Ogunquit, Maine

During the last week of August my mom, stepdad, brother, and I took a mini-vacation to Ogunquit, Maine! They knew how much I loved it when I went earlier in the summer and they wanted to see for themselves. We had a fantastic long weekend together.

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We stayed at the Meadowmere Resort and it had everything that we had hoped for- pool, hot tub, gym, bar, free continental breakfast, and it was in walking-distance of downtown Ogunquit and Perkins Cove.

Our first full day in Maine was spent in Perkins Cove. We walked down in the morning and spent a few hours poking around the shops. Naturally, we had to make a stop at the candy shop.

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That afternoon we went on a 3-hour sailboat ride around the cove! At first, there was not nearly enough wind and we were a little worried that we were just going to sit there the entire time, but eventually it picked up and ended up being a lot of fun.

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That night we went to dinner at The Front Porch in downtown Ogunquit. This was easily one of the best meals that I have ever had and I wish that I had taken photos of the food. We had calamari and a flatbread pizza as an appetizer, and I ordered a blueberry, walnut, and goat cheese salad for my meal. Everything was phenomenal and we were so stuffed by the time we left!  My mom and I shared a carafe of sangria to go along with our meal. 🙂

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After dinner we headed back towards the hotel to see a comedian, whom I will leave unnamed. The entire audience was 60+ and we knew that this was not a show catered to young people- however, I have never been so bored and close to falling asleep during a show! Our entire family ended up leaving after a very long hour and forty-five minutes (and it wasn’t even close to over!). We all agreed that this was the worst part of our weekend.

The next morning we woke up and headed out to spend the morning in Kennebunkport. I loved it just as much as the first time I went. I hope that I get a chance to visit during the Holidays because I hear it is beautiful then as well! We headed back to Perkins Cove in the early afternoon and went for a walk along the Marginal Way.

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By the end of the day, we were all exhausted and starving. We went back to downtown Ogunquit and my mom picked up some cinnamon butter rolls (so delicious!) at Bread and Roses.

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I am definitely visiting this little bakery again next time I am in town. Everything smelled and looked fantastic.

We finished off the weekend in the best possible way – with ice cream 🙂

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I am so grateful for all of the laughs and fun that we shared during this weekend! I already can’t wait for the next time time we visit.

xo,

Jaclyn

Gratitude

I just wrote a longer version of this entire post and then my computer crashed :(. So, I’m going to shorten it up a bit.

Yesterday I spent the day at the beach with my family. We had a great day with perfect weather! There was a slight breeze, huge waves, and the sun shined all day long. 🙂 We got there around 10 AM and didn’t leave until 4 PM. When my family has a beach day, we always make it last as long as possible! IMG_3209

Around lunch time Conor and I took a walk down to a little ice cream shop by the water. I got a delicious chocolate caramel milkshake and he got an ice cream sundae. I can never turn down a milkshake, it’s one of my major weaknesses. On the way back, we ran into my best friend’s dad – what are the chances?! He told us that Victoria and her boyfriend were at the beach too, so we got to meet up with them for a little while.

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During Conor’s usual time napping (he can never stay awake at the beach), I flipped through my mom’s O Magazine. Every month I look forward to this coming in the mail. It is so positive and inspirational- it is hard not to feel good about yourself after reading it!

One article that stuck out to me yesterday was a question to readers: What is one small change you have made that has greatly improved the quality of your life?

There were many different answers, as expected, but one specifically stuck out to me. This reader said that she keeps a gratitude journal. Everyday she writes down three things that she is grateful for – regardless of how big or small- and why.

I thought this was a fantastic idea. It really would put things into perspective and help find the positive in each and every day. For the next month, I am going to challenge myself to keep my own gratitude journal and see how it affects my life. I encourage you to take on this challenge with me – I would love some company 🙂

Q: Have you ever made a small change that has greatly impacted your life? If so, what was it?