Ahhh, my Maine Squeeze! Happy Birthday (week) to me! Maine makes your teeth fall out! Familiar faces! And.. My sabbatical is already one-third complete. A blissful 3-weeks in Maine.

We loved Maine!

When we left Utah, we weren’t sure where we would be celebrating birthdays.  We are simply “riding The Wave where she takes us”.  I never dreamed that I would turn 39 in a fancy ski chalet in Greenwood, Maine.  Thank you, again, Matt and Tracy Hancock, for your generosity!  Re-charging our batteries (literally and figuratively) while hiking your beautiful mountain, shooting pool upstairs, enjoying coffee on the deck and relaxing with a drink in the hot tub, was more than we could have wished for. It was an AWESOME few days.  While we were there, they also gave us tickets to the Fryeburg Fair! It’s a big deal in Maine, trust me! Though each of us gained at least 5lbs due to turkey legs, onion blossoms, cake, and a variety of deep-fried dough, I would do it all over again.  I finally got to experience a real log-chopping competition! One thing I never knew I had wanted to do, until now. Lastly, wait for it… as every motorhome mama should do… I BOUGHT A FANNY PACK. Yes, it’s true, I am doing my part to bring the fanny-pack back. It had me at orange-corduroy and gave me the gift of using both hands to devour my onion blossom. My kids are traumatized. Go state fair!

Familiar faces are few and far between back here, we were blessed with a few hours with our friends, Ron and Lori Jensen. It was SO good to see them!  I can’t tell you how much it refueled our soul. We could have talked for days if it weren’t for two restless kids (who shall remain nameless) trying to remember how to be bored after the batteries die in an electronic device. Parenting fail.  Ron and Lori, THANK YOU for treating us to an amazing lunch and for being even more amazing, people. This trip would not be happening without you and the opportunities you have provided for Brian and our whole family. Also, we appreciate you making the long drive during your Boston visit, we love you guys!

For your entertainment: So, we are still getting used to all the toll roads/bridges out here in New England AND we hardly ever carry cash.  We visited the New Hampshire liquor store (it’s the thing to do when passing through NH because there is no state tax. There are entire freeway off/on ramps dedicated to NH border liquor stores). In addition to a beautiful selection of wine and liquor (including Utah’s own High West whiskey), we discovered a lotto-ticket machine. We thought it would be fun for the girls to scratch off the cards.  Amazingly, we had $10 cash on us for whatever reason and we used it (all) to buy lottery tickets. Can you see where this is going?? We literally spent our cash (aka toll money) on liquor and lottery tickets. Haha…Parents OF THE YEAR! However, we did end up winning $11. TOTALLY worth it!

Quick update on Team Hazlett – We are doing great! We have already completed one-third of the one-year sabbatical. I feel like we are finally getting the hang of this new lifestyle. I make the bed, he makes the coffee.Turns out, we planned the wrong kind of trip to enjoy much relaxation time, BUT, I wouldn’t change it for the world. I will just have to become an expert guitarist upon our return. The number of places that we have been able to experience in such a short period of time only makes me realize how much MORE there is too see and do!  We live in a damn cool country! ‘Murica!
The girls are happy and healthy, what more could I ask?  Keeping busy with school and getting excited for the holidays. We joke that, Hannah, the “hormonal teenager”, is the most stable of all of us. Her kindness, patience and ability to find the entertainment value in all “the crazy” is admirable.  Zoe (often the source of “the crazy”, haha just kidding) somehow managed to lose two teeth while in Maine. Luckily, the Tooth-Fairy found her and left a couple magical gold dollars. Zoe’s passion, imagination and energy is over-the-moon contagious. As for the adults, Brian and I surprisingly managed to get two (yes, TWO) date nights in Maine. I can’t believe he hasn’t “turned this car around” yet!  As the driver, he could do that quite easily and we probably wouldn’t even notice. I guess it’s all the local beer and coffee he has discovered (one of his favorite parts of this trip). Best. Husband. Ever. Thanks for always keeping things light. XO

Highlights included:

Bar Harbor – Easily, one of our favorite stops.  Not only did we luck into a spot that backed up to Frenchman’s Bay, there are enough quality restaurants to ensure I am spending as little time in the kitchen as possible. It has a great “support local” vibe with a variety of shops and markets.  It is a very active community, it makes you want to live an active and healthy lifestyle (at least during the day, then you hit the bar!).

Acadia National Park – Did I mention Bar Harbor has a National Park?  An amazing park that offers 67 miles of bike riding trails, incredible scenery, Thunder Hole, and of course, the beautiful Cadillac Mountain. Just minutes from Bar Harbor.

Cadillac Mountain Sunrise –  This time of year, the first place to see the sunrise in the United States is on the top of Cadillac Mountain.  Team Hazlett, armed with a thermos of coffee and hot chocolate and along with about 200 of our closest friends, woke up early to make it to the top of the mountain by 5:30am. Not being a morning person, this pretty-much makes me a hero. I will say, making the effort to experience this and fully enjoy the sunrise over the Atlantic Ocean made me really appreciate the gift of having another day. Something I think we all take for granted at times.

Old Orchard Beach – We loved this place.  Why??? It is a short bike ride to the Atlantic Ocean where we had lunch on the beach and played an awesome game of baseball in the sand using an invisible baseball.  Zoe was the winner (I know, weird, right?). The weather is still warm enough for our Utah Ute game-day tailgating events.  Go Utes! As we watched our Dodgers in the playoffs, our neighbors helped me understand the heated passion between the Red Sox and the Yankees. “I would so rather have a daughter in a whore-house than cheer for the damn Red Sox” said Bruce, our neighbor for the week. Both Bruce and Bruce JR. were super great and shared the hospitality that seems to encompasses New England.

Portland – We spent some time seeking the local breweries, coffee shops, and of course The Holy Donut.  Supposedly, they have the best doughnuts in the country.  In my opinion, that’s debatable, but the rest of my tribe like them.  We also got to see a random piece of the Berlin Wall that was on display on the pier. This turned into an unexpected history lesson for the girls and allowed us to check off our history class for the day! Love on-line school!

I feel incredibly blessed to have the opportunity to create this experience that we get to share as a family, especially the memories that make us laugh until we cry. I am so humbled and grateful.

Next stop, Boston.

XO-
Tina

Boondocks and Bliss