Oh man, is there anything that’s a bigger bummer than the Monday after a vacation? I’m very much wishing I was still on the beach with my family but at the same time, I’m feeling oh so refreshed. A week long escape was exactly what I needed – no schedule or to do list, barely any internet access, no makeup or spending time doing my hair… it was a week that was totally centered around the ocean and my family. And it was wonderful.

My family has been vacationing in Hatteras Village on the Outer Banks for as long as I can remember (my dad has been going there on and off since 1978!) It’s a small town all the way down at the most southern point of the Outer Banks where things seem to be centered around fishing and surfing. We rent a beach-front house every year and spend all day, every day on the beach – since the Outer Banks catches some of the Gulf stream the water is super warm compared to New England or even the Jersey Shore, with larger waves as well. It’s totally low-key with the both Southern and coastal vibes and there isn’t a chain restaurant or even a Starbucks in-sight. Definitely quite a change from city living!

There never seems to be a right time to step away and take a vacation – I think we often get too swept up in the craziness of the everyday and become too afraid to remove ourselves from it. We feel guilty. We get stressed out. But in the end, it’s all worth it. A week at the beach proved to be exactly what I needed before diving into a crazy few months with moving, new clients at work, blog busyness (exciting stuff!) and business travel. If you haven’t given yourself a break yet this summer, do it! I promise the show will go on without you and you absolutely will not regret it.