Last winter, I had the glorious experience of leaving the Boston Tundra of 2015 for the warmth and relaxation that is Puerto Rico.

Parting shot:

A visual of the 7′ of snow that accumulated in Boston, 2015, during Snowmageddon

Arriving shot:

The view from our accommodations in Vieques, Puerto Rico

Now, this year has been exceptionally chaotic for my family and me. We began a major renovation/addition on our house last May. We lived through the majority of the demolition and construction and though the project technically ended in November, every weekend, we tackle the many residual issues, as the contractor we chose was… well… a bad choice. (Wish we had read this: Top 8 Pro Tips on How to Hire a Contractor). At some point, when we’re done fixing the myriad problems our contractor left us with, I will be able to work on the new art studio we added to the basement! Right now, it’s a storage closet, but I’m hoping by the end of this summer, I will actually be able to paint in there.

“Coupled with rest and clarity of mind, vacations offer a sense of newness that serves as excellent inspiration for new ideas.” – Hollie Slade

Adding to the stress were the multiple snow storms that slammed into Boston and left her and her residents crippled, both physically and emotionally. There were mountains of snow everywhere. People were drained from the snow, worried about financial losses from missed work and damaged property, and generally loopy from cabin fever. There was anger. A lot of it.

The light at the end of our tunnel? We were fortunate to have booked a trip to Puerto Rico last fall, and left for said trip in the middle of February. Our kids had no idea. We told them an hour before we left. Needless to say, it was pretty awesome.

The afternoon flight was miraculously on time. That first step out into warm weather, though – when the warmth caresses your skin — skin that has been cocooned in multiple layers for months… you just can’t beat it. And even though we were still semi-plugged in while on vacation, there were several beaches with no network connection, which forced us to disentangle. Combine the pared down two-do list with the lack of a functioning phone and you end up with the perfect formula for enhancing creativity. Vacations have been scientifically proven to benefit one’s health.

And although I didn’t paint while there (just no room!), my brain unwound enough so that I could at least focus on taking some beautiful photos – about 900! I’d love to share a few with you.