[photo credit: laurenconrad]

Water. Woods. Anywhere.

My desire to travel is on the rise. It’s that time of year when families and friends take-on summer travel and explore new locations or venture into annual summer trips and watching from afar has me all wanderlusty.

I am a conundrum of sorts. Stuck between the desire to explore new locations and destinations and to create ritual and routine and have a summer safe haven where memories are created and the adventure is predictable and comforting. I love experiencing the new. I love seeing the world and capturing memories from across the globe. I love the idea of seeing and experiencing as much of the world as possible. And yet, I struggle with summer vacations. I long for a vacation home, nestled in the woods, overlooking a lake. Where board games are a plenty and reading is the primary form of entertainment. Where running off the dock and cannon-balling into the lake and fishing from a canoe are threaded into our being. Where a small sleepy town becomes home for a week or a month and where my kids greatest memories are from summers on the lake around bon fires, nestled into blankets, grilling and playing.

Yep, I struggle with deciding which is more important. And right now, watching the summer adventure of others has me craving routine and ritual. Yet, I am longing for a new adventure and a new spot to experience.

[photo credit: laurenconrad]

Can I just have both? I want one month of lake living, nestled into the beauty of a wooded lake and then I want to hop on a plane and take an adventure to a new far off location with my clan. Is that so wrong?

With blended families I think this dream in life may be too much to accomplish, but really, it is all I ever wanted. Dream big, dream often, pursue dreams despite barriers and create magic from dreams dreamt even if modified.