The Joy of Food

July 11, 2020

Because of the pandemic, some restaurants chose to close their lobby and only offer take-out.

Twenty twenty (and the following four years) sure brought a lot of strife to our society and within a lot of families. What was mind-blowing was the blatant disrespect some people had about others for not conforming to a despotic administration's requirements about what we should or shouldn't be doing.  Living in a blue state definitely made living life feel more oppressive than living in a red state especially during this time. If you didn't have a mask on even outside, even out walking along the water where there's a lot of room for people to walk far from each other, you would still get stared at and you would even hear whispers from those bolder people criticizing the unmasked people. It sure happened to us about every time we would go out on walks or hit the trails. Being outside in the open air exercising is the safest and best way to stay healthy. I just can't understand these people way of thinking.

The best one can do is ignore such behavior and give thoughtful attention to the beauty around us. And so that's what we did. After all, other people's behavior is none of my concern. 

Summers in the PNW are mild and wonderful. Here we were on a cloudy July day. To me, that's the icing on the cake. So, we got take-out from Pagliacci and had a picnic along the Puget Sound in W Seattle.

A perfect description on how to dress during Summer in the PNW ... shorts and flip flops/sandals and a light jacket/sweater. At night though, it may become chilly.

Riley was a bit chubby at this age. 

I love pineapple on my pizza. I usually get pineapple, pepperoni and mushrooms and a good amount of crushed red peppers. I know a lot of people would say that pineapple doesn't go on pizza, but it tastes wonderful to me. 

We hung out here for a while. We spotted a few people on paddle boards and a windsurfer. 

Across the water you have Maury Island that's connected to Vashon Island. Vashon being the larger of the two.

And you're definitely bound to spot a ferry in W Seattle. Ferry's are so cool! I sure miss being on one.

The following day which was Sunday and after church we stopped by Dairy Freeze in Sumner for lunch. We invited our in-laws to come along with us.

Food, whether it's home cooked meals or eating out every now and then fosters tradition which can create wonderful memories. 

I'm pretty sure I had a burger. We used to come here for their shakes mostly. 

The following Friday we went out to eat at Moctezuma's. They required masks so I wore my face wrap. What was so foolish was that they ask you to wear a mask then once you're seated you can take it off then when you leave you have to put it on again. Ay ya yay! Eye roll. (Riley's face, lol)

We opted to eat outdoors. It was a sunny day so why not. Their chips and salsa are so good! Salsa is on the spicier side though which doesn't bother me. I usually get the same thing, barbacoa nachos. Very delicious as well. 

I wish I knew the recipe to their salsa. I know Jacob and I would love to make it at home. 

Eating out is about having fun. Having a good time and enjoying the moment. 

There is no love sincerer than the love of food.

Much to Be Enjoyed

June 27, 2020

***** Elliott Bay on W Seattle

Prioritize your joy. Be intentional about giving yourself something to look forward to.

A good way to spend the day is to be near water in my opinion. This picture was taken in late June and look at that sky. Can you believe it? How wonderful. 

After eating at Moctezuma for lunch we drove to Elliott Bay in W Seattle. 

It was just nice spending time by the Puget Sound especially during the pandemic. One didn't have to endure the stares from people for not having a mask on. Although, seeing people wearing masks when they're out in nature makes them look quite questionable. Makes no sense.

Jacob expressing his love for me. What a sweet guy.

We walked along Alki trail for a bit. This trail is quite long but it was very enjoyable just looking out at the water, ferry, and people enjoying their day.

Such a cute face.

***** Snoqualmie 

We skipped visiting Snoqualmie Falls this time, but we did stop at the outlets and got ourselves caramel apples from the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. I am a big fan. They are so delicious! That's the best way to eat an apple if you want to know the truth. 

I love seeing the low clouds over the mountains. 

Yum!

Tunnels make me uncomfortable. The SR 99 tunnel in Seattle is two miles long and that's just too long for me. I would ask Jacob to take a different route whenever we were in Seattle but this time he drove through it. I hated it.

We took a bit of the scenic route getting to where we needed to go. Seattle is that pretty (well, on the surface and in the nicest parts that is). This is the floating bridge.

Then we drove through the middle of downtown.

Finally, we stopped at Gas Works Park.

This urban park features and industrial plant-turned children's play area as well as a beautiful picnic area. It overlooks lake Washington and downtown Seattle.

I remember standing up on this hill with the wind on my face looking at the scene in front of me with favor. As far as being out and about and going on adventures, Washington is a pretty cool state to live in.

There are endless things to do without spending any or much money. Every weekend can be filled with fun outings, from hitting the touristy parts to a secluded park or stretch along the Puget Sound. For us, no matter what we did, we usually spent a portion of our day or ended our day with views of the Puget Sound or at one of the lakes. We definitely like to immerse ourselves out in nature.

When you discover something that nourishes your soul and

brings joy, care enough about yourself to make room for it in your life. 

Out Doing Things We Enjoy

 April 2020

(Again, I'm glad I journal my days. Given we're now in Sept. 2023 there is just no way I would remember every single event, feeling or thought from three years ago.)

I love waking up to a cloudy or rainy sky. I can't help but to linger in bed, enjoying being cozy and warm. This Saturday was exactly like this. Felt so good. It was a chilly day. It's still quite cold in April here. 

We headed to Lincoln Park in W Seattle. As we arrived, we noticed the gate to the parking lot was locked. It's really unfortunate that officials choose not to accept facts. They don't want people gathering in order to help stop "the spread" but being outside in the open air is a good thing.  Although the parking lot was closed people found parking elsewhere. It was good seeing people out enjoying their day. 

Just being by the water is so restorative to one's well-being. Breathing in the fresh air and looking around the beautiful scenery is so calming. I can't help but to become full of gratitude about all that God has done for me and in our lives. I always leave spending time by the water in a better frame of mind. 

I want Riley to appreciate nature. To respect it. To enjoy it no matter the weather. I've noticed that when we spend the day out in nature, he's in a good mood. He forgets to complain about petty things. Skipping rocks and noticing wildlife is always a fun way to create meaningful moments while out in nature.

The ferry is always fun to ride and to just look at. It's so cool that WA has ferry boats. I think they're great. We lived in WA for ten years and we never grew tired of them. Not even when we had to wait an hour to board one.

We stopped for some doughnuts as one usually craves something sweet with a cup of coffee on a cold day. We didn't eat them right away though. We ate them after dinner at home.

Our final stop was at California Burrito in Federal Way. They have really good carne asada burritos although they sometimes have pieces of fat which I hate so before I eat mine, I open it and take out any fatty pieces, wrap it back up and enjoy. It's so much better this way.

We had plans on going to the beach, but Riley woke up with a cough, so we stayed close to home. Jacob took a back road that lead us near the Mt. Rainier area.

I love seeing green pastures and cows grazing. I've never experienced living the farm life but I would guess it's such a gratifying way to live even though it takes such hard work. 

Driving on an unpaved back road. I remember that Jacob was driving very slow on this road because he had just bought his car and didn't want the loose gravel to scrape the sides of his car. It took forever to reach the end of the road.

We kept driving and found snow. It was a pretty sight. The road kept going but we came across a locked gate. Back down we go.

I would say that half of our weekend outings consist of just getting in the car and going for a drive. A lot of the times what we end up doing happens spontaneously. These outings are just as much fun as a planned one. What's important is the memories we create along the way.

The simpler we make our lives, the more abundant they become.

An Unhurried Day

(late november 2017)

the day after thanksgiving is always a
quiet one ... at least in our home. we don't do
black friday, we rather hang out somewhere by the
water. minimal people out so it's quite lovely to hang out
without the noise. peaceful.

it was a cold day. after a pleasant stroll
we warmed ourselves with a good cup of coffee.

once home we set out the ginger bread
house kit and got to work. better yet, Riley and
Jacob got to work. i think i helped with placing a few
candy decorations. i was busy making felt partridge birds to
hang on our Christmas tree. when a craft catches my eye i am completely
devoted to seeing it through its entirety. i really enjoy being engaged in something
fun and home made. i'm sure i'll share them soon in a post.

i like to keep busy. that is, a good kind of
busy. not a rushed or overwhelmed busy but busy
in the sense that i want to be totally engulfed in the current
season. keeping busy doing pleasant things. keeping my mind stimulated.
and taking a nap every now and then of course.

i started a new tradition for myself. i began buying
Christmas theme books in the Fall and the goal is to try
to read them all by january 1st. the one i couldn't get to was
billy graham's book. i hope to add it to next Christmas reading stack.

(given that i'm writing this post ten months later i have
learned quite a bit about unbiblical doctrine and i am so glad
i did. Voskamp is one of those unbiblical authors that has come
to my attention. there are so many popular Christian authors that have
a large following and have written a lot of books. when authors begin to change
doctrine to fit their narrative that's when one has to be careful, and just because these
authors write so eloquently doesn't mean that what they are teaching is sound doctrine. i
will write more on this topic every now and then as i continue to learn more about it and will
share it on here.)

i was thrilled when my patriotic Christian Christmas
cards arrived in the mail. since i love God, my country, and
Christmas i thought, why not look for a Christmas card that show
all three. i was so happy when i came across it. isn't it such a perfect
combination? i sure think so!!!

i love thanksgiving leftovers. i especially
love to make myself little sandwiches with turkey
and cranberry sauce on those delicious yeast rolls. they are
oh so good! and with some sweet potato casserole on the side. i
actually eat that as my dessert. it's that good to me.

autumn's going out of business due to threat of snow

goldenrod and aster chrysanthemum must go. bumblebee's

out browsing nectar's almost gone, it's autumn's final

bargain days with winter coming on.

Delight in the Views

Once we like something especially food we re-visit that place about every two weeks. During the summer we were on a gyro kick. We would first stop to get something that Riley would eat then head on over to Pike Place where the gyro place is at.

We love it when we finally find a restaurant/location where they have delicious food. Like now after four years we have our favorite locations for Pizza, hamburgers, chinese food, taco shop, fish and chips, and now gyro's. A couple of these locations are in Seattle, South of Seattle and Astoria Oregon. We have a good time whenever we plan on going to any of these locations because that means that more than likely we will make an fun outing out of it.

When we lived in Tucson we never found a gyro location that we liked or a chinese food location. So whenever we would visit San Diego (which was about every few months) we would stop at our favorite greek food place to fill our craving.

Sydna and Nathan don't really go on many outings with us anymore. Expected and we're fine by it but it's good to have them around every now and then. Sydna was at work and Nathan had a day off so he came along with us.
Gosh, Nathan had a major growth spurt this past summer, puberty kicking in full blast finally for this guy. His voice completely changed and he was finally getting taller ... the change was like night and day with this one.

We don't usually visit the famous (disgusting) gum wall when we're at Pike Place but decided to this time, it had been a while.
A couple of years ago when my parents visited we brought them here and my dad placed his gum on the wall, lol. I've never done it.

We walked down to the waterfront. It's not far just crowded with tourists.
It's nice there are places to sit to enjoy the view. I seriously could have stayed here for a couple of hours but if I remember correctly the sun was kinda burning the left side of my face so after about fifteen minutes I had to seek some shade. Riley was busy trying to coax seagulls to come close to him but since he didn't have any food he wasn't having any luck.

Nice isn't it?

This squid statue is across from the Aquarium.

One evening we got Pagliaci pizza and had a picnic in W Seattle. It's a decent stretch of road as you're nearing the restaurants area. There's a sandy area where there's usually volleyball going on then there's a community center and on the other side of that it's all grass and picnic tables. The grass side is where it's the most chill and where I prefer to hang out at ... Riley prefers the sandy side so we usually let him play for a bit then head over to the grass area.

He's always keeping his dad busy. Makes me happy to see Jacob and Riley doing things together.

These were the last days of summer. Soon we would be back to school routine once again and time to slow down.

Give thanks for the simple things in life.