First, contrary to last week’s post, I realized that I do have a few photos from our first few days on-Island!
So, here’s some of our stuff on the ferry ride:
Here we are loading things into the truck (John is looking mighty intense):
Here my Dad and I are working on signs (Dad modeling his working shoes, grandma doing the heavy looking-on):
Feel more in the loop now? :)
On Sunday morning, Kim, Kate, and Cormac arrived. Yay! The gang was finally all together! The next few days were mostly just spent enjoying each others’ company — playing tennis, taking walks, eating on the deck, jumping off the dock, picking berries, playing cards, going out in the boats. Pretty much perfect. We did, however, tackle a few wedding-related tasks in between leisure activities.
On Sunday, we decided on the perfect spot for the ceremony:
Caption: Should we have the vows in this stunning waterfront location, or this one?
On Tuesday, we took the boat into town for Kate’s hair trial:
Cormac’s family also arrived on Tuesday, so we all had dinner together at our cottage:
On Wednesday, we assembled welcome bags for guests:
We included a map hand-drawn by my best friend, granola bars, water bottles, pretzels, salt water taffy, driving directions, and an itinerary for the weekend. Kim was our official bow-snipper.
Wednesday night we headed to Five Islands for lobster:
And returned in the early evening.
That’s all for today! Up next: we raise the tent, and hang lots of bunting!
All photos are personal, except for the two middle welcome bag photos, which were taken by Meredith and Jenna.
Are you ready for this? It’s been just over five months since my sister’s wedding, and I’m finally ready to share all of the delightful details with you. I hope you’re still interested! :) Since it was really a week-long affair for our two families, I’ll start at the beginning — the Friday before the Friday before the wedding, when J and I flew into Logan airport in Boston.
My parents picked us up that evening driving two very laden cars. I call Kate and Cormac’s wedding a semi-destination affair, because although none of us were local to Maine, we had a home base (our summer cottage) a short walk from the ceremony and reception locations. This was a HUGE convenience and really the only way we were able to pull off this very-DIY wedding. My parents live in Connecticut, and were able to make several trips to Maine over the course of the summer to deliver things like clay pots (a favor component), wooden cutlery packets, napkins, paper cups, punch bowls, strings of bunting, lemonade dispensers, reception centerpiece components, lawn games, etc.
Even with all of those pre-wedding week trips, however, we had quite a large load driving up to Maine that Friday. From my recollection, here’s the short list of what they had packed: their clothing and accessories for a week and a half, all of the soda and beer (the wine went in another trip!), de-constructed wooden signage, food to get the seven of us (my immediate family + John + Cormac) through the first few days on-island, tennis equipment, a croquet set, and I’m sure many things I can’t remember. On top of that, I brought a carry-on suitcase and two checked bags on our flight, stuffed with everything from cake stands to blue Ball jars to cake signage. And J brought at least one suitcase. Whew!
Since our flight arrived in the evening, we planned to spend the night at my uncle’s house in southern Maine. That way, we only had a two hour drive and no boat ride ahead of us!
The next morning (Saturday) we continued heading north. We made a quick stop in Freeport to pick up the whoopie pies for the welcome dinner from Wicked Whoopies — yum! When we arrived, our order of 100 mini classics was boxed and ready to go. The staff couldn’t have been nicer — they even opened the store a half hour early to accommodate our travel plans!
Whoopies wedged into one of the cars, we drove the last hour-long leg up to Boothbay Harbor, and finally rounded the familiar, glorious curve to the Island parking lot!
As I think I’ve mentioned before, there isn’t a bridge to the Island, and there is only one truck on the Island. This makes packing efficiently essential, as, in general, you carry or cart everything you bring on and off. There is a ferry (a refurbished lobster boat) that runs several times a day, and most Island families have their own boats.
We made sure to arrive in time for the 12:30 ferry, reminded the ferry driver we’d need an extra trip (we had alerted him a few weeks before!), and then proceeded to unload our stuff. You can see a little of that in the video here! I wish I had photos of all this, but due to a miscommunication between my co-recorder and I in clearing off the camera each night, the first few days of pictures are no more. Sniff sniff!
We got everything loaded on and over to the Island in one trip, and then began carrying everything up the ramp and loading it into the truck. Can you tell yet that this week involved a lot of lugging?
We then followed the truck up the hill to my grandmother’s cottage, where we’d be staying the week, and — you guessed it — unloaded everything off the truck.
We paused a few moments to take in the view — SO BEAUTIFUL! —
and then it was back to work. I became famous that week throughout the Island for my “wedding binder,” which was chock full of schedules and lists. That sounds a little intense (and it was!), but as counter intuitive as it seems, being ultra-organized absolutely helped us all relax. We knew what needed to be done, and we had a plan for getting it done. The rest of the time we could relax!
Anyway, the wedding binder told us that we had two tasks for the day: moving all of the beverages from my parents bedroom to a designated spot under the house, and constructing the wedding signage. I’m happy to say we accomplished both! A sneak peek:
You may recall that one of my informal “resolutions” for 2023 was chronicling our trips on EFM within a month of returning home. I’m happy to say that I stuck to it, including for the Articles Club retreat, our road trip to Serenbe and Watercolor, weekend trips to the Biltmore and Beaufort, our anniversary weekend in Charleston, and a long weekend in Boone. It’s a resolution I’m carrying into 2024, so expect more prompt travelogues coming your way in the months to come :)
But before we kick off 2024 travel, there’s one trip from 2023 I have yet to chronicle: Thanksgiving week in the Florida Keys with my extended family. I’d love to share a few photos and details, if you’d like to see!
Like last year’s trip to Watercolor, this Thanksgiving trip was in honor of a major wedding anniversary for one of our parents – in this case, my parents’ 40th (albeit two years delayed!). They graciously paid for most of the trip, and once we jointly decided on the Florida Keys as our destination, they handed over the reins to John to plan the details.
This was an honor and something he was happy to do (travel planning is one of his hobbies!), but it was also intimidating! Though my family travels a well-worn groove to Maine each year, we haven’t done much other group travel. Within our numbers we have different accommodation, budget, and activities preferences, and so it was nerve-wracking for John to feel he was making decisions for a varied group, for a destination we’d never been to, and for an expensive (!) and milestone trip like this.
But of course, he did an amazing job. My expectations for the trip as a whole were exceeded and I think it’s safe to say everyone had a great time.
Where We Stayed in the Florida Keys:
After researching the many (many!) towns that make up the Florida Keys, we settled on Marathon for our home base. We were looking for cottage-style accommodations (versus hotel rooms), which limited our options. We ultimately decided on two side-by-side beach houses at Tranquility Bay in Marathon and were very pleased with the decision.
The beach houses each had a full kitchen, a dining room table, a living room area, three bedrooms, three bathrooms, and upper and lower porches. The upper porches had expansive views of the ocean and the lower porches had wide steps down to a grassy lawn that led to the beach and pool.
Getting to the Florida Keys:
Since we were joining up from various points in the country, getting to the Florida Keys was an adventure in itself. We opted to meet up in Fort Lauderdale on the Sunday before Thanksgiving before caravanning down to Marathon the next day. My sister and her family drove from Charlotte, and the rest of us flew into FLL from our respective home airports: Nashville, Raleigh, and Hartford.
We rented an SUV at the airport and got everyone to the Pelican Grand Beach Resort in Fort Lauderdale, where we were staying the night. We had plenty of time to eat lunch by the pool, wade in the waves on the wide beach, and have an outdoor dinner that night along the canal at Casa Sensei.
We chose the Pelican Grand because it had suites, which is always helpful for traveling with kids, and because it was right on the ocean with a pool and lazy river. We ate breakfast the next morning in their restaurant, which was convenient and yummy, but, you know, expensive :)
After breakfast we packed up and drove about an hour to Gator Park in the Florida Everglades – another National Park to check off our list!
We bought tickets (no reservations required) for an airboat tour of the Everglades and it was… perfect. And perfectly hilarious. Our boat captain was straight out of central casting – everything you could hope for in a gator guide. He had a deep, gravely voice, skin browned from years in the sun, and personal names for all the gators. He expertly guided us through the reedy channels and opened the throttle as we skimmed over the marsh grasses. We saw LOTS of gators, many swimming right next to the boat. Annie slept through the whole thing :)
Things to Do in the Florida Keys:
After the gator tour and a quick lunch, we drove the remaining 2.5 hours south to Marathon for our next four days in the Keys. We worked hard to create an itinerary that reflected everyone’s interests, and it paid off – we pretty much stuck to it!
After checking in on Monday around 5pm, we headed to dinner on-site at the Butterfly Cafe, Tranquility Bay’s nicer restaurant. We ate outside on the porch at a verrrrry long table, and it was delightful.
The next day (Tuesday) we spent the morning moving between the pool and the beach, where there was cornhole, a giant chessboard, and a volleyball net. We ate lunch on the beach, too, at TJ’s, the resort’s other (more casual) on-property restaurant.
This was a very relaxed day — Annie napped at the house in the afternoon, and the rest of us read, played games, visited the beach, chatted, and swam in the pool. Kim, John, and I even made it to Tranquility Bay’s gym, which was actually really fun to do together :)
For dinner we headed to Burdine’s Waterfront, a casual bar and grill at a marina where we had hush puppies, cheeseburgers, shrimp burgers, key lime pie, and delicious fries — and a gorgeous sunset! We finished the evening with a round of mini golf and games back at the house.
The next day (Wednesday) was our day trip to Key West! I was a little unsure of what to expect because, you know, Key West is known for being kooky, but it was a great day. We started by touring the West Martello Gardens and Fort. The botanical garden is on the site of a former Civil War fort; admission is free and it’s beautiful.
We then drove a short distance to the Truman Waterfront Park, home to the US Coast Guard cutter Ingham, now a floating maritime museum.
As many of you know, my Dad was an officer in the Coast Guard for most of my life, and even served on the Ingham briefly during the Mariel boatlift. It was incredibly cool and meaningful to get to tour it with my kids and to share this important part of our family’s life, and I can only imagine how special it was for my Dad to get to do it with all his grandkids.
After about an hour and a half on the ship, we walked over to Kaya Island Eats for a late lunch. Fish tacos under a shade canopy hit the spot.
While we considered taking a photo with the famous Southernmost Point Buoy, the line was insane – so we hopped back in the car for the hourlong drive back to Marathon, which all of the kids took as an opportunity to nap. Once home, some of us went in the pool and we made tacos for dinner at the house.
The next day was Thursday – Thanksgiving! And what an unusual Thanksgiving it was :) We watched a bit of the parade in the morning, then set off for a kayak adventure through the mangroves of Boot Key (we booked our rentals through Key Kayak).
It was incredible! We saw dolphins, leaping manta rays, and manatees so close we could touch them (!!!) while on our two-hour tour. (For those wondering, I had Annie and June in one tandem kayak and John and Shep were in the other, while the rest of the fam took either tandems or singles.)
We headed back to the house to rinse off or hop in the pool while some of the grown-ups got Thanksgiving dinner ready. We had opted to order a meal from Publix catering, and while we were all pleasantly surprised at the quality and tastiness, it was more challenging than we expected to get everything warm and on the table at once. (Little things like not having tin foil tripped us up!) But we did it, and we were more than thankful to get to celebrate together :)
We closed out the day by catching the sunset from Seven-Mile Bridge, a Florida Keys classic if there ever was one, and with a performance by the kids of their original song about my parents – set to the tune of “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” by the Beach Boys, which was their wedding song. John’s credited on the liner notes as a co-lyricist :)
On our last full day in the Keys we had yet another very special adventure: a dolphin encounter at the Dolphin Research Center! Needless to say, the kids were incredibly excited about this and I don’t blame them: this was something I desperately wanted to do when I was their age. (As an aside, granting my kids a wish that went unfulfilled in my child is an interesting experience: there’s joy and delight in doing it, yes, but it can also bring up worries about “spoiling” them or whether they’ll truly appreciate what they’re being given. But I DIGRESS.)
For both our kids and the kids inside us, this was a delightful excursion. We got to get in the water with the dolphins, touch them, lead them in skills, hold hoops for them to swim to, watch them leap out of the water, and learn more about the center and the research and rehabilitation they do. Very, very cool. We had lunch at Island Fish Co (good, but not my favorite), then headed back to Tranquility Bay for naps and more dips in the pool. Our last meal was a spaghetti dinner in the cottage – easy!
We packed up on Saturday morning and went our separate ways – some flying and some driving.
Though I wouldn’t want to spend Thanksgiving in the Keys, or even at a destination, every year, it was a fun adventure to do it this year. We squeezed in many memorable moments in celebration of a very wonderful anniversary, and I’m grateful we could be together. (And grateful to my parents for making it happen, in more ways than one!)
If you have any questions, I’m happy to answer them in the comments! Thanks for letting me share, friends!
My 2023 reading list, the fourth iteration of this experiment, was a smashing success.
I finished 20 of the 24, chose to DNF two others, and have purchased one of the remaining two to read as soon as it works its way to the top of my book stack. This made it (by far) the list I came closest to completing perfectly, and I think it was because I was ruthless in weeding out books I felt I was supposed to read, and instead made sure every book was one I couldn’t wait to read.
I’ve gone over and over my 2024 list – adding and subtracting titles for weeks – in order to assemble an equally-enticing plan for the year ahead. I think I’d done it, and would love to have you join me in reading anything below that strikes your fancy!
(If you’re new, this is the very lowest-key of book clubs: I consider it a delightful exercise in thoughtfully planning my reading a year at a time (12 fiction, 12 non-fiction), and though I’m often at the whim of my library holds, it’s helpful to always know where to turn when I’m ready for a new book!)
Without further ado…
Affiliate links are used in this post!
January: The Armor of Light | This newest installment of the beloved Kingsbridge series came up in my library holds at the end of the year, so it was an easy first pick for this list! If you love sweeping epics and memorable characters that you can luxuriate in (Armor of Light is 700+ pages), this series is for you. The Great Dechurching | John and I are leading a book study on this at church starting this month. It’s a thoughtful look at why we’ve seen the biggest historical shift in church attendance ever over the last 40 years – and what can be done to bring people back with love and care.
February: To Say Nothing of the Dog | I’ll be reading this along with the Everyday Reading book club. “Ned is a professional time traveler but he’s so overworked that his boss finally sends him to the Victorian era to hide out and get some much needed rest. Naturally, very little resting goes on and instead time travel goes wild.” How to Know a Person | I admire and am grateful for David Brooks and have read several of his books. This is his newest one, “a practical, heartfelt guide to the art of truly knowing another person in order to foster deeper connections at home, at work, and throughout our lives.”
March: Go As a River | When Stephanie tells me a book is her favorite from the year, it goes on my list. The Reason for God | I knew I wanted to put one of Tim Keller’s books on my list in light of his passing last year. This is arguably his most well-known, and one I haven’t yet read.
April: Flying Solo | I enjoyed Linda Holmes’ first novel – a charming and spunky love story set in my beloved Maine – when I read it a few years, and her second sounds similar. The Anxious Generation | We have pre-ordered three copies of this book – partly as a miscommunication between John and me, but mostly because we know it will be prescient and important and we’ll want to loan it out to anyone who will read it. If you appreciate all the work Jon Haidt does in the realms of adolescent mental health, political polarization, freedom of speech and inquiry, play-based childhoods and more, you’ll want to put this one on your list, too.
May: The Mystery Guest | This is a follow-up to The Maid, one of my favorite books from 2023! Die With Zero | This book, another one of Janssen’s picks, sounds tailor-made for me: “Die with Zero presents a … guide on how to get the most out of your money—and out of your life. It’s intended for those who place lifelong memorable experiences far ahead of simply making and accumulating money for one’s so-called ‘golden years.'”
June: Killers of a Certain Age| My friend Pressley recommended this to me based on my love for The Maid! Everything Sad Is Untrue | And this middle grade/YA book was one of my friend Bethany’s favorites from last year. It’s good to have reader friends :)
July: Tom Lake | Ann Patchett’s newest novel is set in Northern Michigan, which makes it the perfect pick for July, when we’ll be visiting family and our beloved cottage there. My friend group has given this one mixed reviews, but I loved The Dutch House and so am willing to give it a go! All Thirteen | A YA non-fiction account of the rescue of the Thai boys’ soccer team from a few years ago, this another pick from the Everyday Reading book club. I may read it aloud to June and Shep!
August: Tress of the Emerald Sea | Brandon Sanderson is a fascinating and prolific figure in publishing, but I’ve never read any of his work. This book, which was written and published as part of the #1 Kickstarter campaign of all time, is described as a “rollicking, riveting tale―a standalone adventure perfect for fans of The Princess Bride.” Yes, please. The Boys in the Boat | This true story of nine Americans and their “epic quest for gold” at the 1936 Berlin Olympics will coincide perfectly with the 2024 Paris Olympics! And then I can watch the movie, which I hear is excellent.
September: Rebecca | We did a “favorite things” exchange for Christmas at work, and I received a copy of this novel. The giver said it was her all-time favorite classic, and on a team of writers, that’s high praise! When Breath Becomes Air | This book, which came out in 2016, has been on my radar since before it was published. Still, it never made it onto my bedside table, because I didn’t think I’d be able to get through it (The Year of Magical Thinking nearly did me in). It’s time. I’m sure I will cry buckets of tears but will also come out on the other side in awe anew of life and love.
October: Her Fearful Symmetry | Erin Napier says this oldish novel (2009) is one of her very favorites. It’s by the author of The Time Traveler’s Wife, which I loved, and set near a cemetery – the potential for slightly-spooky vibes seemed perfect for Halloween month. Empire of Pain | I debated whether to put Demon Copperhead on this list, which is a hefty and polarizing read in my circle of friends, but ultimately chose this adjacent non-fiction account of the Sackler family, who made and marketed the painkiller that was the catalyst for the opioid crisis. (I’m sorry, Kelly!)
November: Delicious! | I’ve read and loved all of food critic and magazine editor Ruth Reichl’s memoirs, and have heard this novel by her is equally as good! Raising Passionate Jesus Followers | This book is written by John Mark Comer’s parents. While there are a lot of books about raising children in the Christian faith, this is a unique opportunity to hear from the parents of someone who has impacted my faith.
December: Little Women | Readers were shocked when I admitted to never reading this classic; one of you chimed in that the week between Christmas and New Year’s is the perfect time to read it. I’m going for it! (Never seen any of the movies, either!) The Power of Moments | A final pick with the Everyday Reading book club, though this one has been recommended by several other sources, too. It explores why “certain brief experiences can jolt us and elevate us and change us—and how we can learn to create such extraordinary moments in our life and work.”
Honorable mentions I’m hoping to squeeze in, as well:The Measure; Don’t Think, Dear; Belgravia; The Paris Agent; Confronting Christianity; There Are No Grown-Ups; Nora Goes Off Script, and Happier Hour.
I’d love to hear: Have you read any of these books? Would you like to read any alongside me in 2024? Let’s chat!
