Full (But Not Busy) Days

When Jo and I used to travel before kids, it was almost competitive. Any one close to us has seen the hour by hour spreadsheets, the ranked lists of restaurants and the catalogue of places we'd attempt to cram into our days. Today was similar, but different. We had a few things to accomplish, spend time with some aunts, see my grandad and go to a bootcamp class with my uncle.

Something that might be a trend on this adventure is that while our days are full, they're not exactly busy. We spent an hour walking Nora pace along a trail behind my aunt's dairy farm picking blackberries. We sat and drank tea with grandad, introducing him to Maeve and catching him up on our adventure. We picked up a dinner and sat together at the table in our rented farmhouse eating and talking about the day.

Everything is an adventure to a toddler. Imitating cows in a nearby pasture. Doing some groceries. Even taking a bath with her sister. The excitement, but also stress, that comes with being busy with complicated plans doesn't necessarily outweigh the excitement of a simple, slow, but full day together.