What I'm Listening To Right Now

From the time I take for myself after the kids go to bed, another playlist that keeps me going:

>Born Losers - Matthew Good
>Perfect Company - A Cursive Memory
>Come on Get Higher - Matt Nathanson
>Coming Around Again - Simon Webbe
>Easy - Barenaked Ladies
>All I Can See - Brendan James
>Magic - Colbie Caillat
>5:19 - Matt Wertz
>Vegas - Sara Bareilles
>When to Quit - Ari Hest
>No Worries - Simon Webbe
>Turning Circles - Chris Bryan
>Found - James Kinne
>Ain't No Reason - Brett Dennen
>Someday - Pete Schmidt
>Sideways - Let's Go Sailing
>1973 - James Blunt
>The Way I Feel - Matt Wertz
>4 in the Morning - Gewn Stefani
>#41 Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds Live at Radio City
>Gravity - Shawn McDonald
>Pictures of You - The Last Goodnight
>Her Eyes - Pat Monahan
>Young Folks - Peter Bjorn and John
>I Don't Want to be Right - Chris Bryan

And now on the nightstand is "A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius" by Dave Eggers.

Cape Cod Memories

The in Progress family finally took a vacation and it was a terrific week. We're probably the only family in Connecticut that hasn't packed it all in at some point and headed to Cape Cod, so we bit the bullet and rented a house in Chatham and it was well worth it!

It's really so great to take time off, spend time with the whole family together and undistracted and enjoy the things that make life awesome. We spent the entire week doing things we rarely take the time to do, including:
-going to the beach every day
-digging for sandcrabs
-riding bikes (6.5 miles in one ride for this out-of-shape dad!)
-twirling sparklers on a night other than the 4th of July
-toasting marshmallows on the gas stove to make S'mores on a rainy night
-playing board games (Blokus), card games (Phase 10) and lawn games (badminton)
-playing mini golf and real golf

Layered in with some things we often enjoy, like:
-good wine
-grilling
-shopping
-reading (I devoured and recommend "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy

Some highlights of the trip:

Packing the car and bikes!


Wave bathers!


Building! (of course, we're a LEGO family)


My personal favorite way to relax: the beach nap with wet child wrapped in a towel and snuggling.


Gas stove S'mores


And just had to share the sisterly love (check those faces) after one week of togetherness!

New Music Saturday

Sometimes dads need time to be people, and you may have figured by now one of my favorite "downtime" activties is getting lost in iTunes user recommendations and "if you bought this you'll like this" suggestions to find great new music. My new playlist, "days off" may connect you with something new:

life is beautiful - vega 4
starting now - ingrid michaelson
mandolin moon - sister hazel
have a little faith in me - john hiatt
heard the world - o.a.r.
just (radio edit) - mark ronson
smile - lily allen
take your mama - scissor sisters
time is a runaway - the alternate routes
a good start - maria taylor
sideways - let's go sailing
undeniable - mat kearney
be be your love - rachel yamagata
is it any wonder? - keane
yesterday is calling - william tell
no myth - michael penn
human - jon mclaughlin
all i have - until june
words you used to say - dean & britta
all that that implies - michael penn