My love for both my family’s summer cottages in Maine and the book The Tech-Wise Family are by now well-documented, but it wasn’t until our most recent visit that I figured out the connection between the two. While in my everyday life, it can feel like a fight to implement the author’s Ten Tech-Wise Commandments*, in Maine, they are a natural way of life. That’s why our time there feels like such a breath of fresh air, and it’s just one of the many reasons why I’m so grateful for this beautiful place! Here are a few photos from our time up North this year, if you’d like to see!

We made our first visit to the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, and they were AMAZING! We hardly scratched the surface of what they have available for kiddos after several hours. Highly recommended!!

Another highlight was a beach day on the Island with my grandma (June’s great grandma!). Such a treat to spend time with her!!

Ahhhh… the best view in the world. Until next year, friends!

*In case you’re wondering what the commandments are, here you are the ones most relevant for our time in Maine:
1. We develop wisdom and courage together as a family.
2. We want to create more than we consume, so we fill the center of our home with things that reward skill and active engagement.
3. We are designed for a rhythm of work and rest, so one hour a day, one day a week, and one week a year, we turn off our devices and worship, feast, play, and rest together.
4. We wake up before our devices do, and they “go to bed” before we do.
5. We aim for “no screens before double digits” at school and at home.
6. We use screens for a purpose, and we use them together, rather than using them aimlessly and alone.
9. We learn to sing together, rather than letting recorded and amplified music take over our lives and our worship.
10. We show up in person for the big events of life. We learn how to be human by being fully present at our moments of greatest vulnerability.

Mother’s Day weekend 2018 was spent camping in the wilds of North Carolina – and I wouldn’t have had it any other way!

You’re probably familiar with the concept of behavioral “nudges” – I’ve talked about them before. From The Tech-Wise Family: “Nudges are small changes in the environments around us that make it easier for us to make the choices we want to make… Nudges don’t generally make us do anything, but they make certain choices easier and more likely. They don’t focus so much on changing anything about our own preferences and ability to choose well; they simply put the best choice right in front of us and make the wrong choice harder.”

We camp because it is one BIG nudge moving us to toward some of the things we care most deeply about: spending time with friends, disconnecting from technology, engaging in good conversation, moving our bodies, and soaking our kids (and ourselves!) in nature. No weekend of pampering could have been better! Plus, John brought sparkling cider and plastic champagne coupes to toast the mamas, so we really couldn’t have asked for more :)

Our sixth annual camping trip with the Rays was full of all of these things and more. Here are a few photos, if you’d like to take a peek!

This year, we chose South Mountain State Park as our destination. It was voted the 2017 State Park of the Year in North Carolina, and I can see why! The campsites (there are only a handful) are heavily-wooded and perched next to a gorgeous mountain river which provided the loveliest background murmur. We did find the sites a little smaller than we are used to, but the pristine bathroom facilities made up for that! :)

We reserved two side-by-side sites, and Milly and June greatly enjoyed running back and forth between them on the little path cut through the trees :)

We often explore beyond the park on these trips for a hike or meal, but Connelly is pretty remote and so this time we stayed put — which was not at all a hardship, because one of the highlights of South Mountain is the hiking trails!

Our big hike Saturday morning was to High Shoals Falls (the River Trail to the Hemlock Nature Trail to the High Shoals Falls Loop Trail, turning around at the falls, for anyone who’s looking to recreate!). It was SO beautifully done, with platforms and bridges cutting right through the cascading waterfall!

We also logged some quality time in the river back at our campsite, where the main entertainment was getting the daddies to fetch rocks from the river bottom for Milly and June to throw into the river. (My job was to make sure the girls didn’t fall in headfirst while doing so.)

I’ve shared some of my best camping tips before, but I know the idea of camping with toddlers and babies (or even just camping at all!) can still seem intimidating. I will readily admit that it requires a certain amount of gear and preparation to be a smooth and enjoyable experience, but I feel equally passionately that it is worth every minute and every dollar. What a gift for our two families to look back on all of these experiences together, knowing we made time for the things that matter most to us!

Now just imagine two more kiddos in the picture next year… it will be a whole new level of adventure :)

P.S. We’ve already decided that our fifteenth annual trip will be a joint family vacation to Yosemite – any ideas for our tenth adventure a little closer to home? We’ve only got four years to plan, ha!

P.P.S. Nancy’s take on our trip – she took the best of these photos, too!

2013 trip (no babies!)
2015 trip (no babies, Nancy pregnant!)
2016 trip (two babies!)
2017 trip (two babies, Nancy pregnant!)
2018 trip (three babies, both pregnant – ha!)

Because it’s the summer I grew up with, a Connecticut summer will always seem like the most classic version: green everything, water everywhere, lobster shacks, ice cream cones, country roads… I know June will probably feel differently, and that’s okay! But I hope she also loves her New England visits, and if this year’s week in Connecticut was any indication, we’re off to a good start :) Here are a few highlights from our week at home in June, if you’d like to see!

We kicked off the week with the wedding of a dear high school friend, the impetus for this trip in the first place! John was a groomsman, June was the only child in attendance and had a blast chasing the spotlights on the dance floor, and the weather was perfection. Plus, the wedding was at the Branford House, where Natalie and Joe got married, so that was extra fun!

Every single one of our high school friends was reunited from across the country for the occasion, which was indescribably sweet! And there’s my Junebug, cheesing it up at 10pm just before we left for the night :)

We generally had impeccable weather, which lent itself to several beach days (at Esker Point and Eastern Point, for locals who are wondering!).

One extra-fun quirk in the timing of our trip was that we were home for my childhood church’s strawberry supper, which happens once a year. It cracked me up to get the mini-celebrity treatment (my church is very small and the older ladies were excited to meet June for the first time!), and June clearly enjoyed the signature dessert.

We of course spent lots of time in Mystic — going to the aquarium (baby belugas!), Treehouse for dinner, Red36 for lunch, eating ice cream by the drawbridge, and checking on our house :) We also made a celebratory trip to Sift the day after the owner won Best Baker in America, and all of June’s dreams came true when she was handed a pink and purple macaron with sprinkles!

We made our usual trip to Abbott’s, home of our rehearsal dinner and gigantic fish under the dock you can feed with oyster crackers.

We brought a Mystic Market picnic back to the Branford House, where we had the most beautiful backdrop for an afternoon of kite flying.

We had breakfast at Noah’s (a must-do!) and wandered the streets of Stonington Borough, heaven for this home lover (and her flower-loving child).

And of course, the best part is that we spent plenty of time just hanging around John’s parents’ house, enjoying our family… nothing better.

More to come from our week in Maine soon!

P.S. Our last weeklong summer trip to Connecticut (baby June!!)

Hello, friends! It always takes me longer than I think it will to get back into the swing of things after a weekend away, especially because so many of our weekly routines — grocery shopping, vacuuming, laundry — happen on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. But here I am, and I thought it would be fun to tell you about our adventure in North Georgia!

I am not sure how useful of a post this is, because unlike some of our other destinations, I don’t know how likely it is that any of you will ever travel here, ha! Were it not for a dear friend’s wedding, I’m pretty sure we wouldn’t have. If I happen to have any Atlanta readers, though, pay attention: this would make for a fun weekend getaway!

Our destination was about five and a half hours away from our home, and thanks to a serendipitous Google reroute due to traffic, we were able to have dinner at White Duck Taco in Asheville (!!!). I’m sure you remember that White Duck is one of our absolute favorite spots anywhere, so this was a major unexpected bonus. We also stretched our legs on the greenway behind White Duck and New Belgium Brewery in gorgeous 75 degree weather, so it was a great rest stop all around.

Thursday and Friday night we stayed at an Airbnb in Tallulah Falls, a short drive away from the wedding venue. To say we fell in love with it is a serious understatement — it was probably the highlight of our trip!

The listing lays it all out, but it was the most serene, peaceful spot you could imagine, meticulously maintained with a rustic vibe. It was set directly adjacent to an emerald green lake — the deck literally extended over the water — and the nearest neighbor was half a mile away in any direction.

June said her favorite part was watching the ducks, John couldn’t get over the lake views from every window including the shower, I loved reading on the porch swing, and we all loved eating breakfast on the deck every morning. Highly, highly, highly recommended, even if you have no other reason to be in this area!

On Friday morning we hiked Tallulah Gorge, including 600+ steps down to cross a suspension bridge.

We packed subs for a picnic lunch post-ascent, and turkey, cheese, and Gatorade have never tasted so good. The rest of our day was spent relaxing, rehearsing (I was the day-of coordinator), and attending the rehearsal dinner.

Despite a minor hiccup on Saturday morning (when we locked ourselves out of the Airbnb clad in pajamas with no phones and no car keys) the day quickly got back on track thanks to our kind host. We had a quick lunch in nearby Clayton at Fortify Pi, but there were seemingly lots of yummy places to choose from. I was dying to pop into Wander North Georgia for a browsing session, but we just didn’t have time.

Once at the venue, Glen-Ella Springs, June had the BEST time helping EVERYONE prepare for the ceremony and reception — racing back and forth from the florist prepping the arbor to the waitstaff setting out flatware — and I got the pleasure of working with my friend Davy to move the timeline along and make sure every i was dotted and t was crossed. We were all worried about rain, but ended up with lots of sun and perfect temps – such a blessing! After a glow stick jam session on the dance floor and sparkler exit, we put June to bed and got to sit around outside chatting with friends for an hour or so before turning in ourselves.

Glen-Ella itself was a delight, from the comfy beds to the delicious included breakfast and the nicest innkeepers. Our friends actually chose it as their venue after spending a winter weekend getaway there, and I can see why – I’d love to go back to have dinner by the cozy fireplace in the dining room!

Though we were only gone three nights, this extended weekend trip truly felt like a week away. I think it was probably a combination of the peaceful location and the fact that everything was new to us — a good reminder to these loyalists to inject novelty in travel wherever possible :)

Now we’re looking forward to a fun weekend at home, possibly including a visit to the Museum of Life & Science, strawberry picking, and the Azalea Gardens! Spring weather is here!!