I’m so excited to catch up with you!!

What I’ve Been Up To

June felt like the month of constant celebration!

Dillon and I had our 10 year anniversary, and we decided to sneak down to Nantucket, just the two of us, for a few days. We haven’t had a weekend vacation since before we became parents! We’ve traveled for our marriage retreats, but a weekend away where the only thing on the schedule was a portrait session…we haven’t done that since before the pandemic!

We truly enjoyed our time away. The cobblestone and brick streets of Town, the Sconset Bluff Walk, every single meal, and the gorgeous beaches around every single turn had us enjoying ourselves from sun up to sun down. But can I tell you a secret? 🙈

I prefer regular old Cape Cod more.

I think the outer Cape has a similar feel (minus Town–that is truly unique). I’m so glad we checked Nantucket off our bucket list, but I don’t see us going back for a little while. Maybe a trip for the kids when they’re older? And, I wouldn’t dream of saying no to capturing a Nantucket wedding. But we’re all Nantucket-vacationed out.

We also celebrated my dear friend Stephanie’s wedding. Being the guest at a luxury event instead of photographing it is wild! I ate so many hors d’oeuvres. Like whatever number you’re thinking in your head just add about 10 more than that.

And seeing Stephanie all dressed up as the bride–what a moment! She instantly brought tears to my eyes! We went to Newport for the welcome dinner and the wedding proper–which was even more couple time!

We had an early Father’s Day celebration since our anniversary weekend spanned the one on the calendar. The kids loved saying happy Father’s Day to Dillon for over a week, which was the absolute cutest thing you can imagine.

We gifted Dillon the Kitchenaid pasta attachments, so we’ve been enjoying homemade pasta and sauce. Dillon’s been spoiling us since not only is everything homemade, even the flour he’s using is “home made” in a sense–we have a flour mill, so it’s fresh ground!

I’m preparing to be spoiled for the rest of the summer over here!

What I’m Reading

I’m actually reading several books at once right now, so there’s quite a lot!

Together, Dillon and I are reading Parenting with Heart by Stephen James and Dr. Chip Dodd. It’s an incredibly challenging parenting book about truly trying to be with your kids, and I can’t recommend it enough. We’re more than halfway, and each chapter’s lead to deep discussion between us. I’m trying to talk all of my mom friends into reading it, too!

I’m also reading Mindy Pelz’s Fast Like a Girl. I did intermittent fasting for quite a while, but I’m not currently doing it. I’ve been playing around with the idea of trying it again, so I decided to read this one as I mull it over. I won’t lie–Fast Like a Girl hasn’t been my favorite.

There are parts that are deeply rooted in fear mongering. I don’t like when a nonfiction author tries to scare people into agreeing with them. I think you should trust your audience enough to follow your arguments instead of trying to manipulate them.

I’ve read Dr. Jason Fung’s The Diabetes Code before, and that book is what I read prior to incorporating intermittent fasting. Dr. Fung mentions all of the benefits, so I’m familiar with the pros. But Mindy Pelz… you’d think intermittent fasting was the actual best thing out there for all people, always. I find her writing style to exaggerate, and if I’m honest, I don’t fully trust her.

I’m still very open to being proven wrong, and I want to finish the book. I do have a lot of reservations, though.

And for fun, I just started reading Elizabeth Gaskell’s North and South. I’ve read Wives and Daughters by Gaskell before, and I loved it! I’ve been meaning to pick her up again for years, and now just seems to be the right time.

I’m at the very beginning, so I don’t have an opinion yet. But I do have high hopes!

What I’m Watching

This is pretty boring, since I’m just carrying on with shows I’ve been watching. We’re now on season 4 of Only Murders in the Building, and I’m still on season 5 of Gossip Girl (I’m stalling out. I will finish, but my interest has clearly faded!)

Big Brother starts soon, and I’m so excited for another round of craziness! Editing my way through summer sessions and driving all over New England is accompanied by me binging live feed updates, so I’m ready for that summer ritual to begin again.

What I’m Excited About

I have a lot to look forward to in July, so I’m excited to get to the height of summer!

-I’ve mentioned this before, but we have memberships to Davis Farmland. Their new and greatly expanded splash pad should be opening on July 4, and the kids have been talking about it for weeks! They love peeking at the construction every time we’ve visited this spring. Their old splash pad was already great, so we’re all excited over here!

-A family portrait session at Grays Beach in Yarmouth. I was actually just there, and it was so stunning that I’m excited to go again!

-4th of July! We haven’t finalized plans yet, but I know we’ll be celebrating one way or another.

-A Glen Magna Farms wedding

-Finalizing our Disney reservations. We’re bringing the kids for their first trip in September, and we’ve already been watching Youtube videos and consulting the experts in our lives as we make plans. We have our calendar and alarms already set to wake up super early and submit our reservations as soon as we can. This type of organization and admin work definitely reminds me of my teaching days, and I’m here for it!

-Our church’s summer celebration. Each summer they break out the grills and ice cream, rent bouncy houses, set up a massive corn hole tournament, and host an all around good time. Our kids love it, and so do we!

-A Cape Cod engagement session with one of my 2026 wedding couples. We’ve chatted a few times over the past few months, but I’m so excited to meet them in person!

-A super special Martha’s Vineyard portrait session. We’re going to be at the Harbor View Hotel, and I’m so incredibly excited! I also want to see how MV compares to Nantucket. I’ve been before, but I was still a kid, so I’m excited to experience the Vineyard through fresh eyes.

-Another engagement session with a 2026 couple, but this time on Plum Island! I’m so excited to meet them as well!

Please let me know what you’re up to, as I always love hearing from you!

Until next time,

Christine