slow down for a minute...

hello there, folks!  i'm back from vacationing on the East Coast with my family.  we had a great time--it always makes me realize just how much i miss my New York home, and especially my parents and sister.  it's difficult living so far away.  

{eating one of many, many ice cream cones at local favorite Seneca Farms}

i have to admit that it was nice taking a break from technology for a little while.  my parents live in Upstate NY, in a rural area, and that forced us to s-l-o-w way down.  i fought it at first, getting discouraged by the incredibly slow internet and the hassle of using mi-fi, but after a couple of days, i decided to step away from it and was glad that i did.  i encourage everyone to "take a break" from the computer and Internet, even if it's just for a day.  it's surprisingly cleansing!  

{at the spray park with cousins Hazel (far left) and Violet (right)}

i'm back now, though, and with my school semester starting up next week and some news from the design world, i'll be tethered to my laptop again in no time.  

but for now, a brief look at our vacation.  as you can see from the Instagram photos, we were pretty relaxed.  the above photo is one of my favorites, taken on one of the best days we had there--a day on Keuka Lake spent with family.

it took him awhile to warm up to this strange new area and strange (to him) new people but once he finally did, Mr. Bagubian had a wonderful time with my folks!  (and they had a marvelous time with him, as well!)  here he is checking out Papa's "tractor" and helping Neena water the flowers.

we ate A LOT!  i must have gained 15 pounds in the 3 weeks we were there but who can help it when there is so much good food?  my personal favorites:  Friendly's ice cream, Seneca Farms ice cream, and Dunkin' Donuts (which we do not have here in CA)!  but i was definitely ready to switch to grilled turkey burgers and green salads once we got home.

{this Friendly's sundae looked so good, the Goob tried to eat it right from the dish!}

i haven't gone through the photos we took on the big cameras yet--that will be a chore--but thought i'd give you a little taste of our vacation via my handy iPhone and Instagram.  i hope to have more to share in the coming weeks once i do tackle the big cameras, but tomorrow...i have some very exciting news so please check back for a big announcement!  as always, thanks for stopping by my little corner of the Internet!