mini dress, great alone for warm weather or layered with long sleeves and tights for colder weather. Use Code KELLE25 for 25% off the Chrysanthemum Mini Dress (also, I always think of Anne Shirley whenever I hear the word “chrysantemum.” She spelled it right).
Lovely!!
Beautiful pictures- that is my favorite place in the world to be with my family! Love how your family enjoyed it as well!
Captiva is such a beautiful place! Thanks for sharing your beautiful day and the honest messiness that led up to it. I needed that reminder today.
Captiva is such a beautiful place! Thanks for sharing your beautiful day and the honest messiness that led up to it. I needed that reminder today.
I friggin LOVE you, Kelle!! Thank you for keeping it real. Looks like a fabulous, much needed, quality family day. I totally feel you on earning those. And trying to always remember those moments during the trying ones. Happy weekend!
So right on. You have a real gift to be able to put things into words. Recently I was slightly irked by a friend dissing lovely Pinterest and Blogs photos, claiming that they weren’t real life. They are real life moments. Where else would they come from? But they are there because the blogger has chosen to highlight/accentuate the positive.
I want to go to there.
And, like my Dad always says, peaks and valleys. peaks and valleys. Glad your valley has fun little staycation day peaks within it.
All the Best to ya
xo
As long as you’re all together it really doesn’t matter where you are. Family is everything! Beautiful photos, as always.
Kudos to this honest and real post. Great pics too. I’ve spent a lot of time on Sanibel. Not so much on Captive because it’s far! But it’s gorgeous.
This is completely happy. Thank You:)
Awesome post and awesome pics. Love this blog, keep it coming. 🙂 Take care, happy weekend!
Amen to this post! Oh, and I’m loving those cheeks on Dash:) Happy weekend!
That reflection picture in Brett’s sunglasses? Fantastic.
Looks like a great day! I think we are rewarded with them at just the right times.
ps – love, love, love Lainey’s dress!!
That what I love about your blog……you live a real life. Love Nella’s Mr. T shirt with her tutu. Baby boy is getting big. Glad you had a good day.
I laughed SO hard when I read the sign about the nude beach and the “no gawking” and then the very next picture shows Dash and he’s definitely gawking at something!! Yeah, baby! He knows what he likes. 🙂 He’s so adorable.
This was a great post. Radical honesty, authentic writing – they bring us our biggest wins. Then again, I also agree that in anything creative, such as blogging, it is very often a great place to draw out what was good from the day and help us celebrate the high moments in a “real” life.
Your balance of thoughts, positive, negative, etc is so lovely Kelle.
Best wishes for… well… a great balance of good days to bad, because who’s going to believe we can only have good?! (And as much as we all hate them, the bad days are what allow us to see the good)
Ali
How true! Thanks for saying it. We often reminisce, looking through our own family’s blog and smile at the memories. They’re the good ones and help me realize I’m not doing it all completely wrong!
I learn so much about photography through your pictures, too. Beautiful pictures. Not just the ones of your cute kids, too. (My, how your handsome boy is growing!) Love the ‘unattended children’ sign! And the one of you in Brett’s sunglasses. How cool. Thanks for the inspiration!
Simply beautiful. Thank you for keeping it real.
http://www.paintingmariposasinthesky.com
I’m so happy for you and your ever beautiful family! Glad you’re glad 😉
I feel so grateful and happy right now, too, in life and truly appreciate every day and my family so much.
What a gift life is!
Love, A
That picture of Nella waving with the backwards hat and the ice cream….perfect! And Brett hops on the stripes bandwagon too! 🙂
Looks like such a fun trip!
Omg, I love Nella’s Mr. T t-shirt!
‘I pity the fool who doesn’t know how to enjoy a good ice cream cone!’
Living with and loving others while dealing with our own interests, desires, agendas is sometimes messy business. But, you are right, if we didn’t have those blips, those moments of tripping over ourselves and each other, those scuffles and tangles of emotions, those nerve fraying, exhausting days- we might not ever fully appreciate the gift of the lull, the peace, the resolution of the good stuff. Glad you got to enjoy the good stuff with your beautiful family.
You and your fam are so sweet Kelle! Of course you have hard days like the rest of us, and it is your choice whether you want to share that. I am glad you did though. Looks like a super fab day, I love the little ones swimsuit. And the pic with Lainey talking to Nella, priceless. 🙂
I really enjoy the fact that you share mostly the positive in your life. When I have a hard day, or week, or month 😉 your blog helps lift me up and remember to focus on the positive. It is almost a breath of fresh air in a crazy hectic world!
No disclaimer necessary. This is your space– you can write what you want. Keeping the deeply personal, heavy stuff private shows that fierce mama bear protection of what you’ve made– a family. Keep it up, friend. You are lovely; your family is lovely; your writing is lovely. xo
Maggie (theruralroost)
Kelle….
“I actually think those days are beautiful in a way too because we learn so much from them.”. Thanks. I needed that reminder as yesterday evening was, for me, “messy”. 😉
–Raelyn
I haven’t visited your blog in awhile, and wow, your baby boy is beautiful! 🙂
That’s it, I’m planning a trip to Florida. I want to be able to go to the beach without a sweatshirt and ear muffs !!
Hey Kelle…First off, Captiva is awesome. I’m glad you all enjoyed the day.
Here’s what I really want to say. I think everyone knows you have “real moments”. You are a real person with a real family. I think, however, a lot of your readers come here for some good, old-fashioned escapism.
Disclaimers aren’t necessary.
If you want to share your messiness then go for it, but there’s no obligation. Frankly, anyone with their big toe dipped in reality knows there’s no such thing as a “perfect” life.
Enough said. Carry on, friend.
(Hugs from a unseasonably cold Michigan shore!)
I’ve read your blog long enough to have read that disclaimer before yet I appreciate your reiterating it, and love your honesty in admitting it to yourself as well as your followers. You are one of blogs that inspired me to start mine and by blogging, writing and taking pictures I’m reminded that we get what we look for in life. We look for the good, the beautiful and the awe-inspiring meaning of this journey, and behold we find it. Thank you!
Is that “Happy Hooker” that your girls were playing with the hoop on a string?? Love that game!
Gorgeous! I especially love the picture of the reflection in Brett’s Sunglasses, that is super cool! 🙂
Kelle, you poor thing. I’m so sorry for your trials as a mom. Life certainly seems so much better than what you portray. I’m going to pray for you and your family. I never knew how difficult life was until I read this post. Here I am worrying about my mother who is ventilator dependent with ALS, my sister with breast cancer and my daughter’s autism. I feel so ashamed. I need to do better!! Thanks to you for your inspiration.
The Man and I were blessed to be able to visit Captiva Island last year. It’s where my favorite author wrote my favorite book. Hope to return one day.
Wow how fun and what amazing pictures.I love the picture with the reflection in the sunglasses that is soooo cool.
I know that your sharing some mental unraveling…helped me ravel on my own messy morning. I read your blog last night and today after a non glorious moment, feeling sadness and a heavy heart when I remembered your reflections and i shifted to focus on the lessons and accepting the reality that there is hard work and felt less alone and best yet so much more optimistic. I have been reading your blog for months (after reading yr book). It is the only blog I had ever read and the only one I read (ok, 8 dabble in a few y have highlighted). I am very private but felt I would go out on a limb (for me) to thank you for your bravery in sharing. Yr photos inspire me to cherish it all and see things in different (positive) lenses. At night when I am reflecting on my own gratitude, I sometimes get lazy and just read yours. 🙂 Love the photos and fashion but best of all the sunshiny disposition! Thank you
I spy a lagunitas pint glass! Delicious beer, wonder tap room (in CA, soon to be in Chicago).
Kelle- I needed this today! We all know no one is perfect and I take so much joy in your posts and seeing your positivity! Sometimes it is nice to be reminded that everyone goes through struggles and it’s normal!
Kelle, Those awnings are to die for! Love, love, love, this blog post!
“Family is hard work” is right and so worth it like you said. Refreshing and honest post. Looks like Captiva is a fun place to go.
Hi kelle! Just curious to as where you got dash’s pacifier and where u purchase your amber necklaces from? Thanks!
Hi kelle! Just curious to as where you got dash’s pacifier and where u purchase your amber necklaces from? Thanks!
thank you for sharing your beautiful life, and also sharing that sometimes life hurts. I re read the beginning of yojr post six times before my tears slowed enough for me to read the rest. we have had a long few weeks of tears and i-wish-you-wouldn’t-do-that’s and this-hurts… but you reminded me that life can be as beautiful as we make it. so today we enjoyed our kids for the day and then left them with a sitter and went on a long overdue date night. it didn’t take long to remember how great together is. thank you for being the encouragement and push I needed.
“family is hard earned.”
preach, sister! amen.
love the mr.t shirt.
You *have* to share where the Mr T outfit came from. I LOVE it.
omg–Nella in her dig trucker hat and mr. t shirt?? love it. and the rest of you look beautiful, too!
here’s to the yin and yang of it all because it’s all important. xo
oh i so know the mix of the great, the bad and the in between. surely folks know that you are human? we all have those days. LOVE your little staycation. and glad you all had a lovely time!
Ahhh! Those real moments that are followed by amazing days. It’s all part of this beautiful life we are living. Staycations are so much fun! We are definitely planning a few of those in the coming months!
I just wanted to let you know that I love that 2nd to last pic of you and Dash. I dream of having a baby one day I can take to the beach with hair blowing in the sea salt breeze and feel so small against the great big ocean.
Thanks for sharing.
What a lovely picture of Brett gazing adoringly at baby Dash! Glad you had such a lovely day – kids and the ocean make a good combination for pure joy…
Your family is beautiful. Dash’s lips are super kissable. And your daughters….oh how lovely. What a great staycation for you all. Wonderful pictures.
Very, very beautiful.
The kids. The husband. The love.
I am glad you are thankful for the great moments and the in between moments.
Hello,
A friend told me about your blog and I am sure glad she did. I enjoy it so much and not only that but I intend to learn from it as well. You see I just started writing a blog of my own and I am seriously struggling because I am trying hard to keep it positive (I had to delete a whole post yesterday and write a completely new one). As you said, its not all smiles and rainbows. But who wants to read about how difficult it was to arrange a shot with the whole family on it (our baby, me and my husband – you can guess who is the super busy one…)?!
I hope you do not mind but I would love to share my blog with you maybe you can comment on it if you like to. (My posts are short -no worries HAHA)
Thank you
http://kukolina.wordpress.com/
Eszter
Perfect words, perfect place 🙂
I was there in August 2011. It’s a paradise… you are so lucky to live in that place. I had to make a 9 hour flight and a 4 hour driving to get there 🙂
How creative!
Oh yes. We had more than our fair share of that real life on our last local holiday-lol. For me I think the trick is to not let the bad bumps take over the good. The fact that we were all cranky and crabby doesn’t mean we cancel out the good- because then the bad wins right? If our goal is to be happy,and we get that that is hard work- then we also have to think about the lessons that our kiddos learn from how we respond to it. 10 years from now when they are grown- I’m going to want to see the happy pictures- those moments are just as fleeting as the bad/grumpy- so why hang on to the bad grumpy and focus on it- what did I gain by doing that? Yeah. I get it. I work hard to stay happy.
There seems to be such pressure recently for bloggers to ‘be real’ and temper all of their uplifting posts with disclaimers that their life is ‘not perfect, it only plays that way on the nets’. This makes me a bit sad though. While it IS nice to read your favorite bloggers occasionally sharing what it was like to have a more difficult moment, those of us who are on a blog like yours are here because we APPRECIATE your ability to show the difficult moments in a way that makes the beauty of them more evident than the pain. I think that this is life’s real lesson, and seems really lost on some people. Sure we can all comisserate. We could all get into contests about who has it ‘harder’ and is therefore a ‘better, more real, more honest, harder working person’ but what a load of crap that is. Life is difficult for us all. Each of us has our spaces and our times and trials. Each of us has the lessons we can’t seem to learn and those that we rock on the first introduction. Such petty comparisons and need to reduce joy and beauty is beneath you. You don’t have to tell us that your life is not perfect. You don’t have to tell us anything that hurts, that you don’t understand yet, that you can’t or won’t explain, UNLESS YOU WANT TO.
We already know that your life has trials, and the fact that it does is why your ability to share the beauty is so respected and appreciated. If your life was perfect and without trial it would not translate for so many people. Keep rocking the rose-colored glasses. Keep finding the gems and the beauty in everything you can. This is how you increase your being and this is how you share something worthy with so many people. You don’t have to dim your light or temper your happiness for anyone. There are plenty of angst-y blogs out there for anyone who doesn’t like it 😉
Oh, I see you found that fun ring game at The Mucky Duck. My boys love that soooo much that we have thought about building one for our backyard. 🙂
Beautiful photos, family and island paradise!
I not too far from you…Punta Gorda.
~Kim