We recently took a mini trip to visit family in Ocean City, Maryland. My husband’s sister and her family live there and we visited them last year for a long weekend. It was so much fun, we knew we had to put them out again. I decided last year to take off for Fourth of July weekend this year. I work most holiday weekends and I knew I needed to take one off. I hadn’t seen fireworks with my kids for the Fourth in a long time. I was so excited about the trip and of course I packed my camera to take along to document the trip… and that is where it stayed, packed up.
I love seeing all the beautifully documented family adventures that other photographers share. It is one of the reasons I started learning photography to begin with. I took my camera along last year for our visit and documented it. I realized that taking my camera out on this vacation was going to be a burden. My family gets annoyed with me when I’m shooting and I think it’s because I’m not focused on them. I make them stop so I can take photos of them or the things around us. Last year, I barely went in the water at the bay because I didn’t want to leave my camera unattended or locked in a hot car. So this year, I decided to leave it aside. I still have some photos and video clips that I took with my phone. Although they aren’t dslr quality, it still captured moments well enough to help me always remember and it freed me to enjoy the vacation with my family fully.
I’ll be honest work and life have been so busy. Taking care of 3 kids, a house, a puppy and running my business is a lot. We have big goals this year which require me to work very hard. A lot of unexpected expenses in business and home have come up this year which have put a heavier burden on me. So getting quality time with my family has not been easy. As I laid in bed one night during our trip with my 5 yr old son, Evan, I cried. What an incredible feeling to be able to lay there with him and not have to rush out to get something done. I snuggled him tight, he had his arm wrapped around me and in the sweetest voice he has says, “You’re the best, mommy, I love you.”. I stayed quite a bit longer than I normally would that my husband thought I had passed out with him. I decided in that moment that I needed this trip more than any of them did. I needed to be 100% present with my family and not be distracted by house work, errands, and work (as much as I love my clients and photography). It was an incredible vacation to remember…
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I went paddle boarding for the first time! I went very slow and as I paddled out to sea (okay maybe not sea), I cried back for my brother-in-law to come save me. My husband yelled back, “Step down it’s only 3 feet deep.”. Um, duh, I wasn’t afraid of drowning, but I was afraid to step in the bushes I could see knowing crabs and other creatures lived there. I don’t like bugs, crabs, etc. So they got a good laugh watching me paddle board, but I am proud to say I didn’t fall once and paddled back in against the current. The kids had a great time and Milo loved jumping in the water. We had to leave because we were all getting eaten alive by mosquitos. We will never forget the welts we had for weeks.
We had a family kickball game in the street and then road skateboards and this bike thing that zips you around. Yes, I got on a skateboard, but had my oldest daughter hold my hand and lead me around. I didn’t fall, but boy did I look silly and she had a great laugh at me. I’m sure she won’t ever forget that. We went to the boardwalk for a quick visit and I went on the Slingshot with my oldest, another thing she’ll never forget. It will be a trip I never forget and will never regret leaving my “big girl” camera packed away.
Here are some photos and video clips I posted on Instagram during out trip.
Paddle boarding at Assateague
Milo’s fancy hopping in the water.
#milosatriano loved the water! He isn’t a swimmer but he hopped, so cute. By the time I got my phone he was tired but he still did it. A video posted by Crystal Satriano (@crystalsatriano) on
Family kickball – the red team won 🙁
Family kickball game!!! Oh that was awesome fun! Happy 4th!! #satrianoocmd2015 #familymemories A photo posted by Crystal Satriano (@crystalsatriano) on
Evan waiting “patiently” for his milk shake in Berlin, MD.
Waiting for his milkshake. #satrianoocmd2015 A photo posted by Crystal Satriano (@crystalsatriano) on
A little festival fun!
Slingshot adventure with Carissa!
A mother/daughter adventure! I was cool for one day. #satrianoocmd2015 #slingshot @cassie_kirkland A video posted by Crystal Satriano (@crystalsatriano) on
Miss Layla rocking her purple sunhat and having a cool treat on the Boardwalk.
She bought this hat here last year and couldn’t wait to come back. #satrianoocmd2015 A photo posted by Crystal Satriano (@crystalsatriano) on
