REPLY
Our summer vacations this year were absolutely nothing that we thought. Due to the 14-day quarantine requirements we decided to stay close to home and explore more of New England. Specifically Maine. We spent a few days in Nantucket in July and this month headed to the outskirts of Maine. There is so much to do in this part of the world and as much as I wanted to visit my mom and niece in Texas and sister in Florida those states are swarming with corona and with school starting soon didn't want to have us cooped up in the house for another quarantine. Going to Maine was the perfect getaway for us. The outdoors is something that we love and being that Jon is an eagle scout was excited to have gone to the LL Bean wilderness camp with Noah. It was really a cool camp and wish the boys would have stayed here forever. Chelsea was jealous and wishes that girls camp was held here. Or that we just lived here period! That could possibly be arranged but we drove everywhere from Portland to York to Freeport where the famous LL Bean boot resides. We shopped till we dropped, ate lobster rolls, and lots of ice cream and with an abundance of caution distanced ourselves from others. It was a nice little get away. Because I captured so many moments you can view many images on my Instagram. Here are a few photos from our trip....
Going to the beach twice last week was a blast but I gotta tell you that Saturdays are not the best time to go. Especially in the middle of a pandemic. Although the beach was pretty crowded we were lucky to have found ourselves a spot within a distance and managed to be in our little bubble.
Chelsea's long time friend Amiyah has been staying with us for a few days and hadn't gone to the beach all summer! I can tell she was longing to go and so we braved the crowds on the busiest and sunniest day of the week and brought her. We probably broke all kinds of rules when it comes to socializing but luckily for us we stay to ourselves when we've ventured out and Amiyah and her family haven't really gone anywhere in months so I think we're good. But both she and Chelsea needed girl time and it was nice for Noah to have someone to play with other than his sister! We all had so much fun on this day and hope to squeeze in another beach day before school starts but for now here are a few photos from the beach!
Since school trips were canceled this year due to Covid we decided to do our own "homeschooling" trips so a couple of weeks ago we decided to take a day trip to Washington D.C. to see the sights. We have been bringing the kids here since we moved to the east and yet these pieces of history never get old. We love coming here to refresh our minds of what our forefathers have done for us as well as remembering all the troops from long ago who died fighting for our freedom. It's nice to continue to bring the kids here no matter how old and "bored" they get. We have come here in the past to see the Martin Luther King memorial and many other sights. There is so much to do and see here. It's good to continue to bring the kids here so that they can appreciate this place. The national zoo is another place we love going too and the fact that it's free is a bonus! In case you plan on going you have to reserve tickets in advance. We truly are fortunate to live three hours away from the nations capitol. Hope we can continue to make more day trips here!
Now for a few photos...
The beaches in the summer of 2020.
As summer began the beaches became more and more crowded which means we didn't go as much this year. A tad bit sad, but as much as we would love to go to the beach two to three times a week we just didn't do it this summer. We are however gracious enough to have been able to have gone a couple of times, and when we did the kids always have a blast. We did go twice to two different beaches this past week and it was awesome. Although I posted a few pics and a little vid of the sound of the ocean I also wanted to write a little bit about it. We usually go to Bel Mar beach but Long Beach Island is another fun beach to go to. We went to Long beach Island on a weekday which means not too many people so it was nice. I captured some moments of the kids and Chelsea wanted to take some photos of me. She said that I'm hardly in any of the photos and so this time she wanted me to get a taste of what it feels like to have your picture taken! LOL!
She reminded her of her younger sister Chelsea which is why they got along so well. Yeah, like literal sisters. They each had their own different views but somehow got along. They leaned and learned a lot from each other even when times got hard because isn't that how people...particularly church missionaries spiritually grow? Together. Discussing about who their teaching and sharing the gospel to. Creating. Finding ways to reach out to others in a pandemic especially when they are still quarantined in Arizona. But life goes on, and transfers come. Missionary companions will come and go. Investigators who are interested in the church will also come and go, or stay. And then a new missionary arrives and it starts all over again. Growing and learning something new from each missionary. And perhaps even investigators. Being teachable to every one they meet. Lexie continues to love her mission in spite of change. She knows this is what it's all about and how she sees change as a blessing.
Hermana Cook seemed kind and I for one was glad to have met her via Facebook when I would talk to Lexie. She even wrote me a letter! She was a pretty good first companion but her time has come to transfer and for Lexie to have a new sister! Farewell Hermana Cook!
More photos below:
Another simple summer moment was going for a walk inside the Deep Cut Gardens pretending we were in a scene from Edward Scissorhands. I recorded a little vid of it here. This is our second time coming here and it truly is breathtaking. It's a perfect garden and there is so much to explore outside the garden. There are small trails and on this clear evening Noah even managed to chase fireflies. We came late in the evening which made it perfect with social distancing and less crowds. We practically had the whole place to ourselves. Loved every minute of this evening with my small crew. I also feel that the blurriest photos have the best moments...don't ya think?
This summer by far has been a pretty rough one. Sure I've posted many pictures on my Instagram about our adventures and how much fun we've had during the pandemic but there are days when I've been downright down. And the days when we venture outside are by far the happiest. Doing things with my family outdoors has been the best. Especially on the weekends when Jon is off from work. His job hasn't been the easiest and he has been dead tired most days working soooooooo many hours including Saturdays so this past week when he had some time off we took it easy for the first few days and chilled close to home. This man's feet have been seriously overworked to the point where he got gout, but nonetheless those magic little pills that the doctor prescribed did the trick and managed to go outside and play a little frisbee with his offspring. This was a simple moment in the history of 2020. Being in our own town. Our neighboring park. Being old school with a frisbee and family. And this is what makes those simple moments of summer meaningful and memorable.
When Chelsea asked if she can somehow reenact Taylors Swifts aesthetic photos from her new album "Folklore" and mock them somehow I obliged. I know that the past six months has been hard on Chelsea with not seeing any of her friends and finishing the school year via online. We all have our own ways of finding solace and relieving stress throughout this pandemic and for Chelsea, listening to Taylor Swift puts her at ease. She has been a huge fan of hers since she was seven and has been listening to her newest album non stop since she released it and it has been a life saver for her. Every story behind each song is beautifully written and it's so nice to know that being isolated doesn't have to be a negative thing for it truly can bring inspiration to some. It sure did for Taylor when she wrote the songs to this album. It was so fun doing this little photo shoot with Chelsea. She only pricked herself a few times on a thorn bush but nonetheless she was happy being around nature and on this day she truly was a different child. Calm, joyful. Wild, but so innocent. Free. My daughter, frolicking, wry, and shimmering in every way. Thank you Ms. Swift, for uplifting my baby girl with your raw music!
Missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ not only share the gospel online or in person. They also make time to physically serve others and in these days it’s sooooo needed. Serving others in these days has helped me cope throughout the pandemic. Not only is it therapeutic, but I find that when I serve others I tend to focus on them instead of myself. It is so true that when you are in the service of your fellow beings, you are only in the service of your God. And one can truly find joy when they serve and help others.
**Pictured is my cute daughter and her companion Hermana Cook who are currently serving in The Arizona Tempe mission.
