True to our 2011 resolution — the same one that inspired a spontaneous escape to Maui last year — we’ve traded the primer and sawdust for sunshine. This year’s plan sent us on a road trip to Destin, Florida, where we’re soaking up Gulf Coast rays and giving our DIY batteries a well-deserved recharge.
Even when you love painting, sanding, and stripping wallpaper, stepping away from home projects for a bit can be deeply restorative. A week of sand, surf, and family time is the perfect way to reset creative energy and come back to house projects with fresh ideas. Since we were already in the area — we drove down from Atlanta after attending the Haven Conference last week — Destin felt like the ideal next stop. It’s only about a half-day drive away and offers everything we were craving: clear water, warm sand, and a slower pace.
We picked Destin thanks to glowing recommendations from our friends the Bowers. Even better, the Bowers joined us — which turned this beach trip into a fun little group getaway. Traveling with friends on a family-friendly vacation adds another layer of relaxation: shared meals, kid-friendly activities, and more hands to help carry coolers down to the water.
We did prepare a few posts before leaving, so you’ll still see updates from us over the next five days. Tomorrow morning we’ll be sharing details of a generous $1,000+ international giveaway along with some highlights from a Reader Redesign that we think you’ll love. But the overriding priority for this trip is simple: disconnect from the daily grind, set laptops aside, and give Clara a vacation filled with sandcastles, shallow waves, and family time.
We’ll be popping in occasionally through next Monday, but please forgive us if we’re slower to respond to comments while we’re unplugged. We’re planning to return refreshed, inspired, and ready to tackle everything on our ambitious to-do list. In our absence, a few friends and family are taking turns house-sitting — they’ll be keeping an eye on the place, collecting mail, and generally making sure everything runs smoothly at home.
We secretly entertained the idea of persuading our house sitters to tackle a small project or two — maybe painting a strip of blue trim — but the odds of that happening are, frankly, slim. We’d love a little surprise renovation on our return, but we’re realistic: they’re here to relax and keep things ticking along, not to start DIY projects. So instead of hoping for painted trim, we’re content to enjoy the only blue we’re guaranteeing ourselves for the next few days: the sky, the sea, and the wide-open coastal horizon.
Nature has a way of clearing the head and restoring perspective — and that’s exactly what we came to Destin for. Whether it’s long walks on the white-sand beaches, chasing sunlight across the water with a toddler, or simply sitting with a cold drink and listening to the waves, this little break is already doing its job. We’ll return with new energy, fresh inspiration for home projects, and plenty of stories (and sand) to share.
Enjoy your own moments of recharge, whether that’s a short trip, a long weekend, or even an afternoon unplugged. We’ll check back in soon.