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.

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.

Outings Along the Puget Sound

September 19, 2020

It felt so good to sleep in especially on this cloudy morning. It's the perfect weather for it or lingering in bed just for a little while longer. I had made pozole which went perfect with this type of weather. Jacob ran some errands during the day and in the evening, we went to Dunne Peninsula Park in Tacoma to walk off dinner. 

The scenery here is awesome! The clouds were pretty cool too.

This park is fairly new. This area is definitely the perfect spot for a park. 

Such a pretty picture. Those clouds in the back look amazing! I miss being out here. I miss it greatly!

While we were looking out at this view, we saw a seal swimming along and two young deer walking across the slope.

The beauty of the environment God designed for us to live in has the power to move us to tears and gives us a sense of joy and appreciation of life. 

September 26, 2020

This little guy decided to tag a long on a ride with us. Apparently, he's quite strong. It held on from our house until we reached W Seattle, that's a 40 minute drive! I was surprised it didn't fly off when we were driving on the freeway. I'm glad it made it. 

We walked along Alki Trail that's across the Puget Sound with the Seattle skyline in the background. Great photo spot.

It's fun being a tourist in the state you live in. There's always something fun and interesting to do.

The clouds parted enough to let the sunshine through. It felt good to get some vitamin D. 

Western WA is definitely the outdoorsman's paradise. It is extremely easy to stay active here. Endless places to do a myriad of outdoor activities. It is also a great place for the nature lover. 

I'm happy that Riley has gotten to experience such wonderful outings living here in Washington. I hope that when he becomes a father that he will take his own children out to explore the beautiful sights out in nature.

As we walked down Alki Trail I noticed this sticker on the back of a street sign. It was nice to see this out in the open in such a pagan state. 

It's true what the sign says. That's the main purpose for all of us in this world, whether we agree with this or not.  

Nature is the art of God

When my days end with having spent time out in nature, it helps me to feel peaceful and satisfied. There's just something special about the vastness of sky and water, breathing the fresh air that cleanses your lungs. Once attaining a clear mind, it's easy to put things into perspective which helps us to want to be better people. To want to make better choices in our daily lives.

I must learn to manage my life so that I can refill my heart, mind and body on a regular basis. Doing this is essential to good health. For me, one way of doing this is investing in my own soul's need for pleasure. Also, being in constant prayer with God and to see life with a grateful heart is priority for me. I have to be mindful that the way I think about life has a direct impact to my health. Negative thinking does not only affect our mental health (anxiety and depression) but causes a host of other health problems such as stress; reduced motivation and self-esteem; impaired decision making; weaken immune system; sleep problems; digestive and other issues..... We must not allow negative thinking to take hold in our minds. We must dig in God's Word and choose wisely in the things we invest our time in and the foods we eat.

We've been created for more than just counting our days. 

We've been created to make our days count. To live with intention.

Hiking at Discovery Park

August 29, 2020 

When we arrived at Discovery Park, we saw that the parking lot was closed. It was upsetting to see how the powers that be (the governor) tried to control our way of life to the point of instilling fear, and a lot of people fell for it. 

Although the parking lot was closed people parked out on the street .... and so did we. Being out in nature, breathing the clean air and out in the sun (which isn't an everyday occurrence here in WA, lol) is what our bodies should be exposed to and not staying indoors day after day. 

Even in hard times there's a possibility to have fun. 

Cloudy days were made for hiking.

Hiking down is always the easy part. Of course, I had to be careful on the steeper parts, stepping sideways, and walking slow so I wouldn't slip and fall. 

Walking back up is where it becomes challenging. My heart was racing midway through. I had to stop and rest for a minute or two to catch my breath. 

Washington parks along the Puget Sound are the best. They have the best scenery. It's really quite a joy to me. I love it! And the clouds are definitely icing on the cake.

We reached south beach and just enjoyed our walk. 

Walk in nature. Feel the power in your legs. The strength in your lungs. Soak up the sounds of the birds and the wind. Enjoy the scents and the colors of the season.

We saw a pretty bird with a long neck and a seagull. 

The greatest single gift a dad can give to his child is his attention.

It's pretty cool to see driftwood in most of the beaches in Washington.

How nice it would have been to be out in a boat. We never kayaked on the Puget Sound. I was apprehensive about it because of the possibility of coming across orcas/whales and seals. We chose to stick to kayaking at lakes. 

I love trees a lot too.

In nature, nothing is perfect and everything is perfect. Trees can be contorted, bent in weird ways, and they're still beautiful.

Patriotism is supporting your country all the time,

and your government when it deserves it. 

Mark Twain