Emmalyn Reid

When my Mom & I found out my father-in-law and husband were painting the bathroom as part of a full remodel we’re doing, we were OVER THE MOON excited! Just one little problem: this 8 months pregnant lady isn’t supposed to be around fumes, and my Mom gets severe headaches from just a whiff of primer. While we’re not big on traveling right now, we knew staying in the house wasn’t an option (and honestly, after a year of staying home, we could totally use the break to get out!). Luckily, we were able to find a safe way to enjoy a little Mommy & me staycation just down the road that allowed us to play tourists for the weekend.

We chose to stay at Inn On The Square in Falmouth, a cute little place downtown we’d never tried! After spraying & scrubbing the ever-loving-crap out of the room & dragging in our own sheets and pillows like crazy people, we spent Friday night getting settled, ordering takeout & binge watching episodes of our new favorite show, Good Girls, on Netflix.

On Saturday morning, we woke up ready to grab some coffee & explore. We went down to Menahaunt Beach to enjoy our coffee and have a nice walk breathing in some fresh, salty ocean air. While there might have been a slight chill in the air, the view can’t be beat!

Feeling like we wanted to continue exploring, we took a ride down to Spohr Gardens. While I hadn’t been there in ages, going there with my Mom brought back some really amazing memories. As a little girl, she and I used to go there all the time for an afternoon and to enjoy their well-known Daffodil Days! Dressing up & soaking in all the fresh air and natural beauty one of Falmouth’s hidden gems has to offer was always a treat, and though it may not have been daffodil season just yet, it still brought us just as much joy when we returned. I actually have a picture of me as a little girl among the flowers…it’s crazy to think of how young I was when my mother took me then vs. now about to give birth to a baby of my own (still wearing pink though, of course!)

All that walking worked up quite an appetite (especially for me with the little bean jumping around in my belly!), so we opted for pickup from one of our favorite restaurants: Le Bon Jour! I opted for Le Puy, a power bowl that is packed with nutrients. With ingredients like avocado, beets, lentils, and apple, I topped it with some grilled chicken for a little extra protein and modified to sub their apple cider vinaigrette dressing. It hit the spot as a great guilt-free meal that we enjoyed while supporting a local restaurant. It’s a win-win every time!

While we chose to snuggle back in with more tv for the evening since it’s easy to get worn out quick when you’re making another human, the next day we woke up well rested & ready to explore again. Checkout at Inn on the Square is at 11, so we slept in, got our things together and grabbed some breakfast to enjoy by the water again. This time, we took our coffee to the Woods Hole Waterfront Park, which this time of year is usually very quiet. Taking in the view and a stroll on the beach, we continued for another walk down Main Street.

This was a bittersweet walk: growing up, my Dad had worked for years at the Marine Biological Laboratory and just retired this year. I’d also gone to preschool at the Woods Hole Child Center, and have spent a ton of time over the years at places like Captain Kidd, the Landfall, Coffee O (which used to be Pie In The Sky!) and made countless trips rushing to the ferry when my husband was living on Martha’s Vineyard. Woods Hole has always had a special place in my heart for those reasons, but also because I just plain have a natural draw to its small-town seaside charm that makes for a perfect gateway to Martha’s Vineyard. Yet strolling past all of the boarded-up businesses that still had Christmas decorations in the window was a heartbreaking reminder of why we’ve continued to be so cautious during this time, and both Mom & I were grateful in that moment to know that there is hope for a (somewhat!) normal future soon.

Overall, it was an INCREDIBLE staycation weekend! It’s funny how different local places you go all the time can feel once you put on a “vacation” mindset. These were places we’d drive past all the time, roads we’d take daily and that we’ve spent our lives calling home. All we had to do was give ourselves permission to enjoy them, and we DID!