I wish I could put into words how my heart feels about New England, but I just can’t. To simply explain it… my heart is happy there and when I leave, I just feel sad, like something is missing.
As a child / teen, I visited Maine a fair amount of times. We lived a ferry ride away and at one point, two of my Uncles had churches in Maine, so we would go visit in the summers. There was something about hopping on a ferry to go to the USA that was always exciting to me.
When I was 17 I went across the ferry on my own to meet my University roommate who was from Boston. I spent a couple of weeks in the area and honestly fell in love. We explored Boston, Hampton Beach and some of the suburban areas. I felt as though I had lived there forever and it was where I belonged.
We took our first family vacation to Hampton beach and explored the Boston area some more. For a while we were in that area every other year, sometimes more often than that. We vacationed with different friends and family and also visited with my family in that area. My Great Aunt Claire lived in New Hampshire, so we would visit when we came through. We have made so many incredible memories with so many people over the years in New England. I have really enjoyed sharing my love for that area with others.
The last time we were there before the Covid Pandemic was for the Ed Sheeran concert in September 2018. We would have went back in 2020. I wish I would have had a better appreciation back then. The pandemic took away a lot, but at the same time, it also has given me an appreciation for time and travel.
We just got back from spending the long Easter weekend in Massachusetts. I had a different appreciation. I was more thankful and grateful than ever before. We stopped at Hampton Beach on the way through. It was quiet and really neat to see it that way. It was Ezra and Oakley’s first time there. We all loved it!
We explored Plymouth, an area of Mass I had never been to before. My Dad has done lots of research on our ancestors that came over on the Mayflower. It was amazing to be in the area that they arrived and to see the replica Mayflower, putting into perspective the journey they must have had.
For Christmas, part of Sandy and Noah’s gift was tickets to see the Raptors vs Celtics. It was their first time at TD Garden and their 2nd Raptors game. They both had an incredible time.
I love the selection in the US. We did some shopping at the Kittery Outlets and the Burlington Mall, but one of the highlights for me was the food. 🙂 We love Chick-fil-A, so that was one of our first stops. We also enjoyed some Wahlburgers, Friendly’s ice cream, Crumbl Cookies and other treats.
It was fun to take Ezra into Boston. This was his first big city and he was amazed by the buildings, bridges, all of it. We explored the Commons & Public Gardens. Such a beautiful area. Spring was already in bloom, which was refreshing. The weeping Willows were amazing.
For quite a few years now I have wanted to visit Nubble Lighthouse in York, Maine. It is one that my Great Aunt Claire would visit and one of my cousins fav places. I mentioned stopping on our way back to Sandy, but I was torn on if we should add the extra time to our long drive back. He suggested we do it and I am so glad he encouraged me. I love the shore and this lighthouse was beautiful. I can no longer visit my Great Aunt Claire, so it was incredibly comforting to be in a place she loved. I know she watches over me, so it made the time there even more special.
I am grateful for this time away, but it was hard leaving and crossing the border to come back. I came home today and spent the afternoon outside gardening with Ezra. I wanted to do something to distract me from the void I felt today. It is such a hard feeling to describe, but instead of feeling sad, I am going to use this energy to plan our next adventure in New England. I would love to continue to explore some new areas that we haven’t been to as well as our old favorites. And I am very much looking forward to being in this area with friends this summer. Before long it will be time to go back, but in the meantime, I will thankful for this amazing time away.
I Dream of Summer 
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