staycation day 1

It's true, ya'll. We're fresh off staycation. And I have to say, it was fun. I've mentioned before that Jon does all our planning when we go on vacation. He's so good at it. Even though there were no hotels involved in this one, he still did a great job planning every little detail. Here are the guidelines we followed for a successful staycay:

Plan Ahead
Budget for your staycation as you would any other vacation. Then, put a little time into researching when Summer festivals take place and make a list of the activities you want to do during your staycation. Purchase any tickets you might need and make any necessary reservations in advance

Get Chores Out of the Way
It will be all too tempting to use your time off for taking care of chores and running errands. Use the week before your staycation starts to handle your to-do list.

Resist Everyday Habits
Try to prevent yourself from falling into an everyday routine, especially one that involves watching a lot of TV. Shaking any sense of routine will get you into a vacation mind-set, so set the DVR and get out of the house.

Put on Your Tourist Hat
Try to put yourself in tourists' shoes and view your city as a visitor might see it. Hit up local attractions, people watch, take in the architecture, duck into bookstores without a time limit, etc.

Take Pictures
Bring your camera! You wouldn't leave it at home while on a typical vacation, would you? Allowing yourself to take pictures freely may help you find a new appreciation for your city.

Get Out of the Restaurant Rut
We are creatures of habit, so it's natural to visit the same restaurants time after time, even when there are so many other appealing options. Use your staycation to ditch your restaurant rut and try new places — you may just find a new favorite. Adopt the same thinking for the meals that you prepare at home and make new and adventurous recipes.

Get Sporty
It's baseball season, and the ballpark is a fun place to spend the day. Check your local team's schedule and make sure they're playing at home while you're on your staycation.

Hit Up the Attractions
Go to museums you've never been to or haven't visited in a while, check out the aquarium, visit the bakery everyone's been raving about but the line has always been too long — you've got time.

Appreciate the Outdoors
Get out and appreciate what your local outdoors has to offer; head down to the lake, go for a hike, or collect shells on the beach.

And here are some snapshots from day 1.

{out for breakfast}

{Ballard Locks}

{Pike Place}

{the gum wall in downtown Seattle}

{the Star Wars exhibit}

This is the real stuff!

{building a robot and finding the center of mass}

{lovely butterflies}

much more Havalah's speed than Star Wars ;)

holding very, very still

Coming soon - day 2!