Hello friends! The whole summer has come and gone, and what’s usually a time period of international trips was replaced this year by a series of cabin weekends and roadtrips, after we felt that roadtripping to various cabin houses was safe. I’ve just wrapped up my internship for the summer, which I was honestly so grateful for – I’m not sure if I miss the job right now, or just miss the routine of “going” to work. School starts up again on August 31st, but M and I are taking ~2 weeks to roadtrip through Yellowstone, Glacier, and the Grand Tetons next week, before staying in New Hampshire for the month of September while we wait to move into our new apartment in Malden, MA. We figured that since we will both be remote for a while, we might as well move to a larger space, since we originally moved to our current place for the location (and to save some money, but a 1 br in the new apartment complex was the same price as our current apartment…so we ended up getting a 2 br apartment. Hooray for guest room/office/potentially (dog and human) nursery!). And this new place will for real be the last place we live at in Boston, while we wait for M to wrap up the last few years of his PhD.

A few (as always) hectic (?) weeks ahead (maybe just seems hectic because we literally have had nothing else going on for the past 5 months), but otherwise all good in the Liu Happ household. Big updates the last few months include: I successfully gardened my first balcony garden (soooo many tomatoes and herbs!), and I’ve lost 40 pounds (!) since my “health journey” started. Now it’s about maintaining my health and habits that I’ve developed over the last few months. While the world is in upheaval, I am grateful for the little semblance of routine I’ve developed that removed distractions (and social plans, to be honest) to help me achieve a healthier lifestyle.

Below are some of our favorite weekend trips we’ve taken this summer!

Camden, Maine

A quick weekend up to Camden included: stop by Kennebunkport on the way up for some mini golf, have some lobster rolls on the side of the road, hike up Camden State Park (our Airbnb’s backyard had one of the trails so we literally stepped out of our deck to hike), and lake time

Newry, Maine

A great getaway with some of our friends. Favorites include Step Falls Preserve (a natural slip n slide) and hikes in Grafton State Park.

Berkshires, Massachusetts

A few days spent at the Red Lion Inn, I finally glimpsed some of the magic of a summer in the Berkshires, minus the cool art and music gatherings! Favorites here included a hike up Monument Mountain, the Berkshire Bakery, and visiting Bash Bish Falls.

North Shore, MA

We took a lot of small day trips to places in the north shore, including Ocean Lawn in Manchester by the Sea, the Crane Estate in Ipswich, and Maudley State Park & Plum Island in Newburyport.

Newport, Rhode Island

I feel like we come to Newport at least once a year. We spent a few days at the Newport Vineyard, walking around the various cliff walks, and boating with some friends.

New Hampshire Hikes

New hikes this summer that are on the easy/moderate side include Mt Monadnock and Mt Major, near Lake Winnipesaukee. I think New Hampshire is my favorite state in New England – I’m excited to spend an entire month living up in the mountains!