Bob's Pumpkin Patch 2020

October 4, 2020

After church on this Sunday, we drove to Snohomish to Bob's Corn and Pumpkin Farm.

This pumpkin farm is our favorite. I love that they have roasted corn, not every pumpkin farm does. Roasted corn is a big part of going to a pumpkin patch given that they have a corn maze. It just makes perfect sense. 

And I think it's wonderful that besides them placing pre-cut pumpkins you can also walk over to the field filled with pumpkins of various shapes and sizes and cut your own pumpkin. I think that's the coolest. It gives a more authentic pumpkin patch experience. This creates the most coziest of memories, in my opinion.

 The country store where one can shop from delicious jams and jellies to butter, milk, and cheese and beyond. 

Even though the farm employees were wearing masks they still remained nice and didn't refuse service to those of us that weren't wearing one. That's how it should be. No one forcing something on someone. 

The bi-color corn, yellow and white that they plant is the sweetest corn I have tasted in my life and it's so crisp! It's just perfect.

Enjoying some corn before heading out to pick our pumpkins.

This is the only way Riley will eat corn, on the cob. 

Across the road is where they have the large corn maze, sunflowers, and bonfire pits. You can get to it by hayride at no charge.

You go down fast on these slides. Riley loves them.

Pretty dahlias

We got a wheelbarrow and trudged through the muddy field.

It was a bit tricky maneuvering through the pumpkin plantings, holes and areas of slushy mud ... but it was fun!

I love all the trees in the background. Such beautiful landscape.

I find joy in the ongoing pleasures of the natural world.

Riley enjoyed using the water pump while Jacob scrubbed the muddy pumpkins. 

Afterwards we stopped by a taco shop for a carne asada burrito and then we drove to Des Moines to enjoy the views of the Puget Sound.

We can live a fine life without having extravagant experiences. We just need to be grateful with what we have, our home, and the loved ones in our life. When we live this way, we create memories of togetherness and intentionality that we can't help but to share.

Nature's beauty is a gift that cultivates appreciation and gratitude.

Evening Walk at the Des Moines Marina

June 30th, 2020 - A Tuesday

The absurdity of the time we're living through can at times bring the morale down. As the truth of how the virus got out comes to light one can't help to realize the extent of how far someone/group of people will go to have power and control at whatever cost. Although those people in power claim to care for people, they really don't care at all. It is sad that something like this is happening in our beloved country. 

So, when the morale is low, I hold on to God's truth and continue forward. I concentrate on the beauty around me, and I hold my head high. After dinner on this Tuesday afternoon, we headed out to the marina to breathe in the clean air and refocus.

It is so pretty to see the flowerpots displayed throughout. This area is always kept so neat and tidy. 

It was almost a solitary walk. Only a few people were out which made it quite pleasant. We try to look for sea stars, jellyfish, and crabs whenever we're out by the water and near rocks. Sometimes we spot a few other times we see nothing. 

Being out in nature (and if you're lucky to have the place to yourself), one can't help but to contemplate life. Every single time I'm out in the middle of a vastness of space I think about how great God is. His creativity is beyond amazing. And it's amazing how He knew humans would need nature to marvel at and to center us, not to mention how healing it all can be. 

Gray clouds have never disappointed me. Thankful to have a clear healthy mind to truly see and enjoy the beauty of a cloudy sky. To some it may be scary, to others it may unpleasant but to those of us that truly enjoy a cloudy sky it is nothing short of beautiful. It makes me happy.

The tide was low so we walked down to the exposed "beach" and looked for sea life.

My son spotted a small crab. There were many in puddles near rocks.

There are those to whom place is unimportant, 

but this place, where sea and fresh water meet, is important.

-Theodore Roethke

Outdoor Moments Along the Water and Eating Pizza

March 2020

The pandemic had started. It quickly turned into chaos. Stores ran out of toilet paper, napkins, paper towels, disinfectant wipes, and bottled water, as well as canned goods and frozen food. Church cancelled in person services and had to watch online. 

Also, Jacob began working from home (just like everyone else), and school got shut down as well for the "supposedly" stay home order that they initially said would be two weeks, but it wasn't of course. Riley had school online which he didn't like and I noticed that it was hard for him to engage. Just an all around horrible situation.

A lot of people behaving just crazy. Being around all that makes one stay away from all that hysteria and seek peace, so we spent a lot of our weekends and outings doing things away from people, just how we like to live anyway. We usually opted to hang out in nature before the pandemic hit so continuing to do just that wasn't an adjustment. We love being out in nature. 

We got takeout from Pizza Hut and ate it at Owens Beach in Point Defiance in Tacoma. The parking lot was half full. I guess we all had the same idea (even though we didn't see many people walking around) of continuing to enjoy life even through the pandemic.

I'm one of those few people that love to add pineapple and pepperoni to my pizza. To most people, that's unthinkable and plain gross but to me well, I just love to combine the sweetness of the pineapple and the saltiness of the pepperoni. It just tastes so good to me. 

There's not a better feeling in the world

than a warm pizza on your lap.

Riley was taking a nap because he had just gotten a cold. We did save him some pizza though.

This sky right here is lovely to me. It really is.

Whenever we drive on this freeway I can't help but stare at the HUGE American flag. It is beautiful. 

Although we enjoyed our pizza from Pizza Hut a few weeks ago we just had to have pizza again, but this time from our favorite pizza place.

We drove to Snoqualmie just to enjoy a nice drive then got take out from Pagliacci. 

Found a park and ate our food. I believe we were the only ones at the park. Nice.

One of my favorite things out in nature are the trees, whether they're full of leaves or just bare branches.

A nap after being out on a cold day.

A perk about Jacob working from home is that once he gets off (at 3:30) we are able to go out and enjoy the day.

After dinner we went to hang out at Des Moines for some fresh air.

It was pretty cold so we didn't hang out for too long. It was nice just seeing the Puget Sound. I love it!

This trail is not that far from where we lived. I'm glad there are several trails that weren't far from our home which helped keep our spirits up during this crazy time of being told to stay home day after day and instilling fear. Being stuck at home days on end is not healthy either. That's no way to live. There has to be a balance.

It felt good to be walking out on this cold cloudy day. We walked about a mile. It always feels good to go home after being active outdoors. It makes coming home that much sweeter. I always look forward to getting cozy after an active day.

Peace. What a wonderful way to live, to experience 

harmony and order and live in an agreeable, calm atmosphere.

A Contented Life

Contentment is peace and a daily choice I have to make to foster a meaningful life. Because contentment is found in the way that one thinks not in the way one feels because our emotions fluctuate.

We were never promised a life without trials and even then we may complain why we have to suffer through them. We know that God is in control of everything, the only thing we do have control of is how we respond to these trials.
What has helped me when going through trials is to immerse myself in biblical studies/reading and be in constant contact with nature and things that bring joy into my life. Knowing what those things are is important in order to be able to handle life's challenging circumstances and still have contentment.

Being around water brings happiness into my life and is a great distracter for several reasons; The scenic aspect of it is so beautiful and one can't help but to admire God's creation. The sound and smell of it is very relaxing. The coolness of the water on a hot day is such a gratifying relief. And being out by the water in stormy weather is an amazing experience. Not to mention there are several health benefits to being around sea water. (The Puget Sound is part sea water and part fresh water.)
Thankful to know what works best for me, plus it helps me to stay positive.

If they're not skipping rocks they're looking for baby crabs during low tide.

I like watching geese especially when they have their little goslings with them. Super cute.

Being out in nature is not only for my enjoyment alone, Riley benefits from it as well. He's a homebody so when we're about to leave the house and asks where we're going he tends to complain, once we arrive out in nature he can't wait to explore it. I'm glad we're parents that like to be out in nature because it helps Riley, first, to experience nature and how cool it is and second, I do notice a positive change in him, he's engaged, he's in better spirits and he gets exercise all while having fun.

After all the years we have lived here I barely found out about the Half Price Books Outlet in Olympia. This is crazy. How could I have not known! You would think that regular half price books stores would advertise their outlet store but I don't believe I've ever seen signs about it.
The outlet is not really that big (bummer) but there's still a large selection of everything to choose from. Besides the prices already being slashed more than half off, every day has a different discount on top of that. I got 12 books for only $6.25! I couldn't believe it. Amazing!! I always feel like a little kid at a toy store whenever I find books I really want for such great bargain prices.

After the book outlet we drove to downtown Olympia and had a pastry and coffee at the Bread Peddler. Unfortunately we got there after 12 noon so half of their pastries had sold out.

I ended up getting a raspberry filled almond cake. I enjoyed it. Jacob had a bite but wasn't a fan. He's not really into the fruity type desserts.

Here are the 12 books I scored at the half price books outlet. I like to collect old mysteries and western books.

I like seeing my home book library grow. It would be amazing to have an entire room with wall to wall bookcases and filling it with my cool finds. Maybe some day.

Being able to experience life's simple pleasures is something I make an effort to obtain on a regular basis. I see these simple pleasures as gifts and knowing that the real effort I put in reading and studying Scripture is what cements my love for Jesus and am filled with His Truth. That is where I obtain guidance and the true meaning of how to live life. Once you put Jesus at the center of your life there is no void.

Contentment comes when we grow in the 

knowledge of who God is and how He is always enough for us.

Quick Fun Outings

Last summer was a hot one ... not only in PNW terms but there were many days in August in the 90's. That's hot no matter where you live. Then again it is summer so one needs to make the best of it.

Summer evenings are fun to spend out by the water. The pier is a nice spot to sit on a bench for book reading or one can take a walk along the boardwalk. I tend to come here more during Fall when the weather is cool and cloudy.

There's a restaurant next to the Pier called Salty's and during the summer months they open the side Fish Bar where they sell huge root beer floats, mini corndogs  and decent fish n chips (beer battered fries).

These two are big fans of root beer floats. I'm more partial to milkshakes.

The sky looking pretty with its pink sunset after a hot day.

The Lego Americana Road Show finally made it to Bellevue. I believe we were at Bellevue Square the first weekend in August. It was very cool to see all these government buildings and Statue of Liberty made out of legos.

After looking at all the exhibits the kids were allowed to build their own lego inventions. Riley had fun and it sure kept him busy for a while.

May God continue to be gracious to us and to 

this great country that is the United States of America.