A case for two types of vacations

I recently returned from a vacation to Maine with most of my family. Getting 11 people, ages 4 to 60 with varying levels of adventurousness and budget constraints, to agree on the same itinerary is nigh unto impossible, so we didn't attempt it.

Instead, everyone kind of did what they wanted to do, switching groups (or breaking off alone) as necessary. Two main vacation strategies emerged from this shuffle, resulting in two very different trips that took place at the same time, same place.

Vacation type 1: Rest and relaxation

We've all fantasized about perfect getaways when life wears us out. And I think for a lot of us, that getaway involves a whole lot of peace and quiet. Preferably somewhere pretty with reasonable temperatures.

For me, that "someplace pretty" looks a lot like this: tucked away from the world and surrounded by trees.

For those of us with R&R at the top of our vacation wishlists, Maine delivered. 

Imagine waking up to this view just outside your bedroom window every day. It's a lot better than looking at the back of your neighbor's house, that's for sure.

All I need for some good R&R is a cozy reading spot. This house had several. (A word to the wise: if you ever decide to Airbnb your house, a library is always a good idea.)

For those wondering, I read four books on this trip. Started and finished two and read about half of two others, totaling to about 1,100 pages. Complete and total book nerd wish fulfillment right there.

The hammock was also a popular reading spot, but it was hard to get a turn on it unless your name was Shannan.

Of course, relaxation doesn't have to take place indoors. One of the great things about Maine is that you don't have to choose between a mountain or beach for your relaxation. You get the best of both worlds in the same spot.

Your R&R will come to a painful end if you try to get in the freezing water though. But if the sound of the rushing waves is your jam, you can get that here.

I never really got used to being able to see the ocean from the mountains. It was a difficult concept for my desert brain to compute.

My number one priority in Maine, however, was to eat well. Because even the well rested needs to refuel. The food lived up to the hype and forever ruined me for normal food. Everything I've eaten since then has been disappointing.

It's okay to slow down for vacation and just rest. Sometimes that's what we need most from our hard-earned vacation days: a chance to heal.

Vacation type 2: Adventuring

If taking it easy sounds like a waste of your time off, might I offer another suggestion: adventures from sun-up till sun-down. After all, if you're going to visit a new place, you might as well explore every inch that you can and do stuff you wouldn't be able to do at home.

While I'm more the type to find great joy from staying home, I'm up for the occasional adventure. So I joined the Searles (aka, the adventure crew) for one of their hikes. Which basically amounted to rock climbing. Something I, a scaredy cat about heights, have never enjoyed.

I told myself that if my 8-year-old nephew could do it, then I could. Even though, let's be honest, my nephews are way braver than I am. But that mantra helped me hold on to some of my dignity while I was clinging to the hand rails.

I'm still a little mystified that I not only got through the hike, I enjoyed. Like, it was a highlight of the trip for me. Maybe it was because it wasn't a very tall mountain. Maybe it was because I always had something to hang on to. Maybe I was just too focused on climbing over boulders to ever look down and think about falling. 

The only regret from this trip is that we were there a few weeks too early for New England's famous fall leaves. But we saw more colors from this elevation than we did anywhere else.

Of course, any time we got to a spot that allowed us to spread out and take a break, I stayed as far away from the edge as possible. You don't have to stand at the edge of a cliff to enjoy a view, after all.

The Searles might disagree with that statement, but I stand by what I said. Where it's safe. Away from the edge.

I went on a couple hikes during girls camp that made me hate hiking, but after 20 years or so I've forgiven my young women leaders for their unintended lies about "easy" hikes and have been more open to the idea lately. After this hike, I was ready to go home and make it my new hobby.

Adventuring is about more than facing your fears, though. Sometimes all you need to do is explore. The Searles' exploration escapades led them to Thunder Hole, which is a hole in a rock that empties and fills up with water for all of eternity and makes a crash like thunder whenever a big wave comes in. It's mesmerizing to watch.

Hard to photograph properly, though.

This little spot had lots more boulders for my rock-climbing nephews to master, but by then my adventuring mood was waning with the sun, so I sat back to enjoy the view, ready to go back to my R&R sanctuary.

An attempt to compromise

There was one activity the relaxers, adventurers, and hermits all wanted to do: whale watching. But alas, it wasn't meant to be. Our first tour was canceled because the ocean was still too tumultuous from Hurricane Lee, and our second was canceled because the boat broke down. (While we were on it, might I add. But they turned around and took us back to the harbor before things could get interesting.)

Waiting for the boat to take off was thrilling.

The verdict

You've probably already picked a side regarding which type of vacation is best. But, as someone who did it both ways on this trip, I'm here to tell you that they're both great. And if you're looking for a place that appeals to lots of different personalities, I would give Bar Harbor, Maine 5 stars.

8 things to do on the beach besides read

The reading community loves to discuss beach reads: what counts as a beach read, the newest releases they're lugging to the beach, how many books they devoured on the beach. You would think it was the books that brought people to the beach, not its blue waters, white sand, and sunshine.

I had my books picked out for my Bahamas vacation weeks in advance. For me a good beach read is either a light, breezy novel (Liane Moriarty and Elin Hilderbrand come to mind) or nonfiction, preferably essays or a memoir. I had three books picked out, and they sat on my nightstand forever, taunting me with hopeful expectations.

I read those books while vacating my life, as planned, but not on the beach. Because paper is hard to preserve when you're surrounded by sand and water, and because when you spend the majority of your life in a desert, you take advantage of the novelties the beach has to offer and catch up on your reading later.

I did most of my reading from my private balcony on the cruise ship. It was glorious. (Although this book was a massive disappointment.)

The balcony is also a good place to practice your selfie skills, although it's so humid out there your camera lens will keep fogging up. Super annoying.

While reading is one of the best ways to have adventures, I found eight other ways to have fun on the islands.

Play in the water

I mean, duh. Especially if you're in a place like the Bahamas, it's too hot to do anything else, and the water is beautiful and warm and calm. Unless you're squeamish about fish swimming around your legs, there's literally no reason to stay out of the water.

Play in the sand

My family's not one for sandcastles; they usually end up being uninspired, lumpy blobs. It's much more fun to bury someone. Even as kids, it was usually Tiffany who ended up getting buried. (Sadly, I couldn't find the old picture to showcase alongside this one.)

Snorkel

Snorkeling masks are not designed for heads with hair attached. My hair got tangled in that thing more than once.

It's astonishing how much life and color is under the sea. True, the ocean is a sight to behold when you're above the water.

This multi-colored water is SO COOL.

But dip your face underwater and you literally feel like you've become an extra on the set of Finding Nemo. Provided you pick the right spot, fish are everywhere, of a variety of sizes and colors, and it's all the more astounding considering how good they are at avoiding you. If you were just treading water, you'd have no idea the activity taking place mere centimeters from your flailing limbs.

Speaking of Finding Nemo, sometimes sea turtles will pop above the water, but most of the ones we saw were swimming lazily along the ocean floor. What a way to live.

Hey, man.

"Do you have your exit buddy?"

Cruise in the boat

Noah told us many jokes during this vacation. One of my favorites:
What did one snowman say to the other?
Do you smell carrots?

When you're tired out from the playing and the snorkeling and the treading of water, it's actually quite relaxing to cruise around on the water for a while. Our driver showed us some of the many beautiful views of the Bahamian islands while providing complimentary hair-drying services.

5 minutes later...

I didn't even pack my flat iron for this trip. When it's this humid, you just let your hair go crazy.

Get sunburned

Guys, I tried not to get sunburned. I thought applying sunscreen three times in six hours would be enough. I thought putting chapstick on every chance I got would protect me from the horrible experience of sunburned lips.

But my skin was just not ready for the midday Bahamian sun. I still suffered the second worst sunburn of my life and came home with an entirely new skin color and really attractive blisters on my bottom lip.

Kayak

I'd never been kayaking before so I made my brother go with me. Turns out the hardest part of kayaking is syncing up with your fellow paddler, a challenge when both paddlers are used to being in charge.

"Follow my lead, I totally know what I'm doing!"

Water slide

Turns out some beaches have water slides! In fact, the water park at CocoCay has the tallest water slide in North America. I hopped right in line, hoping to come away with bragging rights, but only made it about halfway up the tower. At that point there was still an hour to wait, and I was already panicking about the height, so I abandoned my post and zoomed down the "drop" slide instead. (You stand on a platform and it makes you wait an eternity before dropping you into a tube. I only went because my dad, who is also afraid of heights, went, and I couldn't let him out-brave me. We all survived the experience.)

The drop slide is the yellow tube. There's another one on the other side so you can race. 

Jet ski

This was a major highlight of the trip for me. I was a little nervous at first, but once you get a feel for shooting across the ocean in your own little automobile, it's hard to keep the grin off your face. Zooming across that vast, beautiful ocean at the 37 mph max speed is an experience I'll never forget.

Lightning cut our kayak excursion short, but luckily it stayed away while Tyrel and I were jet skiing (still got rained on, though). It would have been truly tragic to cut that ride short, even with a refund as consolation.

The cherry on top of two days of beachy entertainment? No books were harmed in the experiencing of these activities. 

A summer of new experiences

August is just about over, and you know what that means: alternating panic and self-flagellation for wasting another summer.

Except, I'm not getting that feeling. Because I did things this summer. I was too busy living new experiences to be bothered too much by the things I love to gripe about during the summer (the heat, the sleep trouble, the having to go to work—you know the list).

Apartment renter to homeowner

This is the big one, guys—the biggest change I've made since I started working after college. And in almost all ways, it's been a positive one.

But moving from a one-bedroom apartment to a four-bedroom house brings some challenges. Like, finding the energy to vacuum all. that. carpet. And having three levels instead of one—I feel like I'm trekking up and down stairs constantly. And now that I have about 47 closets, it takes me much longer to find lost items (weeks longer, in some cases, because I routinely forget about certain closets). And I have three bathrooms to clean now, because one person definitely needs three bathrooms. Seriously, between the miles and miles of carpet and the infinite number of closets and doors, sometimes I miss that grungy little apartment for its sheer simplicity.

(There's also the commute. Before school started it was long but bearable, but now it adds an extra hour of hell to every work day and I can't talk about it without getting ENRAGED so let's move on.)

But everything else? Awesome. I love how soft and fluffy the carpet is, even if I resent its abundance. I LOVE having a kitchen that's big enough to move around in. No more balancing cookie sheets over the sink or having to move eight things every time I need to cut up some vegetables. I love having a few extra rooms so I don't have to keep all my stuff in my bedroom if I don't want to. I LOVE having a garage to park my car in; it's my favorite adulting thing ever. I love that everything is brand new so I don't have to worry about stuff breaking on me just yet. I love putting any investment into this new space of mine, whether it be cleaning/decorating or putting in a water softener. It's mine to do with what I wish, and there's a certain pride and joy that comes with that.

Another thing I love? I have a library. As if I needed another happy place in this house.

Never been outside the U.S. to world traveler

I finally did it—I traveled outside the U.S., to the exotic land of Canada. Still no stamp on my passport because apparently you have to travel in by plane to do that, but we took many pictures to mark the occasion.

I didn't expect Canada to feel any different from the U.S., but right away I noticed some things that made it feel "foreign." Like their use of the metric system—I'm a dumb American, so I couldn't tell you how much gas costs there in Americanese. You see French almost as much as you do English, and Canadians are super nice. And not in that fake way you get here all the time where we just act nice because we're supposed to, or smile sweetly while plotting ways to murder someone. It's a real, genuine, not-at-all annoying niceness, and I think we should all be like Canadians.

Also, Niagara Falls is incredible. The boat tour was my favorite part of the entire trip.

Singles ward to family ward

This was by far the hardest transition I made this summer, but it had to be done. I may still end up back in a singles ward once I officially hit "mid-singles" age, but for now it's been a nice break from the YSA wards I've outgrown, and it's been a great way to help me get to know my neighbors and actually become a part of the community I live in. Plus, I have family in the ward again, and I was given one of the few family ward callings that doesn't terrify me—primary pianist.

Still, my heart goes out to any LDS single (sorry, Latter-day Saint single) making this transition, because it's rough. I hated feeling like I couldn't blend in anymore, and I really missed quiet sacrament meetings. (Still do.) But it got easier, and eventually I started believing what I kept telling myself—that everyone else is too wrapped up in their own lives to notice how different mine is, and that I share more similarities with these strange married people than I realize.

But, there is one thing I'm not sure I'll ever get used to: calling people Brother/Sister So-and-So. One of the many great things about singles wards is that everyone addresses each other my their first name—like you would in literally every other adult situation—so going back to the Brother/Sister thing feels archaic. It's not quite as strange when the primary people call me Sister Carter, but I'm still holding out hope that this weird cultural thing will die out.

4-time Convention survivor to 5-time Convention survivor

Nothing new about this year's USANA Convention experience, other than it was an easy one for me. ("Easy" being an extremely relative term here.) And that I broke my single-day steps record (22,000). And that I somehow still had the energy to smile on Saturday morning.

Pardon the bags under the eyes. They're part of the Convention uniform.

Cheers to an abundant summer. Even if your summer wasn't abundant, take heart in knowing that the best season has only just begun.

When the world becomes your playground

I wouldn't say that travel is one of my passions—maybe it would be if I was loaded and spoke all the languages—but I do have a desire to see as much of the world as I can with my own eyes (this includes the Shire/Rivendell, Narnia, and Hogwarts, in that order). Even if it's just so I can say "I've been there!" whenever said place turns up on TV or casual conversation. Even if I only spend a few hours there. This world is huge and interesting, and as much as I love going somewhere via the books I read and the movies I watch, sometimes you've just got experience something for yourself with all five senses.

I didn't travel much as a kid—we were very much a Lagoon and/or camping family—but that's changed in the past five years or so. I've come a long way since the days I would tell my dad "anywhere east of Utah" whenever he asked us where we wanted to go on our next vacation. A lot of my bucket list places have been checked off.

In the U.S., that is. Fortunately, the U.S. is big enough to keep sightseers busy for a while, but eventually you're going to want to expand your travel area. Plenty of things were stopping me from stepping outside U.S. borders, but the main thing was that I didn't have a passport. Money, language/cultural barriers, and lack of travel know-how don't matter if you don't have the golden ticket required to leave your home country.

With no real need to travel outside the country, I put getting a passport on the back burner. (That's me in a nutshell—avoid wasting effort on something until it becomes a relevant issue in your life.) But it made me sad sometimes knowing that I couldn't just hop on a plane and fly somewhere on a whim. (What if someone offered me an all-expense-paid trip to Europe one summer? If it happens in Gilmore Girls, it can happen in real life, right?) I would hear people talk about their exotic travels and wonder if I would ever get to do any of those things. Would I ever eat authentic Italian food, go on a cruise to the Bahamas, or see any of the sites from the books I've read? Until I hunkered down and took the steps necessary to secure a passport, I would always be somewhat limited in my dreams.

But then it finally happened—a family vacation was planned that would require a brief amount of time in Canada. Who cares if Canada is the least "foreign" country for a United States citizen to visit? I had the nudge I needed; the effort required to get a passport was now relevant to my plans for 2018. 

The process turned out to be much less of a hassle than I expected it to be, and, a few weeks ahead of schedule, my passport arrived in the mail.

As I held that little book in my hand, it was like the world opened itself up to me. I was no longer "stuck" inside one of the biggest countries in the world—I had what I needed to go anywhere I wanted, whenever I wanted, whether it was a meticulously planned trip or something spur of the moment.

The world is now my playground, and I can't wait to start playing in it.

Summer 2017 wrap-up (covering mostly just the good stuff)

GUYS. Summer is almost over. I cannot express how big of a relief that is. I feel like I'm coming back to life, kind of like how normal people feel when spring starts to unthaw a long winter. I simply was not built for long, hot summers. Convention insanity doesn't help, either (more on that later).

It's become a tradition on this blog to have a summer wrap-up post every year. So consider this my "What I Did This Summer" back-to-school essay. Honestly, it doesn't look that different from the ones I wrote as a kid. (Only this one has pictures—erm, way more than I planned on sharing, sorry—because without pictures, you got nuttin'. Name that TV show!)

We went to swimming lessons.

We kicked off our sister party with swimming lessons, and I'll just say it was a much better way to spend a Friday morning than at the office.

SO CUTE.

The crazy thing is, 20 years ago we were the ones going to swimming lessons with our cousins.

Poor Tyrel, always surrounded by girls.

We went on vacation.

All of us but the Searles spent a week in South Dakota/Wyoming. Home to lots of blue, green, and brown—and not much else.

We went on a Tuesday, and there was still an alarming number of people there (which is why Shannan is not pictured).

I used to think it was super random that someone decided to carve people's heads into a mountain, but after seeing all those flat, smooth rocks, I kind of wanted to carve something into a mountain.

We spent the week in a cabin.

Our most successful vacations tend to be the ones where home base is a place we can claim all for ourselves.

We took walks and hikes whenever we wanted, because everything we needed was basically in our front yard.

The child had to be walked several times a day. During one walk she proceeded to pick up every rock she saw and stuff them in her pockets until her pants were literally falling off.

We found a rock that inspired us to stand tall and triumphant.

I was not as successful. Dang wind.

Turns out climbing a tree Yogi Bear style is much harder than it looks. Pretty much all I could do was jump and hold on.

Tyrel and I went to the top of the mountain. Well, Tyrel did. I almost made it to the top, but my fear of heights prevented me from moving past the low end of the top. So Tyrel skipped to the highest point while I sat in a safe spot and took selfies.

Many Dutch oven dinners were consumed, monitored by Kimberly and Jeremy. But mostly Kimberly.

And we can't forget Dad, the barbecue master.

I helped by taking pictures of fire.

And we did some other vacation-y, sight-seeing things, including visiting family who moved up here like 12 years ago (not pictured, sadly).

Rushmore Cave. This picture cracks me up.

This amusement park was awesome. It looked like some farmer/engineer guy built a couple roller coasters in his backyard. (In front of us is a bunch of farmland.) Not very many people were there, and the food was delicious. I'd give you the name of the park, but I kind of want it to remain anonymous so it's still deserted if we ever go back.

Oh, and since we had such picturesque surroundings, Shannan and I helped take pictures of the Balls family. I hereby proclaim them the cutest family ever.

We had a water party.

Whenever I picture the perfect summer day, it includes my entire family, an outdoor activity, and a barbecue. We usually have a water party on either Memorial Day or Pioneer Day every summer, and it's pretty much the best. See, sometimes I like summer.

Don't get in Bronx's way—because he will get you.

Noah had a little trouble aiming his squirt gun at first.

Tyrel's favorite part of the party. Every year.

I played softball.

As always, softball was one of the best things about my summer. I wasted my two good hits on the first game, but was much more successful at socializing than I've been in past summers. This year's team was special.

This was right after winning our stake tournament's semifinal, I think. It was an awesome game, complete with a miracle comeback. I just wish the photographer had waited until everyone was ready to take the picture. 

This next picture will give you a better idea of just how dedicated my ward was to softball this year, whether they were playing or not. (And this was after some of us—myself included—had already left.) Attendance at softball games was basically mandatory.

I survived Convention.

I didn't have time to be sad when softball ended (after a run in the regional tournament, which meant we got to play at the nice ballpark in Cottonwood Heights. It's rained three out of the four times I've played there), because Convention—the week I dread all year—was next up on my agenda.

I won't torture you with the details. These two pictures pretty much sum up the experience.

How I felt during that 72-hour work week:

How I felt when it was over (after I'd had a few days to recover):

The universe gave us an eclipse as a Monday-after-Convention gift.

I wasn't super excited about this "once in a lifetime" event, but pretty much our entire building emptied out around 10:30 Monday morning to watch the eclipse's progress, and I didn't want to be left out. My department ended up on the roof with 20-30 other people. Looking at the sun was fun, but my favorite part was when it cooled down 15 degrees and the sunshine dimmed enough so I didn't even need sunglasses. In case you forgot, I am not a fan of the sun.

I also enjoyed watching people from the buildings nearby come out in clumps to watch the eclipse. Even the golfers across the street took a break.

And, that's a wrap! Turns out it was a pretty good summer.