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

Random Photos from November

November 2020

Every Autumn I look forward to seeing the leaves make their wondrous transformation. And every Autumn I am fascinated by the beautiful colors they display. It fills me with joy seeing the colors of Autumn so vibrant. There is no doubt that God is the ultimate artist. 

I am blessed for this awesome experience. I am aware that not everyone gets the opportunity to see  deciduous trees up close in autumn.

I love going on walks when the weather is cloudy. This was an after-dinner walk. We had just walked down our street when I looked back and saw how cool the evening sky looked. I had to take a picture. I love how it came out. Yes, the sky was that dark. I don't use filters on my pictures.

Walking on crisp fallen leaves and hearing the crunch is a joyful experience that brings comfort and a deep connection to nature. I love it all.

I read that having hobbies are very beneficial for our brains because they lower stress hormones and improve emotional wellbeing. Hobbies are also mental stimulating activities which create a defense system that delays memory decline and cognitive aging. 

One of my hobbies besides reading is journaling by longhand. It helps me to focus better and allows me to process my feelings in a deeper and calm way. 

I like to cozy up my space when I journal. I light candles, get a comforting (and sometimes healthy) snack and I have calm music playing in the background. It's important to be intentional about creating an environment that brings me peace. I tend to get so engrossed with journaling that often times I lose track of time. I LOVE that. This brings me joy. It makes me feel content and satisfied.

Energy flows as I busy myself with constructive activity. 

Sophie knows better than to sit on my bookcase. Look at her, she knows she's guilty. That's why she's looking back at me that way.

In our home we love to coddle our cats. Nathan is loving on Lila. Lila likes it even though she pretends to be a tough girl.

I haven't made an official blog post about us moving out of Washington. That will come at a later time. This October will be four years since we moved. We miss WA terribly. Aside from my two oldest children still living there, I miss the cloudy/rainy weather, parks/trails, the Puget Sound/ferry, and the North Oregon coast the most. 

Seeing our previous house brings back a lot of great memories. Even though change is inevitable, assimilating to a new environment can be tough in a new city; whether it's the climate, people, or the way of life.

Although it is constantly cloudy in Washington and there's light rain on most days, fog was something that we didn't get every single day. I like fog but after two days of it I noticed that my eyes would take a second to adjust to it whenever I began driving. Fog would put a heaviness on my eyes. Once home I was glad not to be out driving in it. Fog has its own beauty too though.

Virtual school was one of the lamest things we have experienced, especially for my son. For an adult, being in front of a monitor for hours is tedious tiring work now imagine how stressful it was for children during the pandemic. And don't get me started on whether or not they benefited from being taught via a monitor. My son fell back so much on learning during this time. The teachers didn't seem equipped to handle this rapid change either. Riley hated it and I don't blame him not one bit!

Driving past the Tacoma Dome on our way to a restaurant for dinner. I like to eat at different locations when it comes to restaurants. I like a change of scenery. I guess I like to go on car rides and take the long way to a location, at least most of the time I do. 

The ordinary days often become the memories we ache to return to. They matter because they tend to make up most of our lives. 

I've realized that the most important luxuries

in my life are family, slow mornings, home cooked

meals, spending time in nature, and expressing myself

though creativity.

Kansas Trip Part 3

November 27, 2020

After a six-day visit with the in-laws it was time to head back home. We were on the road by 10:50 am. It was a sunny cold day, 44 degrees. 

We drove all the way home this time. I didn't want to fly plus we do enjoy road trips. We made stops at rest areas to stretch our legs and use the restroom. 

Driving on long stretches of road definitely gives you time to think. One of our conversations was about coming up with male cat names for a possible cat in the near future. We wanted to stick with traditional regular men names. This is what we came up with: Virgil, Wyatt, Franklin, Atticus and Donald. Fast forward six years, and the name we picked was Franklin (after Benjamin Franklin).

Jacob always begins driving on our road trips and most of the time he'll drive the entire time but sometimes when he gets too tired that's when I end up taking over.

We stopped for the night in Loveland Colorado, had dinner and headed to the hotel to call it a night. I didn't get good sleep. Had a restless night.

November 28, 2020, Saturday

I can see snow-capped mountains, pretty. We were on the road by 8:22 am. We drove past Fort Collins. It's a cute town. We saw lots of cows. I find cows so cute.

By 9:17 am we crossed into Wyoming. We stopped in Rawlins for lunch. Pizza is always a fun choice. We love pizza. Pizza Hut used to be our favorite. I loved their buttery crust on their pan pizzas but while we ate, we noticed that the pizza crust didn't quite taste the same, so we googled it and read that Pizza Hut had changed their recipe the year before in 2019 after 40 years with the original recipe. So after we discovered this we no longer eat Pizza Hut pizza. I wonder why they even had to change it. I don't know if they have gone back to the original recipe.

It was sunny and quite cold, 33 degrees.

We stopped in Evanston for some coffee and to swap. We then got gas and here's where I saw a couple of dead deer on the back of a truck. It was my first time seeing this. It was hunting season. I don't agree with killing for sport but if it's to feed your family then it's fine. It still doesn't make it less sad though. I hated seeing that. 

We crossed into Utah at 4:37 pm. 

Driving on the Dwight D. Eisenhower Hwy. I like how the side of the hills look.

The sunset drive paints the landscape with vibrant orange hues turning our drive into an awesome experience. It definitely looked a lot cooler in person. 

We stopped at Brigham City for the night. Got Mexican take out, took it back to our hotel and ate. Afterwards we walked over to a Christmas village that was near the hotel. 

It was cute. It was very nostalgic, of long-ago times. Seeing all that reminded me of my childhood. I remember my mom would have us get dressed in our Christmas clothes and head over to one of the malls to see Christmas decorations that contained moving figurines. It is unfortunate that malls don't decorate with nostalgic Christmas animatronics anymore. I'm sure people would enjoy seeing them.

I liked this display of books by the window ... obviously.

Another very cold night. 

November 29, 2020, Sunday

Our goal is to make it home today. We were on the road by 8:10 am, sunny and 25 degrees. When I got my water to take a drink I noticed tiny pieces of ice in it. 

We saw sheep on the side of the hills. They blended in so well that you wouldn't be able to spot them in a picture. 

We stopped at the Bliss rest area. It was windy, we were freezing. We saw several people wearing shorts and t-shirts though. Crazy! 

We stopped in Boise Idaho for lunch at Bittercreek Ale House. We enjoyed our meals. The burger was very tasty. But now, it was time get back on the road. We couldn't wait to get home!

Snake River ... it borders between Oregon and Idaho.

These hills remind me of the way suede feels. I love these colors.

We came across a bit of snow on the side of the road. We saw that an SUV had hit a deer and it lay dead on the side of the road. That's very sad. 

We stopped at Arrowhead Travel Plaza so I can take over driving. It was already dark and cold, 36 degrees. 

We crossed over into Washington at 5:40 pm.

GPS took us on a back road and that's when fog became extremely thick. I could not see but one car in front of me. That stretch of the drive seem to have taken an eternity. I finally came across the freeway. Semi drivers were passing me up like if it wasn't foggy. It was SO nerve-wracking driving through that. It felt like I was going to hit a wall. 

We finally made it home by 10:12 pm. What a relief. Driving through that thick fog really wore me out!

We were so thankful we made it home safely and happy to see our older children and our cats. 

There is nothing better than being home after being gone on vacation. Looking forward to getting back into my daily routines especially to have home cooked meals is one of the best feelings. I also couldn't wait to enjoy some time alone visiting a bookstore and going thrifting. These are some of the ways I destress.

Homemaking is surely in reality the most important work in the world. -C.S. Lewis

The best things in life are the people you love, the 

places you've been and the memories you've made along the way.

Kansas Trip Part 2

November 25, 2020

We woke up to snow. Strong winds stopped at about 1:00 am. We stayed the morning inside cozy and warm while Jacob made us all breakfast. Moments like these are to be taken in their fullness. Anything that evokes a sense of coziness are some of the moments I look forward to in life. 

After we had breakfast and lunch we visited Greensburg's museum. Here we learned a bit of the town's history especially of the infamous  F5 tornado and the devastation it left behind.

The aftermath of the chaotic tornado caused people to leave but others stayed and rebuild.

There's a cute nostalgic ice cream parlor just before one enters the town's museum. My husband and his parents love sweets so naturally we stopped for some ice cream scoops. The library is just across the hallway. I was surprised that it's a decent size library for such a small town. I wish I would have had the time to browse.

Being here visiting family made us realize how much we cherish the power of family bonds and God's abundant blessings. Being intentional with family is what life is truly about ... creating memories.

After we had our ice cream we stopped by the town's water tower, the Big Well. The water tower was also destroyed as were most of the buildings during the May 4, 2007 tornado. It since has been rebuilt and showcases pictures of that fateful night.

This well is the world's largest hand-dug well, built in 1887. The well survived the event and remains a central attraction.

Here we are at the very top of the tower.

... here we are looking down at the well.

And here's us looking up.

It was quite an informative day. We enjoyed learning all the town's history and browsing their souvenirs.

THANKSGIVING 2020

The snow didn't stick around for long. The following day we walked over to the park to stretch our legs. Surprisingly it wasn't windy but mostly sunny and cold.

A father is respected because he gives his children leadership .... Appreciated because he gives his children care .... Valued because he gives his children time .... Loved because he gives his children the one thing they treasure most -- himself.

After the park we were chilled to the bone so we got cozy on the couch and enjoyed the rest of our slow afternoon waiting for the turkey to be ready.

Now that I look back, I just realized I hardly took any pictures of the day. 

This was Riley's serving. One green bean, lol! I don't have a picture of my plate or of the kitchen with all the delicious food. 

I am sure we had some type of dessert. I just can't remember what it was.

I "borrowed" this picture from my MIL. This is the only picture that was taken of all of us on this Thanksgiving day. 

We are thankful that we got to spend Thanksgiving with family. Ultimately, it is not about the food but the gathering in love and worship for all that has been given to us.

Rejoice always, pray continually, give

thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

- 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV