Tag Archives: poconos

autumn at the lake

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Autumn at the lake is giving me life right now. As soon as October arrived in the mountains, the gorgeous crisp fall temperatures came with it. It didn’t take long for the breathtaking color to develop, and we’re spending our days savoring it. We’ve been living here since early March and there isn’t a day that goes by that I’m not overwhelmed with gratitude. We’ve settled into the mountain life and feel quite at ease with it, to be honest. Being surrounded by nature is so therapeutic amidst the chaos of the world, and it’s amazing what a walk in the woods can do for your mental health (we take a LOT of walks, ha). I’m at peace with where we are, and the uncertainty of where we’re going next – which is not something I’ve been able to say before. Just being alive and healthy is enough right now, truly. There are days when I feel guilt for not being as productive as usual, but you know what? It is OK! Give yourself the space and time you need to process everything going on…because it’s a lot. I saw a post on social media the other day that said, “there’s never been a time when you haven’t made it through”, and that really resonated. I’m going to be ok…we’re going to be ok. Breathe.

summer in the poconos

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We spent our summer vacation at our favorite local lake (and house)…it was our fourth year at Lake Naomi! I get emotional looking back at previous years – I seriously cannot believe Henry + Marie are five. I unplugged as much as possible, and rarely checked social media. That ‘s a tall order for most of us these days, but for me especially since it’s partly what I do for a living. The time off was so refreshing, and our days were filled with fun and memory making. Things I don’t want to forget about this year include (but are not limited to): watching the kids as they bravely navigated the pool during swim lessons, eating fresh blueberries on the beach, family kayaking, rainy day monopoly + movie night, sandy showers, bunny spotting, long lazy afternoons, and a lantern-lit date night. It was family quality time at it’s seasonal best.

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poconos perfection

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We’ve just returned from our summer vacation at what’s become a very special place for us. Pocono Pines is only two hours away from us in Philadelphia, and Lake Naomi beckoned us there for a third year in a row. Having practically grown up on a lake, it makes me giddy to have re-created a special family tradition in our own way. I have my friend Chanee Vijay to thank for introducing us to the community there, and for so generously sharing her home with us (which you can now rent). We’re always sad to leave, but this time we won’t have to wait a full year, as we’re planning to return in the winter for our first family ski adventure! It ought to be interesting, considering three of us have never skied before, gulp.

 

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The highlight for us this year was our family bike rides! With the kids not knowing how to ride just yet, we opted for a bike trailer to tow them, and they had so much fun. We rode to the beach every day, and pretty much used the bikes as our sole transportation…we were so proud of ourselves. Of course I had it easy – mr. fleurishing did the dirty work. With quite a few private beaches to choose from, we tried to visit a different one each day. We even went to the pool a few times, which is a feat for us – we’re not pool people. But having kids makes us pool people by default, and the smiles on their faces are worth it every time. Their smiles are always biggest however, at the lake. Hashtag proud mama.

 

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our poconos getaway

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I’m feeling pretty blissed out after spending last week and Labor Day weekend in the Poconos. After basically an entire month of moving and hard labor, the timing was perfect – we’ve never needed a break more. The Poconos has become a summer tradition for us…last year we rented a home at Lake Naomi after my good friend Chanee spoke so highly of it, and loved it so much we made plans to return this summer. We were fortunate enough to stay at Chanee’s beautiful vacation home there (#kodailakehouse), as her + her husband recently moved to California and are renting it out! As a textile designer, her design aesthetic is amazing…the lake house is cozy and comfortable, but modernized + luxe thanks to her touch. Every morning I walked down to the dock to watch the sunrise, often with Henry by my side. With steam rising from the lake and the peaceful, soft sounds of the water and wildlife, it was just what the doctor ordered.

 

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We developed a relaxing rhythm of heading down the fern path to the our little beach, playing in the sand, snacking on the dock, and kayaking. Henry and Marie hadn’t stopped talking about kayaking since we first did it last year, so that was a priority for us. We managed to kayak every day, and even worked in a canoe ride (which lasted all of five minutes due to my anxiety over the kids possibly tipping us). One morning we drove to Bushkill Falls and hiked as a family to see “the niagara of Pennsylvania”…it was fun for the kids to try a more difficult trail this year, and the main waterfall is quite impressive. I highly recommend a visit if you’re in the Poconos, especially with kids.

 

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S’mores just had to happen. While the kids are a bit too young to fully participate, we let them spear the marshmallows and watch as we roasted them. Surprisingly, they weren’t that into eating them, but that just meant more for us! I hadn’t done it in years, but thankfully mr. fleurishing remembered some crucial s’mores skills. I was reminded during this vacation that relaxing is a skill, and I had *almost* perfected it by the time we had to leave, ha. It’s always hard to go back to reality after vacation, but we left feeling refreshed + rejuvenated. We’ll be returning next year for sure!

 

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farewell summer!

our poconos vacation

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Our first big vacation as a family was a success! The rental home was dreamy, the days were filled with fun, and the weather was mostly cooperative. Amazingly, the kids adapted to the new environment quickly, taking naps and sleeping as usual…that was a big relief. They loved the lake, and requested to go to the beach (aka the big sandbox) every day. Having spent my summers as a kid on a lake in NH, I’ve missed it terribly, and I was happily surprised to find that despite it being in PA, the familiarity was there. Thanks to the kids, I conquered my bathing suit phobia and got into the water–it was quite liberating. We all loved being surrounded by so much nature – we saw a family of deer numerous times, and even had a wild turkey frequent the backyard (we named him Tom). As much as I wanted to see a bear (from afar), that didn’t happen…but they did manage to get into our trash and drag it into the forest for a feast. That made for a fun cleanup…good times. I was snap happy and took a zillion photos…you can see many more + some video of our vacation over on…

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