I have never been one to procrastinate.  I thrive on checking things off my To Do List.  But when it comes to taking my vacation… that is a different story.  Having put off taking my vacation all year, it came down to a use it or lose it situation - with the clock ticking and 4 weeks to use up, I spread it out taking 2 weeks in July and 2 weeks at the end of August/beginning of September.

The first 3 weeks were spent local - refinishing furniture and putting in some serious time at the gym getting ready for week 4 which was to be spent at the beach!

Growing up I watched my dad spend countless hours refinishing old furniture, and as this apple didn’t fall far from the tree, I have inherited this hobby, along with a few other personality traits…

There are countless benefits to refinishing old pieces instead of buying new!

1. Saved on storage of the unused pieces (i.e. gave my parents back their garage - ok part of it anyways)

2. Saved the environment by not letting the unused pieces go to landfill (when said garage became too full to move around in)

3a. Saved money buying new pieces, and likely replacing them in the not so distant future

3b. Old furniture was built to last - these pieces are SOLID!

Plus, they have great history and stories to them - the little bookcase was made for me by my great grandfather who I had the honour of knowing through much of my adult life, the buffet mirror was a huge score at an antique show, the buffet was FREE and turned out way better than I could have ever imagined after having rescued it from the end of a driveway in the pouring rain, the dresser was my great grandparents’ and handmade, and the window frame-mirror was also FREE.

There is something to be said for peeling away the layers of history and starting from scratch again.  That little book case was repainted countless times as I grew up - going through my yellow, then blue, then white, then green phases… I even wallpapered the shelves once.  After lathering on layers of Circa 1850 Paint Remover, I finally get the pieces back to their original state - often uncovering notes left behind by the builder (my great grandfather) or stamps saying FRAGILE on the wood, as he often reused crates and odd pieces of wood.

The first three weeks were spent in town working hard on the abovementioned pieces, the last week was spent travelling to Low Country (Beaufort, South Carolina) to visit wonderful friends.  All I knew about South Carolina was what I saw in the movies, and now having been there, my visions were bang on. The homes, the trees, the people, the food, the weather - just like the movies.  Not knowing what to expect, I overpacked - threefold!  Did I really need 3 outfits per day or the necklaces or the numerous pairs of shoes??? Of course not - vacation is about getting away from your routine, your habits, your usual lifestyle and RELAXING - at the end of the day, all I really needed was a swim suit and my camera. It felt great to not use a hair dryer each day, or put on mascara, or worry about whether I was wearing my swim suit at the grocery store (NOTE: it looks like a skirt and halter top…)! It has been a long time since I have gone on a vacation like that - taking a plane somewhere, going through customs, hearing strange accents, eating unusual food (I tried grits for the first time), enjoying the company of family and friends, and swimming in the ocean!  To say it was FANTASTIC is an understatement!

Whether you stay in town or get on a plane the next time you take a vacation, remember to peel away the layers and start from scratch - you’ll be amazed at what you might uncover!