Hiking at Shoreview Park in Shoreline

December 5, 2020

Getting to spend a good portion of the day out in nature is something we enjoyed and did quite a bit. And if you plan it just right or if eating out is a part of the outing then the experience is that much more fun and meaningful. I totally look forward to these types of outings.

Since restaurants were still closed for dine-in because of covid we had to order take out. It worked out for us this time because although it was chilly the sun was out keeping us warm while we ate at one of the park tables. We definitely love pizza!

We hiked the entire blue loop.

We didn't come across many people which was nice.

There is something about being surrounded by nature's beauty that truly does minister, heal and bring peace to the soul. Nature shifts our gaze off of ourselves and onto Him. 

Parts of the trail were a bit narrow ... 

... and other parts were a bit too steep which gave way to an awesome stillness.

One of the many things I love about nature in Washington State is how moss and ferns grow abundantly everywhere making it look especially cool when it grows all over trees, rocks or stone, giving it a moody feeling. 

Photographing trees is my second favorite thing, the first one being a cloudy moody sky. Trees are fascinating to me. Just look at how this limb grew. It is such a perfect imperfection.

A different moss-covered tree. I can totally smell this picture. I find a strange, comforting solace in the musk of damp earth and the crumbling ruin of the forest floor.

I cannot help but to be in complete peace when I'm out in nature. 

Life isn't only about the hustle. Laughter, rest, walks, and tiny moments that make your soul breathe is what brings meaning to one's life. Remember to live. Whatever makes your soul sing - cherish it and do more of it.

Walking: the most ancient exercise and still the best modern exercise. - Carrie Latet

Unscripted October Moments

October 2020

How quicky time pass us by. I wrote down in my agenda about, "how quickly October seem to come around". This is the reason why I try my best to live intentionally. To not live life with haste. To live in the present. To document life from the ordinary mundane moments to fun outings. And this is why I don't ever rush time by saying, "oh, I wish it was Friday, or I wish it was summer, or I wish it was Christmas break". Because I know better. When you think that way it prevents you from living in the present moment.

There's a pumpkin patch about five minutes from our house. Around early October is when you spot a tractor pulling a wagon filled with a huge load of pumpkins driving from their pumpkin patch to several blocks down the road toward their farm store. These were huge pumpkins.

For a few months I began to notice my eyes becoming a little blurry and burn when I read so, Jacob and I both went to see the optometrist. We got our eyes checked and we were both prescribed reading glasses, unfortunately. Fast forward six years to today and we still think having to rely on reading glasses to look at small print is a big inconvenience. I'm still not used to the idea of having reading glasses.

It is such a de-stresser to me to take the backroads whenever possible when I'm feeling overburdened. Driving along pine trees and seeing farm animals lifts my spirits, more so when it is cloudy. I'm keenly aware of my surroundings, observant, and I'm very detailed oriented so at times too much mental overload tends to cause overwhelm. Thankfully, I also know healthy ways on how to relax and decompress.  

This girl, wherever I go especially when I rest, she's sure to follow and lay next to me. I love her fur. She's got a very soft coat. I like to say she's my comfort animal because she feels so familiar to me. She's very patient when I'm holding her and loving on her. I wish she was just as loving towards other cats though.

For those of us that appreciate cloudy weather this scene never gets old. I get excited about cloudy weather as if this type of weather hardly happens, but we know that cloudy weather is a staple in the PNW, still it gets me every time. 

The above cloudy weather brought on a storm. It rained hard late at night which caused a power outage. Power came back on around 5:00 am. I'm glad it did because a cookie bake was planned on this Saturday. 

Riley enjoys helping his dad bake cookies. Sydna grabbing some lunch.

Now adding the icing. I failed to write down what type of cookies they made so I don't have a clue what they're called but I'm sure they were tasty.

This one I know. It was pumpkin cheesecake with crumble. It looks amazing! and I'm sure it was. 

Lila looking pretty.

I had a birthday in October. Riley had the day off for school. After a delicious breakfast we headed N to Redmond and Woodenville. We like taking the scenic route. 

The gorgeous colors of autumn leaves just beg to be displayed.

One of the coziest things to do when it's cloudy and cold is to curl up on the couch and watch a good movie.

After a while though I do feel the need to get up and move around, so we went on a long walk around a couple of neighborhoods.

Spotted these two pretty flowers.

Slow living isn't about doing less; it's about being present in everything you do. It's about connecting deeply with loved ones, nature, and the quiet beauty of daily life. 

This time it was Lila who wanted to sit near me. She's giving me side eye. I love her furry paws. 

Taking the back roads near our home just so I can look at these beauties. Such gorgeous trees.

Nathan dressed up as Bob Ross. So silly.

All ready to head out to a Halloween party.

The devotional book I was reading at the time. (I read it as a book not one devotion a day.) This devotion really caught my attention. We should all heed what it's talking about. We cannot do life on our own. At some point we have to realize that we cannot do life without God.

October was a fun month. It is my favorite month of the year. Anytime I can spend time by the water is always a relaxing enjoyable time for me.

Our lives are made up of time, and the quality of

our existence depends on our wise use of the moments we are given.

A Nature Walk

October 17, 2020

The passion for adventure is always present in me. It especially pulls me to the outdoors after being home for more than a day.

Living in such a state as WA, one has nature at their fingertips and that is a wonderful thing. There are so many places to venture out to, where my mind can be stimulated by just being surrounded by enormous pines, wet ferns, damp moss, and squirrels scurrying about.

There's also the Puget Sound, seagulls, seals and the smell of the ocean (since the Puget Sound is part ocean water and part freshwater). 

Boaters still out enjoying the water and weather in October.

As long as I'm not wearing heels, I am always up for casual walks. The crunching of leaves is such a wonderful sound.

We had stopped at Starbucks prior to arriving at Owens Beach. I decided to give Pumpkin Spice Latte a try for the very first time. I wasn't thrilled about it. I do like pumpkin but definitely not in a hot drink. Jacob likes it though.  

I have the choice about how I'm going to live. No matter how old I get, there are always opportunities, always new things I can learn how to do. If I want to have a fulfilling life I must live my life with intention. Anything worth doing takes hard work. This not only applies in the workforce but in every aspect of life including the choices I make about my health and the food I eat. These two things are intertwined. Walking is a great form of exercise if done consistently. 

I thank God often for creating the heavens and the earth, for the sky, dry land, plant life, and stars. For all good things. It is a privilege to have eyes to see His wonderful works and to enjoy them.

All seasons are beautifully filled with splendid wonders. I feel so blessed to go on nature walks on cloudy days. It is such a joy!

May God grant me many many more years of life to be able to continue to be out in nature, cloudy weather and enjoy the beauty of each season.

Gratitude unleashes the freedom to live content in the 

moment, rather than being anxious about the future or regretting the past.

An Evening Backroad Drive to Enumclaw

October 11, 2020

(These pictures are not the best quality, but I still wanted to share them because I love going on drives especially during Fall weather and I wanted to share the beauty of the evergreens.)

A drive on backroads is always a good idea when there are no other plans. It's a carefree activity and enjoyable. We wanted to drive around a more rural area, so we headed to Enumclaw which is only a 25-minute drive from our home. There's lots of farmland, farm animals and Mt. Rainier looks so pretty from here.

I woke up with a headache and had it mostly all day. I love when it rains so being outside while it's cloudy and raining is such a mood booster for me. My headache quickly went away. 

Positive emotions broaden our perspective of the world. Thus, inspiring more creativity, wonder, and options.

White River

This scene makes me want to stay in a cabin along the river for a night or two.

Driving miles down tall evergreens. I liked looking at the trees as we drove by. I like seeing the denseness a forest provides. It always gets me thinking how unnerving it would be to find myself walking between these tall giants into the night. Noises would definitely startle me. 

The visitors center was closed since we got there after hours. The above picture shows the trail near where we were, but it was sprinkling and we definitely were not prepared for a hike. Plus, it was after 5:00 pm at this point and getting dark. 

Just going on a drive out amongst the pine trees was the perfect outing this time. Taking deep breaths of the crisp air and smelling wet earth is a wonderful thing to experience. 

I love the scent of decaying leaves. Walking on fallen leaves give me a sense of wonder. Spending time in nature makes your brain to be in tune with each moment. I tend to notice every little thing. It heightens my senses, especially sounds and smells and it improves my focus and concentration. 

Time is valuable. Psychiatrist and author M. Scott Peck said, "Until you value yourself, you won't value your time. Until you value your time, you will not do anything with it".

One of the best outings are the spontaneous, relaxing ones.

I've always been drawn to the later seasons of the year,

reveling in the wild autumn winds that send the leaves skittering down the street.

Mundane Moments Are Where the Magic Happens

September 2020

So, if you remember correctly, 2020 was the first year of living life differently than previous years because of covid. 

Most people had to work from home and Riley had virtual school. Still, I had Riley stand outside our front door to get the traditional back to school picture taken.

Parents were sent emails from the school to inform us about the time and date that we needed to drive up to the school to pick up a laptop and school supplies. We knew that this school year would be a struggle.

However, remote learning was no cake walk. I think the teachers had a difficult time teaching via the computer camera and the students, at least my son Riley struggled to stay engaged therefore making it extremely difficult to retain any information that was taught. It was a ridiculous horrible time. I'm just going to say that because of covid and Washington state school system, Riley got about a year and half behind in his studies especially in math. His teachers weren't getting their point across in an effective way, so Riley was left having to try to figure things out on his own. We tried to help but half of the work as still unclear. A lot of back and forth emailing between his teachers and us was going on. 

You can see the frustration in his face. 

The good thing was that his karate class continued. They used to practice at a middle school gym but because schools were closed the Sensei was able to get his students to practice outside at an elementary school. I'm just very thankful to Sensei for not being a stickler and making masks mandatory. Those who chose to wear one did but there were a few that didn't.  

Getting to do karate during this stressful time especially for children was a great distraction and Riley looked forward to it twice a week. 

He was promoted to yellow belt. Here he is participating in his kyu grade belt promotion ceremony. He was so happy about it and so proud of himself for having done all the exercises right.

I like to buy stationary, notepads, post it notes (big and small) and college ruled paper so I can journal. Whenever I see a journal that fits my style I buy it. I have enough of them to last me for several years, but you know, I'll probably get more.

It was a cloudy and sprinkling Saturday. Always the ideal weather to eat something comforting so I made pozole. I am so happy that I learned how to make pozole because this is one of my favorite dishes and now, I can make it whenever I'm craving it and don't have to go to a restaurant to eat some anymore. Such a wonderful thing!

Lila aka peanut probably annoyed to have everyone home all the time when it would just be me and the two cats. 

Sophie encroaching on Jacob's personal space while he helped Riley with his homework. She does love body contact. 

I read this book five years ago and I honestly don't remember how it went so here's the Goodreads summary on it:

When Myriam, a French-Moroccan lawyer, decides to return to work after having children, she and her husband look for the perfect caretaker for their two young children. They never dreamed they would find Louise: a quiet, polite and devoted woman who sings to their children, cleans the family's chic apartment in Paris's upscale tenth arrondissement, stays late without complaint and is able to host enviable birthday parties.

The couple and nanny become more dependent on each other. But as jealousy, resentment and suspicions increase, Myriam and Paul's idyllic tableau is shattered..

I must have thought it was decent because I gave it four stars.

Do you know what Apologetics stands for? Apologetics is a defense of Christian belief that helps to explain and clarify the gospel message.

Christians must be trained and equipped to share the gospel like a love letter. We must not start out arguing. We must start by sharing the story of the gospel persuasively and powerfully. I must admit that at times it is difficult to come up with the right answer quickly when one is unexpectedly confronted by a hostile person demanding answers. But we must get better at being knowledgeable in the Christian faith and being courageous to give a prompt answer.

Equipping kids with an understanding of apologetics is important. It enables kids to confidently deal with the intellectual challenges to Christianity, helping them understand how their faith is grounded in reason. This will help them to stand bold and confident in dealing with their non-Christian peers or anyone for that matter. 

As 1 Peter 3:15 states: But honor the Messiah as Lord in your hearts. Always be ready to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you. We, parents, have to do something to protect our kid's faith. Scripture places a high value on teaching God's truths every day (Deuteronomy 6:6-9).

Back in 2020 these were the only Apologetics books in my collection. I've since added more. I strongly believe that the Bible and Apologetics should go hand in hand. 

The Little Pilgrim's Progress is both a simple adventure story and a profound allegory of the Christian journey through life. I do remember this book and most of all I remember that when I finished reading it to Riley that he was sad that it was over. I have yet to read the Pilgrim's Progress for myself.

All these day-to-day moments are what makes family life more meaningful. When we love, nourish, motivate, encourage, guide, teach, discipline, and be present with our children and spouse has got to be the best way to love and serve them. As mother's that's what we are called to do by God.

When we face choices, it is wise to consider the words of 

Micah 6:8. "He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the 

Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?