I wrote recently about my love for the non-optimized vacation, and though I didn’t call it out by name, my ultimate example is, of course, Maine: place-based love of my life for as long as I can remember. Though I listed many reasons to love the unfancy, repeated vacation, there was at least one I left out: the circular pleasure of watching your children enjoy the same things you loved as a child — especially the things that were particularly formative for you.
I had that experience this summer. (I have that experience every summer.) Though she got in lots of cousin and together time, June also snuck away, sometimes for hours at a time, to be alone. Usually her aloneness took the form of building fairy houses on the path leading down to the ocean: moss beds, bark roofs, and little acorn caps filled with blueberries. Mine more often took the form of writing poetry and lists about the upcoming school year on a particular rock on a particular path. Those quiet hours were part of turning me into the person I’d become, and I believe they’re doing the same for June. I’m grateful, and I have to think that someday, she will be, too.
For as much as things stay the same on a non-optimized vacation, there are always surprises in store. I’d love to share a few of the highlights and photos from this August in Maine, if you’d like to see!
Highlight No. 1: We got to travel up with our niece and nephew. Cousin Camp directly preceded our time in Maine, so the seven of us flew together from Raleigh to Boston and then made the drive up to the Midcoast from there. Though this might have been total chaos with a younger crew, it was smooth sailing with our 5-12 year olds and we all enjoyed working as a team. Jet Blue, with its individual seat-back screens and complimentary snacks, was a dream. Shep even got a special goodie box with treats, wings, and a note because we flew the day after his birthday!
(Don’t ask about the travel home — our flight was delayed for several hours, then canceled, leaving us to drive the 12 hours home from Boston unexpectedly. Yikes.)
Highlight No. 2: That sunset walk your first night on-island.
Highlight No. 3: I got to lead the evening church service one Sunday. I’ve done this a few times before; I consider it an honor and a privilege to speak to people I love about something that matters to me, even though preparing is somewhat stressful. Unsurprisingly, my message circled around technology :) (This newsletter was my jumping off point!) John and my sister played the piano to accompany the hymn singing, and June and Shep each played a prelude, so it was a real family affair.
Highlight No: 5: Adventuring and low-tech fun. Our cottage has about five analog phones from the 90’s in a drawer and Annie was obsessed. She operated a pet shop all week and each of us had hilarious conversations with her as we negotiated purchasing a cat, dog, horse, tiger, leopard, or seal to bring home.
Highlight No. 6: Enjoying each other’s company, whether we were working hard or playing hard — and even when we got caught on a barrier island in the rain, LOL.
Highlight No. 7: Enjoying a few new-to-me spots — hard to do when you’ve been vacationing somewhere your entire life! We boated to lunch at Linekin Bay and Cozy’s Dockside and both were delightful.
Highlight No. 8: Catching a real live lobster!! While searching for sea stars at low, low tide, Annie poked under a rock and found this guy. John was called over to pluck it from the water and though we did not bring it home to eat, we fed off the story for days and days.
Last month marked one year since we went under contract on our home. It also marked one year since we walked inside that future home for the first time — which, as you may recall, was after we went under contract. That day was an extraordinarily muggy one, with an oppressive gray sky. The seller peered at us grumpily from the neighbor’s porch as we pulled up; the selling agent hovered anxiously as we moved from room to room. I mostly felt flustered as I tried to keep three excited children from touching a stranger’s things, and then — yes, there it is — relieved as we got back in our car and drove away. Nothing was wrong with the house, really, but I just wanted to get back to our house.
Now here we are, a year later, and every time I pull up to this house I let out a happy sigh. It is our house in every way. It took a few months for me to get here — see here, here, here — and on this first anniversary it is good to look back and remember how wrong it felt then, and how right it feels now. I am SO incredibly grateful we took the leap and made the move — our life is better in almost every way for it. Praise God!
And one more fun little update: nothing says “we’re here for the long haul” like buying a piano :) We found this little used Kawai on Facebook Marketplace a few weeks ago and took her home. Now we can officially call this nook the piano room!
On my calendar: — A quick anniversary weekend at the coast! We started doing these mini yearly getaways with our tenth anniversary and they have been so sweet. Eternally grateful to my parents for facilitating things back at home for our 14th! — An afternoon at Fantasy Lake! This was the prize the kids chose for completing the Kindness Challenge; after a few months of working together, they got it done. — A baby shower for dear friends who are adopting.
What I’m loving right now: — My new flower CSA membership! Six weeks of fresh blooms to be picked up at the farmer’s market — heaven. — I think I’ve mentioned this before, but don’t sleep on flagging beloved, spendier brands on ThredUp. I snagged this zip-up sweatshirt in a soft green stripe for 70% off and it is my new favorite thing to wear. — John and I just finished watching Band of Brothers for the first time. Though some scenes are hard to watch, it’s filled me with renewed gratitude for the ordinary men who heroically defeated the Nazis in World War II. Just incredible.
As a reminder, you can find allll the things I’ve loved over the last few years neatly organized right here!
What you’re loving right now:
This is where I highlight a few items here that have been popular in the last month with fellow readers, based on my analytics. Here’s hoping this will help you find something you’ll love!
— Our final master bathroom accessory. Looks like a fancy rug, is actually a hardworking bath mat. — Our Halloween candy bowl. Are y’all looking ahead to the next big holiday, too? 👀 — Our board game of the summer that’s genuinely as enjoyable with two players as it is with four. — The best clickable markers. Happy back to school! — This smocked tank dress, my big purchase from the spring that’s still going strong. Even though I opted for a bolder pattern, it has seen SO much wear – the silhouette is just so easy to pull on and feels like the right choice for occasions both casual and fancy.
What I read in August: — Unbroken | Between this one and Band of Brothers I had a WWII month, and I’m not mad about it. This is another absolutely incredible true tale from Laura Hillenbrand, a master storyteller if ever there was one. Unbroken tells the story of Louis Zamperini, an Olympian turned airman in the Pacific theater. It is a story in three parts: Louis’s survival at sea for 40+ days, his resilience in the face of brutality after washing ashore and becoming a POW, and his path to redemption after arriving back home. I was so astounded by this story that I retold bits and pieces to my kids each day as I read, and they were fascinated, too. I’ll be checking out the young reader adaption for a future readaloud! — The Will of the Many | This was described to me as similar to Red Rising, and rightly so: it centers a young prodigy from the dregs of society who is taken in by a rogue organization, is transformed and launched into the highest echelons, and must compete in an academy setting while satisfying his benefactors and staying true to his own purposes. It is an absolute doorstop — 720 pages — and I don’t know that it quite earns its length. I enjoyed it, and will read the second one (if only to satisfy some cliffhangers), but I still think Red Rising is better. — The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, Volume 2 | As delightful as the first!
Revisiting my August goals: Edit June in June (I hate that this got bumped again! I really try to have the last one edited before we start filming for the next one!) Finalize new chore charts for the new school year Schedule and enjoy back-to-school shopping dates with all three kids Tend to this month’s clutter spot: the second-floor bookshelf Film Annie and Shep’s birthday videos
September goals: — Hang Annie’s curtains — Edit June in June (for real this time!) — Film Sheptember — Make apple cider scones for the first day of fall — Sort and tag for the consignment sale — Tend to this month’s clutter spot: the second-floor bookshelf — Listen to Hold Me Tight with John. I always try to read a marriage book in September, our anniversary month, and this year I thought it could be fun to listen to one together while on our nightly walks. Hold Me Tight is available on Spotify Premium, making it an easy win. — Send invitations for a pumpkins and soup party. Do y’all remember this?! It used to be an annual thing, but we haven’t held one since 2017. Almost a decade later, with a big backyard and older kids, we’re going to try to bring it back. — Prep our family Halloween costumes. Very excited about our theme. — Buy a protective router. — Design and order our 2019-2024 family photo album — Clean out screenshots once per day. You may recall I did this with great success a few years ago, but now, instead of taking a year, I’m doing the clean-out in one month: each day, I scan my phone for screenshots or things that need to be filed elsewhere for one day of each month. (So, on September 1st I looked at January 1st, February 1st, March 1st, etc.) It’s working well so far! — Strength train once per week. My saga continues. I have no words at this time, except to say that once per week is better than never per week :) — Meet with our contractor about a potential screened porch — possibly a 2028 project, but I want to start to get my arms around the scope and what’s possible.
Um, wow… after keeping things very reasonable in August, that is a LOT of goals for September, ha! Feeling ambitious now that kids are back in school, much?! I would love to hear something you’re excited to tackle this month, if you’d like to share. xo
When I list everything that took place in July, it’s almost hard to believe it all happened in the same 31-day period. But, for posterity and sheer incredulity, here goes: We road tripped to Michigan for a week. Annie celebrated her fifth birthday with a family dinner and a friend playground party. We hosted family. We prepped June for two weeks of sleepaway camp and dropped her off and picked her up (which takes an overnight stay on each end). We hosted a kindergarten ice cream social for our neighborhood. We celebrated John’s birthday. We finished the swim team season with two final meets and a banquet. We pulled off an Amazing Race-style birthday party for Shep. We hosted our niece and nephew for a week of Cousin Camp.
And that is just the major *events* — not to mention the out-of-the-ordinary projects I also worked on this month, like prepping my message for the Island Sunday service and packing for Maine.
On this side of the calendar, I don’t really have any big takeaways. Do I wish all of those things had been crammed into one month? Not really. Was I tired and overwhelmed at points? Yes. But they are all things we chose, and I never felt alone in the action: we were accompanied along the way by friends, family, and neighbors. So mostly, I’m feeling grateful — but also ready for a bit of a quieter August :)
On my calendar: — A week in Maine! My happiest place. — All the back-to-school things, including a special family dinner, a TTT, and shopping + conversation dates. — The first day of school! The last year of elementary for June and the first year for Annie, with Shep squeezed in the middle and starting second grade.
What I’m loving right now: — While the ubiquitous Lulu was my intro to belt bags, I eventually wanted an elevated version for less-sporty adventures. Copying one of my most stylish friends, Adelyn, made the decision easy: this leopard-print Rivedroite bag. I was delighted when one of my favorite international readers commented with approving surprise that I was sporting such a niche European brand :) — Longtime readers may remember a favorite serial audio story, On the Night Train, that my kids have now listened to several times over. We just discovered something similar — Welcome to Hope Springs — and listened to the first season on our drive to Michigan. Wanted to pass it along in case your family has a road trip in its future! — For your own listening pleasure, I’ll offer up another episode from Tim Mackie’s Exploring My Strange Bible podcast: A Future for My Work. As always, he gave me new ideas to chew on and a fresh perspective.
As a reminder, you can find allll the things I’ve loved over the last few years neatly organized right here!
What you’re loving right now:
This is where I highlight a few items here that have been popular in the last month with fellow readers, based on my analytics. Here’s hoping this will help you find something you’ll love!
— June’s lookalike Lake pajama set. So cute, soft, and a great price. — Our board game of the summer that’s genuinely as enjoyable with two players as it is with four. — The reasonably-priced taper candles I’ve ordered in so many colors for dinner party decor. — My giant sun hat, because we all know skincare won’t go too far without physical sun protection. — This smocked tank dress, my big purchase from the spring that’s still going strong. Even though I opted for a bolder pattern, it has seen SO much wear – the silhouette is just so easy to pull on and feels like the right choice for occasions both casual and fancy. The other versions, too! Red gingham and pale yellow
What I read in July: — Fellowship Point | From the description, this book was right up my alley: “A story of lifelong friendship between two very different women with shared histories, divisive loyalties, hidden sorrows, and eighty years of summers on a pristine point of land on the coast of Maine.” It was a bit of a doorstop, and while I don’t mind a lengthy book, I didn’t think this one earned its girth. I didn’t love either of the main characters and the writing wasn’t my cup of tea. — The Screwtape Letters | This was a re-read after many years; I was struck again how relevant Lewis’s writing remains 80 years later. If you haven’t read this one yet, you should — it’s short, engaging (the perspective — letters from a demon to his nephew, with advice for tempting humans away from God — keeps you on your toes), and both funny and serious. I’ve added it to the list of books I want our kids to read before they leave our home. — Teatime Discipleship | While I picked this up hoping it would have insight into discipling one’s own kids (and it does!), I left encouraged to engage people in all sorts of relationships. Sally’s writing is like a warm, grace-filled hug, and this book is no different.
Revisiting my July goals: Hang backyard string lights and Annie’s curtains (We hung the string lights in 96 degree heat but we got it done!! Curtains still pending.) Execute Annie and Shep’s birthday parties Edit June in June Tend to this month’s clutter spot: the attic Host the neighborhood kindergarten ice cream social Host and enjoy Cousin Camp Finish writing my Sunday service message Celebrate all of our July birthday folks well, both in our immediate and extended family
August goals: — Edit June in June — Finalize new chore charts for the new school year — Schedule and enjoy back-to-school shopping dates with all three kids — Tend to this month’s clutter spot: the second-floor bookshelf — Film Annie and Shep’s birthday videos
Let’s see… what does back to school look like for you this year? Do you have kids who’ve already started back, or are you the end of the month like us? Or are you just feeling that fresh-start season for yourself? I’d love to hear!
While sometimes it can seem a little silly to share family vacation photos year after year — in the same locations, with essentially the same activities, kids just aged up a bit — I was so encouraged by your comments on this month’s TCF free edition, In Praise of the Non-Optimized Vacation. Specifically, Brittany wrote: “As someone who has followed the blog for years and who is on the cusp of marriage and building a family, the way you’ve portrayed family vacations has always inspired me.” Well, Brittany (and other friends), how could I not share this year’s trip with that encouragement?
Here, then, are a few snaps from our time in Northern Michigan this July. A little bit of background for those who are new or hoping to plan a trip:
John’s extended family owns a house on a small lake near Beulah, MI. It’s not quite big enough to fit all 15 of our immediate-extended family (parents, siblings, nieces and nephews), so we rent a nearby house (or houses) to sleep and eat a few meals at and then spend our days with the rest of the family at the family house, which is lakefront. This year, we stayed in this rental and it was wonderful.
Our days are mostly spent on or next to the lake: reading, chatting, taking out kayaks or paddle boards, waterskiing and tubing, playing corn hole, digging in the sand of the small “beach,” wading out to the float for more chatting.
If we venture away from the lake, here are a few things we like to do:
— Hike the Sleeping Bear Dunes or drive Pierce Stocking to explore the scenic pull-offs — Glen Arbor: eat and shop at Cherry Republic, shop at M22 and Cottonseed Apparel — Frankfort: play pickle ball, browse the shops, jump off the jetty, play beach volleyball — Beulah/Honor: catch a movie at the Cherry Bowl drive-in theater, eat at The Cherry Hut, get ice cream at Riverside, tube down the Platte River, play at the river mouth where it meets Lake Michigan, eat at Five Shores Brewing, eat and drink on the lawn at St. Ambrose Cellars — Traverse City: go to a Traverse City Pit Spitters (summer league) baseball game, eat a farm-to-table dinner at Farm Club
And now, here are a few photos of us doing most of those things :)
I know this post is light on the details, so if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask! You can also check out my past posts about Michigan below:
