Olivia + Joy Bag and Bracelet c/o Stage Stores / J.Crew Factory Dress (Also love this one! And how about this polka dot number?) / J.Crew Jacket (Also love this one) / Ann Taylor Pumps c/o (Slingback version here) / Similar Sunglasses

As much as I love Lake Michigan, I’m aching to get back to the Jersey Shore… which is happening in less than two weeks! We’re spending Mitch’s spring break at my parents’ home in Ocean City, New Jersey, and I’m taking a REAL vacation. Like, one with an email autoresponder and everything! While life has been really good (and exciting!) lately, Mitch and I have had a lot on our plates, and we’re feeling tired. We both feel that slowing down for a week will do wonders for our minds, even if it means pausing construction for a little while.

And, I mean, I kind of need to start slowing down, right?! I’m moving from one life stage to the next, and something needs to give. In many ways, I don’t want slow down. I love feeling like I’m killing it on the productivity front, I’m scared that I’ll feel less successful if I take on less, and I want to contribute as much as I can to our little family. But in other ways, I really do want–and need–to slow down. Of course, there’s the obvious reason: I’m about to become a mother. (Whoa.) But if I’m being honest with myself, I also tend to under-appreciate life’s stages because I’m going too fast.