Our beach vacation has come and gone, but I couldn’t have planned a more perfect week if I’d tried. We saw old friends and family we rarely get to see, including Jenny and her new husband (!). We ate epic amounts of ice cream, and whole tomatoes sprinkled with salt. Sampled wine at local vineyards, lazed on the beach, huddled together when evening temperatures dropped to 55˚. Scanned the radio waves for snippets of Iggy Azalea, spent long hours reading. (I read this in a day, but it kept me up at night. Creepy!) One night, there was such a powerful storm that I thought our cabin might blow away. I’d never heard thunder so loud!
Tonight finds me wide awake in the late hours; sometimes I have trouble sleeping after a trip. It’s nice to be back in our own home, with our own pillows and stocked pantry. It feels like we’ve been away for a long time. Since Brien and I drove down (about four solid days in the car, total), we filled our car to the brim. The front hall of our apartment is filled with suitcases and paper bags and the travel cooler we bring for long trips… it almost looks like we’ve just moved in. But unpacking can wait until tomorrow.
My parents gifted me a beautiful camera for graduation, which we started playing with on this trip. The hope is to rely less on our smartphones, and instead use the camera to capture memories without staying so “plugged in.” Here are some of my favorites, collected both ways.
![On The Lake IMG_1433.jpg](http://m5.paperblog.com/i/94/942470/on-the-lake-L-M8UUh1.jpeg)
![On The Lake IMG_1552.JPG](http://m5.paperblog.com/i/94/942470/on-the-lake-L-D6RP6U.jpeg)
![On The Lake IMG_1497.jpg](http://m5.paperblog.com/i/94/942470/on-the-lake-L-rlrC70.jpeg)
![On The Lake IMG_1490.jpg](http://m5.paperblog.com/i/94/942470/on-the-lake-L-FPn1h1.jpeg)
![On The Lake DSC00036.JPG](http://m5.paperblog.com/i/94/942470/on-the-lake-L-vNjhOQ.jpeg)
![On The Lake IMG_1485.jpg](http://m5.paperblog.com/i/94/942470/on-the-lake-L-UsLyRN.jpeg)
![On The Lake DSC00013.JPG](http://m5.paperblog.com/i/94/942470/on-the-lake-L-mvgR5p.jpeg)
![On The Lake DSC00012.jpg](http://m5.paperblog.com/i/94/942470/on-the-lake-L-Tjs9gp.jpeg)
![On The Lake IMG_1525.jpg](http://m5.paperblog.com/i/94/942470/on-the-lake-L-Me9xea.jpeg)
![On The Lake IMG_1477.JPG](http://m5.paperblog.com/i/94/942470/on-the-lake-L-sJEo7U.jpeg)
![On The Lake IMG_1450.jpg](http://m5.paperblog.com/i/94/942470/on-the-lake-L-aExNZy.jpeg)
![On The Lake IMG_1508.JPG](http://m5.paperblog.com/i/94/942470/on-the-lake-L-tQnY5e.jpeg)
![On The Lake IMG_1457.JPG](http://m5.paperblog.com/i/94/942470/on-the-lake-L-BIi95h.jpeg)
![On The Lake IMG_1563.jpg](http://m5.paperblog.com/i/94/942470/on-the-lake-L-VtL4Kh.jpeg)
![On The Lake IMG_1461.JPG](http://m5.paperblog.com/i/94/942470/on-the-lake-L-HS4gTy.jpeg)
![On The Lake IMG_1455.JPG](http://m5.paperblog.com/i/94/942470/on-the-lake-L-2ecjUU.jpeg)
![On The Lake IMG_1478.jpg](http://m5.paperblog.com/i/94/942470/on-the-lake-L-jg2Ydp.jpeg)
![On The Lake IMG_1452.jpg](http://m5.paperblog.com/i/94/942470/on-the-lake-L-Dz8PC8.jpeg)
![On The Lake DSC00050.jpg](http://m5.paperblog.com/i/94/942470/on-the-lake-L-rBywaf.jpeg)
Until next year, Lake Michigan.