From June through August 2022, I took a 44-day sabbatical to spend uninterrupted time with my family in the Florida Keys. It was my first real summer vacation since my junior year of high school.
These journal entries walk through that stretch day by day: mornings with coffee, offshore fishing, ballgames, quiet rest days, and the slow reset that comes when work is not the loudest thing in the room.
If you can carve out something like this in your own life, do it. Protect the time. Be present. You will not regret giving yourself a season where family comes first.
Saturday June 18th, 2022 Today is Saturday June 18th, 2022. My last day of employment with GHX was yesterday. Today marks the beginning of the summer break I am taking to spend some time with my family. It is 44 days from the start date to the end date, but not including the end date.
Sunday June 19th, 2022 Yesterday, Poppop & Mommom arrived to stay with us for a week in Key Largo. It will be a week of fun & sun & many boat rides. We were very excited to have these most loved guests. Today, we chased mahi mahi in the Atlantic Ocean. This is something we
An amazing day of fishing with Poppop. Day 3 of the 2022 summer vacation.
Tuesday June 21st, 2022 Today was a bit of a rest day. We played so hard in the sun on Sunday and Monday, we took some time on Tuesday to simply rest & relax. We chilled out! But as you'd expect from those who are addicted to the salt life, we found a way to
Wednesday June 22nd, 2022 I made a command decision this morning. I bought tickets to the Major League Baseball game tonight in Miami versus the Colorado Rockies. The Marlins aren't very good this year, but the boys always loved going to see Ranger baseball games when we were in Texas. This will be our first
Thursday June 23rd, 2022 Today, John did what John does. He caught a bunch of fish :-). John Hurff is a mahi catching machine. I have a feeling we'll catch many of them over the summer. For dinner, we enjoyed another one of our local favorites - The Lazy Lobster.
Friday June 24th, 2022 Kimbit & Spencer, the dolphins, stole the show, but the Sea Lion Show was a close second.
Saturday June 25th - Friday July 1st 2022 This week's headline. Week 2 of the summer respite with the family. Day 8 - Saturday June 25th: You won't believe it. More Offshore Fishing for Mahi! We had a great day offshore again on Saturday. John caught around 20 mahi and towards the end of the
Saturday July 2nd - Friday July 8th 2022 This week's headline. The Dunham Week. Day 15 - Saturday July 2nd: Gold Coast Train Museum With Jackson We finally made it to the train museum. This has been Jackson's request for months. It was such a cool place. We spent several hours there and Jackson was
Saturday July 9th - Friday July 15th 2022 This week's headline. A plethora of activities. Day 22 - Saturday July 9th: Nest Key & Some Offshore Fishing Half way there! Today marks the halfway point of this 44 day break from my work life. I feel a tremendous mix of emotions. Thankfulness, joy, gratitude, love,
Saturday July 16th - Friday July 22nd 2022 This week's headline. A rich life. Day 29 - Saturday July 16th: Boca Raton Beach Day After the concert in Boca, we spent the day in Hillsboro Beach. We had a nice breakfast beachside at the Hillsboro Beach Cafe, coincidentally right next to the Hillsboro Beach Fishing
Saturday July 23rd - Friday July 29th 2022 This week's headline. Recharged & ready. Day 36 - Saturday July 23rd: Out with the Old Today I spent a little time setting up for my return to work. Next week, I will be starting back to work in a full time capacity at Brightmove. It really
Words cannot describe how amazing this time has been. But, let's try. As I sit here, early in the morning on Saturday July 30th, 2022, I can't help but to think to myself that this time has been a once in a lifetime type of experience. Today is day 43 of a 44 day sabbatical
This journal entry feels obligatory. I consistently wrote these notes to myself throughout the summer break as part of my morning ritual; I couldn't miss the last one. Coffee & journaling was the way I started my day most mornings throughout the summer break. I think of the time in the morning as my time.