These Days

 June 2020

Living through the pandemic emphasized the importance of health, family, and the appreciation of a new day. Being told to stay home, and because a sedentary lifestyle adds no real benefit to our physical and mental state, on weekends we continued to spend time outdoors, breathing the fresh air, moving our bodies, and getting as much natural vitamin D as one can hope for living in the PNW. 

Riley was in need of tennis shoes so we decided to drive to Olympia (which is about a 50 minute drive South) for a change of scenery. Afterwards we hung out by the marina where we spied mussels, sea stars, clams, and birds.

These clouds are so cool to look at. I have always thought that a sky that has clouds, and preferably clouds in different shades of gray makes for such an interesting and gorgeous sky ... otherwise just looking at an all blue sky to me is quite dull. 

I have to remind myself to make an appearance in pictures every now and then or else there won't be any pictures of myself for my children to look at. I'm here with my loving husband.

See what I mean about a grayish sky? BEAUTIFUL!

A huge military plane flew right across the freeway on our way towards home. I am fascinated about all things military.

We had heard on the news that rioters were rioting at a mall in town. We drove by it a day later and we did noticed barricades which I'm sure did nothing to deter these destructive people and we saw broken glass doors that were already boarded up. It's such a shame that police are ordered to not use excessive force with these people. They are clearly not peaceful protesters but the opposite. They are not only destroying property but inciting fear and are violent towards people. Unfortunately, a lot of these rioters have gotten away with their crimes.

We always strive to do fun things with Riley especially during this period in time. In the afternoon we went to a park and he and Jacob shot each other with nerf guns. The bullets come out with force. They hurt, lol.         

After running around for a while it was time for dinner. We love this taco shop. Their carne asada is the BEST around in WA. Truly! Their salsa is extremely spicy though. I like spicy salsa but even this one is just too spicy for me. 

One day during the week after Jacob was off from work and after dinner we went to Redondo Beach and spent some time there. Just spending time out by the water helps clear our mind and readjust our thinking. It's a good distressor for sure.  Thankful that we can just go on a short drive to enjoy such a view.

Discussing rock throwing techniques. It's a pastime of theirs. 

A kayaker. I love to kayak. It's invigorating and exciting to me. One thing I was apprehensive about doing was to kayak in the Puget Sound because of the different types of whales and the seals that are often spotted there. We would kayak in one of the lakes where we wouldn't encounter said mammals.

Lovely sky! I wish I was there right now.

One of the greatest blessings in my life are the memories I hold in my heart. This is the very reason why we choose to continue to create new experiences in life even during challenging times. One shouldn't permit obstacles to destroy ones happiness and well-being. Because if we do, if we are kept out of our native element we will suffocate.

As long as God continues to bless me with a new day, an able body and sharp mind I will honor Him by continuing to take care of my body, create new memories with loved ones and devote time alone with Him in prayer and meditation.

Have joy in the midst of a broken world.

Unplanned Escapades

end of January 2019

When we have no plans and the day is still young we sometimes go for a drive on a whim. We drove North East to the outlets at Snoqualmie to pick up caramel apples then we decided to drive up to Snoqualmie Pass. It's a popular spot for skiers which has multiple ski lifts.

I've always loved the way low clouds look over mountains.

It was only but a few minutes of driving on the freeway when we all of a sudden came across snow.

Unfortunately we didn't have snow boots so we didn't really walk on snow much.

It was very hazy up here.

Jacob is always cold so he was glad there was a fire pit where he could warm up.

It was pretty darn cold but Riley wanted to throw a few snowballs before going back to the car.

It's a cool spot to hang out at but I wish it was more family friendly. This place caters mostly to adults.



A weekend later we drove down South to Olympia. We wanted to go see farm animals so we stopped by Lattins. This is the apple cider farm we visit for the Easter egg hunt. We were bummed that all the goats were not around only fowl. Turkeys are funky looking but cool just the same.

Cute duckies!

It was a short visit to Lattin's given there weren't many animals to see. We drove to a park along the water. We brought lunch and picnicked in the back of my car. Did you know that the Puget Sound ends in Olympia? It's amazing what a large body of water the Puget Sound is. Gorgeous one at that too.

And the skipping rock tradition continues. They've been doing this activity since as long as I can remember.

So after eating our food and the boys skipped rocks we were ready to leave when my car wouldn't start. There was also a car next to us that wasn't starting either. We had forgotten that the cold weather drains out car batteries. So Jacob had to call roadside assistance. We waited for 45 minutes, got a jump start and headed home. Jacob dropped me off at home then went to Costco to get a new car battery.

Fun little escapades are some of my favorite. I'm always looking for areas where we can walk around in and take in the beauty of the trees and the water. Outings bring me so much joy.

I like to make plans (or go on spontaneous outings) so we can enjoy all the beautiful and fun things God has created and provided for us. In my opinion, outings ... enjoying life, balances out the seriousness that life brings. I like being intentional about enjoying life and having fun because becoming complacent has got to be one of the worst things we can do for ourselves, both physically and mentally.

All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.

Out and About

Lattin's is a fun place to go hang out for a bit. We mainly go to feed the ducks and goats. They also have a country store where they make and sell a number of pastries. I usually get the apple cider donuts.

Riley has a lot of fun here. We love spending time with the cute farm animals ... and I especially love the slow pace of farm life.

Jacob and I personally love ducks. As a matter of fact he's so set on buying a few from this place and have them live in our backyard. Only one problem though ... our backyard is not big so I don't think that will be a good idea.

I'm sure these goats get fed but every time we come here they behave as if they are starving. They push each other and quite hard too so I make sure that the bullies are the last ones to get some feed.

Can't help but giggle as the goats eat out of your hand. Their little lips tickle as the nibble.

Given that Lattin's is in Olympia, which is about a forty minute drive, we make sure we find other things to do so we can make it a day. After we left Lattin's we stopped by a park and let Riley play for a while.

We got home just before dinner. Nathan's birthday had been a few days ago and as part of his birthday present they also choose the restaurant of their choice. Nathan likes to go to The Spaghetti Factory so that's where we went.

Looking at my kids I can't believe how much they've grown. I think Sydna and Nathan look so much alike. They both work at the same place and even customers have noticed the similarities. I think it's interesting at how much their faces have changed though. When Sydna and Nathan were little they looked so much like me. They had a rounded forehead and a chubby nose but now their foreheads and noses have changed and as they've grown I think they are looking more like their father. Sydna gives Jacob a hard time and tells him that if her nose ends up looking like his that she'll get plastic surgery, lol. They both have a similar sense of humor so he knows that it's all in good fun.

When we lack proper time for simple pleasures

of life, for the enjoyment of eating, drinking, playing,

creating, visiting friends and family, and watching children

at play, then we have missed the purpose of life. Not on

bread alone do we live but on all these human and

heart-hungry luxuries.

Easter Egg Hunt 2016

Our Easter started out cloudy with a few sprinkles and a bit cold. Happy that we dressed appropriately so I wasn't worried about getting cold. I also even brought a change of clothes for Riley which I only pack an extra outfit when we're gone for most of the day.
Riley had fallen asleep on our drive to the farm.

At first we hesitated to wake him because we didn't want him to wake up grumpy. Jacob gently nudged his arm and after about a minute he finally woke up and as he looked around he realized we were at the farm and was eager to see all the farm animals.

One of the cool things about spring is that besides seeing trees and flowers in bloom we also get to see lots of baby animals.

These little guys were only six days old. They are so cute when they're babies but once they grow up these guys are kinda funky looking.

Then these little ducks didn't want to be held at all. All they wanted to do was to squeeze themselves between these hay bales.

After feeding this mama goat a couple of times then as we tried to feed the white goat, we quickly realized that this black one is a straight bully. Whenever we attempted to feed the white one the black one would headbutt the white one on it's side or they would both butt heads. So we figured that if we distracted the black one then we could feed the white one.

Then this baby goat came by and it was obvious that this was black mama goats kid. She had no problem with us feeding it.

After a while we decided to move along. We've had enough of that black goat bully.  We found more and quite enjoyed feeding them all. At one point Riley wasn't careful, he got too close and one goat grabbed the feed bag. Riley didn't know what to do but good thing Jacob was close by and was able to snatch it back.

Then the same thing happened to a lady and her two little girls but when it happened the lady had a look of complete fright on her face, it was quite funny. She even ran towards one of the farm workers to let them know about it, LOL! wow! We were cracking up.

Looks like Nathan is feeding the goat one oat at a time. That's funny. Guess he didn't want to get slobber all over his hand.

Lattin's had several food trucks on sight. We got ourselves smoked bbq pulled pork sandwiches. They were seriously delicious! I can still remember my first bite. It immediately brought back memories of when we lived in TX and being out in the country. We loved it!! I also had nachos and this time I did bring my own jalapeños. Ah!!! Everything was so good!

Shortly after we were done eating it was getting time to do the Easter egg hunt. There were so many kids. Riley was SO ready. He said he was gonna go super fast so he could get to them all before everyone else, lol. He's so cute and funny.
These next two pictures I completely love. I just LOVE his little smile and seeing him so happy.

Aw, what a sweetheart!

So as soon as the horn blew -off they all went. Several 5 year olds crossed over to the big kids side. I got so nervous that I sprinted right behind him, trying to catch up to him. Good thing he didn't get bumped by one of the big kids.

Unfortunately, he wasn't able to get many eggs. He was a little disappointed about it. It was funny too because of what he had said just before the egg hunt began. Jacob and I couldn't stop laughing {of course, not in front of him}. I wish I had taken a picture of him after the egg hunt was over so I could post a before & after picture. You guys would have cracked up.
Phew, glad that commotion was over.

It was still early in the day so I told Jacob that we should go to the park right next to the marina. I wanted to be next to the water and also so Riley could run and climb and get himself worn out before driving back home.
I saw several house boats. I don't think I would want to live in one. Probably be nauseous 24/7.

Later on in the evening Jacob and Riley dyed a few eggs. I just like to observe. Never really been a fan of engaging in this kind of activity.

After discussing our day both Jacob and I agreed that this was our last time going to Lattin's for the Easter egg hunt. Maybe next year we'll go to a different place or maybe just go to one of the islands and hang out all day by the water and possibly do our own egg hunt in the sand instead.
It's just that overcrowded places are not our thing.