I vaguely remember this one episode of The Bill Cosby Show (just go with me, this has a point I promise) and one of the children decided that college wasn't for them, came home in May, and in August when she finally told her parents that she wasn't returning to school they asked why she didn't tell them months before. And her reply? "Well, I didn't want to give up my summer break."

Thankfully I didn't try to pull a stunt like that. I don't think the outcome would have ended too well. I say all of that to say that this is the first time that I have not had a semblance of a "summer vacation." Obviously I know that everyone except teachers (who still try and say they don't have a summer break...) has to come to the point in their life that they sit in an office every day instead of poolside. 

But it wasn't all bad. There was the whole #jessdoestexas bit as well as trips home, to visit family, country drives to the local peach orchard for homemade ice cream and making a good dent in the list of restaurants I want to try in town.

Since I now live in one of the summer vacation destinations of the country, I've also learned the beauty of traveling in the off-season. On the horizon, the magical trip to Orlando, a weekend dedicated to shopping in Jacksonville. And no summer/fall would be complete without a visit to St. Simon's Island for my island time schedule of walks on the beach, time by the pool, naps, visiting all of the shops, dinner and a final beach stroll to walk off all of the shrimp I previously ate.

What is on your bucket list for the end of summer? If you don't have the time for a long vacation, my lovely sponsors have some wonderful travel posts that can help.

Christina of Route Bliss

Christina is no stranger to this blog. Her mix of photography tutorials, travel adventures and advice should make your daily read list asap. If you have ever thought about traveling alone as a single female, this post is a must read if you want to avoid a Taken situation (unless you have Liam Neeson on speed dial.) On top of all of that, she is a runner. And while I am by no means a runner, I can definitely hold my own in a speed walking race. But in all seriousness, if you want to get off the couch and get moving, then Christina has the perfect motivation and tips to make you race-ready in no time. And to go along with your new fitness lifestyle, why not fix grilled summer veggies? 

Follow along: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

Sarah of Daydreams of Summertime

Sarah's Daydreams of Summertime is one of my new favorite reads. Originally from the Scottish highlands, she has traveled all over Australia, New Zealand, Southeast Asia and now is settled back in Yorkshire. Jealous yet? I know I am. When she isn't living my dream of a life in the UK, she continues traveling to her heart's content. Her holiday photos from Dubrovnik and Croatia have me wanting to book the next flight out. Oh and did I mention that she is a lover of tea and a collector of cups? We're basically soul sisters.

Follow along: Bloglovin | Twitter | Instagram

Even though St. Simon's does not have the white sandy beaches and clear(er) water of the Gulf, only having to drive two hours and not having to deal with hoards of drunk frat boys make it a winner in my book. It's the perfect place to go to get away and unwind.

My daily schedule this weekend was as follows: wake up, walk on the beach, lay by the pool, go to lunch, nap, lay by the pool, dinner, walk on the beach, get ice cream, watch the Braves continue on their winning streak. It was just what I needed to mentally prepare to go back to school. 

This time we decided to try new restaurants. I highly recommend Skipper's Fish Camp in Darien. It may be a farther drive, but it's on the water, away from the crowds and has the best seafood. We also went to Southern Soul BBQ, which was featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. It's in an old gas station on the traffic circle and if you aren't paying attention, you will miss it. 

Every time I leave the island, I spend too much time looking for the perfect beach house to rent next time. How perfect are these houses on the water? 

And now for the pictures...

How was your weekend?

via

I'm off to the beach this afternoon. 

On the agenda: 

pool lounging, beach walking and seafood eating.

I wouldn't have it any other way. 

Except that I am 100% going to go on a kayak tour of the island

next time I'm in St. Simon's. 

Next week be on the look out for lots of food reviews.

That's what vacations are all about, right? 

Or, as I like to call them, FOODcations. 

{One of these days I will tell you about the ultimate foodcation

that was Spring Break 2013 NYC.}

What are your weekend plans?

Follow me on instagram @jesskboyd for a play by play.

Because I didn't want to spend another watching #RetroMTV's marathons of Laguna Beach and The Hills, I was bound and determined to find another show  to indulge in. Why do the networks think that the summer is the time to take a hiatus from new episodes is beyond me. Summer is when I have plenty of time to watch two (or three or four) hours of television at a time. The fall and spring? Not so much.

On the agenda this summer: Parks and Recreation. I will forever be sad that I didn't start watching it back in 2009, but don't worry, I have been making up for it the past few weeks. 

So I thought that I would give a {SHORT} list of my favorite quotes thus far. For the record, Aziz is by far my favorite character (behind Amy, obviously). In the words of Chris Treager, Parks and Rec is LITERALLY my favorite show right now.

“I strapped an MP3 player to one of those floor-cleaning robots. Call him DJ Roomba. Little guy cruises around and plays music. What’s hot, DJ Roomba! DJ Roomba, tearin’ it up! "

Tom explains Apps and Zerts. Also, chicken parmesan is chicky chicky parm parm. LOLZ.

                                         

Seriously, Jerry is the WORST.

AND THEN THERE WAS JEAN-RALPHIO. 

Well I hope that you have also found your perfect 

summer binge tv show, 

because summer is almost over. 

If you haven't, there is always The Hills 

on every weekday from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. on MTV. 

No one will judge you for watching it, I promise.

Especially not me.