Being a parent changes your perspective on a whole lotta things. Honestly, ev-ery-thing! One of the things that totally shifts when you're a parent of a 4 year old includes how you approach a vacation. That doesn't mean you have to sacrifice any fun, it just means the fun changes! As two lovers of adventure and havers of good times, we thought a lot about our trip to Memphis and how we could make it fun for our entire family. Here are a few ways we enjoyed the culture in Tennessee while keeping quality family time the main priority of our vacation:
Hire a Photographer for a Downtown Photo Session
Upon arriving in Tennessee, we spent our first afternoon exploring THE downtown hotspot - Beale Street. Having a photographer helped us seek out the most photo-worthy spots which also happen to be some of the same places that the city of Memphis is famous for. This allowed us to make some family memories right in the center of town which was a great way to get our bearings and see what all the hype was about, all while focusing on each other and having some intimate moments. If you hire the right person, photographers can act as mini tour guides who give you the inside scoop on places you need to see and places that are in reality, a little overrated. We loved hearing the music playing all around us and seeing the hustle and bustle of the city while chatting with someone who knew the area and encouraged us to giggle and make some memories together. A big thank you to Danielle Christine Photography who genuinely made us feel welcome in a place none of us have ever explored before. Also - Having a photographer capture these moments helped us put our phones down and remain more preset during the duration of our trip.
Enjoy the Small Town Culture
A majority of our vacation was spent laying by the pool and having big family meals at Mama and Papa's house, which was an amazing way to get that "hometown feel" that the south provides. If you don't have family in Memphis, you can still get this small-town experience by finding a local restaurant, visiting local boutiques, taking a riverboat ride or speaking with the locals about the history of this special place. We've both seen a lot of the world and can both agree, the southern states of America have some of the most unique cultures and are packed with an abundant amount of eye opening history. When you visit a place like Memphis, Tennessee, there are endless opportunities to learn more about American heritage outside of the stereotypical museum visits.
Do Something "Normal"
Our parenting experience is unique since our daughter lives in Florida with her mom, so we don't get to see her as much as we'd like to while living on the other side of the world. When we are with her, we always try to do something that feels like "every-day kid stuff" so she will have more than "touristy" memories with us. Although we don't have the most traditional family dynamic, we think this is important for any family to keep this in mind regardless of their circumstances. Kids love things that just allow them to be kids. This trip, we decided on a trampoline park, an arcade and an escape room for our "normal stuff." Not only were these places super fun for our toddler, it was really fun for us to see how similar we all truly are no matter where we are in the world. We had a blast running around, eating pizza, playing games to win tickets and prizes and ignoring the pressure of vacation itineraries. Sometimes we forget that kids really enjoy the simple things, so if you can find a local place to play, we highly recommend it!
We realize this simple, playful schedule isn't always "trendy" these days. It seems like when it comes to a vacation, people feel pressured to see and do everything that they see on Pinterest and Instagram. As much as we love those "picture-perfect" moments ourselves, we believe that carving out some time for the simple things is super important in todays culture. Our best advice? Enjoy each other. Make memories that you and your kids will remember. Capture them! But do it for you, not for your followers. When we do that, our vacations become more than a schedule of events centered around likes and comments and more about creating an unforgettable trip that we spent with our families. We'll be honest, we haven't always thought this way. But we are thankful that God put this perspective on our hearts and we hope that by sharing it, we can inspire you to make your family trips more authentic, genuine and real. Whatcha guys think? Let's get back to the important stuff? Yes of course for the kids, but for us as well! Social media can be a powerful place to connect with each other, but let's not forget that God designed us to connect in real life first and foremost. So get out there, play with your kids, and use your camera to capture more moments and less poses. We guarantee you'll have more fun this way than trying to live up to some social media standard.
With love, for His Glory, by His Grace,
Britt + Will
Photography by Danielle Christine Photography
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