a day by the sea...

"When anxious, uneasy and bad thoughts come, I go to the sea, and the sea drowns them out with its great wide sounds, cleanses me with its noise, and imposes a rhythm upon everything in me that is bewildered and confused."
- Rainer Maria Rilke

We have had a long last few months. A death in the family. The holidays. A lot of work... Matt working 6 days a week, and me working my mommy job and my 'real job' (my mommy job, in my opinion is my real job, just so you know)! So, I told everyone we needed a family day! It has been raining cats and dogs for months upon months I swear... so when the weather guy said there would be a sunny day today, I didn't hesitate, I knew exactly how we should spend it. A day at the beach... Ahhhh, yes. A day to play, relax, and take Lola for her first outing to the beach! Unfortunately, the weather guy was wrong, there was little sun, and yet plenty of the wet stuff. Oh, well. When handed a lemon, what can you do? Squeeze it and make some glorious lemonade! So, that's what we did.

Took the lovely scenic drive to the coast.
Ate fish and chips at our favorite little spot.
Did a bit of shopping and a bit of ice cream eating.
Then, it was time for the beach.
We played.
We laughed.
Lola ran, and ran, and ran.
Matt got to play with his new doggy as he has been dying to since we adopted her at the end of January.
The girls played in the water as if it was the sunniest, warmest, Oregon coast day.
I sat in my chair, bundled in layers, and a wool blanket, and had a ball taking pictures of the whole thing!




Lola traveled like a champ on her first big car ride.
She was in heaven once she was let off her leash to run, chase, and dig.



This guy here... he was happy.
Seeing him happy, makes me happy.
He needed a day to be at peace, be with those he loves the most, and the place he loves the most!



A beach day was the perfect way to kick off their Spring Break. Especially since there really isn't a whole lot that we have planned to do.
I swear give these girls a beach and they could be happy all day long!
Seeing them happy, makes me happy!
They needed a day to play, to be with both of their parents, and have our undivided attention!



I love when I can catch really sweet sisterly moments between these two.
They don't happen all the time, but oh when they do, it makes my heart swell.
Meritt fell hiney first into the water. She was soaked up to her chest. Her sister calmly walked her all the way up the beach to mom and dad to kiss her tears away, and get her to some dry clothes! It was very sweet.

We got dry.
Bundled into the car.
Took the scenic drive back through the mountains, and home.
Ate dinner at one of our favorite spots.
Came home and cuddled and read.
It was a perfect day, with my three perfect loves, and my sweet Lola Bug Girl!



Linking up with Blessed Little Nest for Life Made Lovely Monday's!

days 4, 5, 6, & 7...

Days 4 and 5 in Maui were spent by me spending alot of time in the bathroom or over a trash can getting REALLY sick. Unfortunately I either got a rather bad virus, or some nasty food poisoning. Day four was just about getting sick. Day five was just about sleeping if off... (seriously I slept like 18 hours that day) My pour husband was a total trooper, and a sweetheart taking care of me. He even dined out alone, because even the mere smell of food made me sick.

Luckily by day six I was feeling better, so we spent the day hanging at the beach. I spent the day lounging on a chair by the ocean sipping Gatorade to re-hydrate, and Matt spent the day in the ocean discovering he loves to snorkel.

Day seven, we were headed home. We checked out of our hotel, ate a farewell breakfast at our favorite little spot, got some vacation photos printed at Costco for Bella before the airport, and then it was to the airport, and up in the sky to home we go (went).

And even though two of the days really stunk. The rest of our trip was really amazing. One I will never forget!

Thank you honey, for such an awesome trip! And thank you Grandma 'D' and Grammy and Papa for babysitting so we could go have some alone time! Your the best. XOXO

day three on Maui...

Day three of our trip on Maui, just so happened to be our 10th wedding anniversary. We contemplated what we wanted to do on our day, and after some thinking we thought we wanted to do something we would really remember (rather than just a day being lazy at the beach). Two and a half years ago when we visited Maui, we came across a restaurant called Pacific'O. We fell in love. It was the most amazing food, in the most amazing setting. We became regulars during our visit, and got to know the wait staff pretty well. After visiting with them we found out that they are the only restaurant on the island that has a farm that is dedicated only to growing food for them and their other restaurant I'o. Not only do they farm almost all of their foods, they are also grow all of their foods organically, and sustainably. Really cool! Anyway, we found out that they do tours of their farm. Unfortunately that trip we didn't have enough time to go, but we knew if we ever visited again that we would really love to visit their farm. So, this time we did! We spent the morning of our anniversary touring their lovely 8 acre farm where they grow their own coffee, stone and tropical fruits, and many many veggies! After the tour, we enjoyed a terrific lunch prepared by the farm's on chef. It was delicious, and so much fun!

Later that day, we did get to spend some lazy time on the beach, swimming, and sunbathing. After we were done loafing on the beach, we enjoyed a romantic dinner at our favorite restaurant EVER... Pacific'O. If you are ever in Maui, GO! I can't stress to you how wonderful it is! So, that was day three of our trip, it will definitely be remembered always! For more info check out their websites... HERE

day one and two on Maui...

I'm home! (technically we're home, and technically we got home Monday at about 11:30pm - details, smeetails) Anywho, I'm finally getting back to normal since I've been gone. Alot of stuff piles up to do when you're gone for a week and unplugged from the world. But, oh how I recommend it! Unplugging, surrounding yourself in a beautiful place with someone you love, is good for ones soul!!!

We had a GREAT time (except for an encounter I had with a 48 hour food poisoning, but even so, it was an amazing trip!) These are photos from our first two days on Maui. We stepped off the air plane, got our rental car, and headed down the 50 mile road to Hana. For those of you that aren't familiar with Maui, the road to Hana is a very narrow, winding road, with 50+ one-way bridges, that basically takes you up one side of the mountain/island. The fifty mile drive takes somewhere between two and a half and three and a half hours depending on how fast/slow you go. It is breath taking.... you wouldn't want to go any faster in fear you would miss something. I highly recommend it, if you are ever in Maui! It will from now on be on our MUST DO list whenever we visit the island, and we will visit again!

The first night we stayed at the only hotel in Hana, and woke up bright and early to take a 4 mile hike up the Pipiwai trail It was AMAZING... by far the best thing we did our whole 7 day visit to the island. It was a rigorous trail, but breathtaking. It wound up the mountain through the rain forest, and bamboo forests, through streams and waterfalls to the very top where you come to the amazing Waimoku Falls free-falling 400 feet over a cliff of black lava rock. Probably the coolest thing I have ever done. I actually cried twice. Not from the pain of the hike, or the hurt in my lungs from the 1600 foot elevation, but from the wonder of it all. Matt and I got up so early to hike, that we never saw another soul the whole way up the mountain. Just him and I on this amazing adventure through Gods lush creation. Pictures don't do it justice, but at least it shows you a little!

I'm glad to be home!

road trip photos...

We went over the river and through the woods to Nanny's house and Lake! Five wonderful days spending time with family on the lake... it was great!!! Hard to come home after loving our time there, but it's always good to get home and settled back into life too!

road trip...

What would summer be without a road trip???
We are heading out on ours early in the morning.
Gonna take 'Sassy' (the car) on her first long road trip!
We are all super excited...
but, first, there is a long 'to do list' to be done!

Packing...
Watering the whole yard, and every flower, and every plant...
Preparing the animals to go stay at Grandma and Papa's (lucky them!)...
Cleaning out the car so we can stand being in it for hours and hours on end...
Getting the girls haircuts... (Meritt decided to cut her own hair again last night, grrrrrrrrr. Bella got a less than stellar bang trim by yours truly, and we are getting family pics taken with the whole family in California on Monday)
Cleaning house, so it's nice and clean to come home to!...
and I'm sure a million more little details in between all of the above!

So, I'll be taking a blogging break for a few days.
I'll be back soon, with photos, and stories from our adventure very soon!
Until then, Happy Summer All!

beach trip...

Back from the beach and it was heaven! So nice to visit, play, be goofy, and enjoy the beach with loved ones!

sunshine, sea, sand, & shells...

my happy place...

Do you have a happy place?

Mine is by the ocean.

So, looking forward to this weekend...

One more day!

Ahhhhhhhhhhh

paddle boats...

Our third outing on our week off, was to the paddle boats at Waverly Park. Simple, Easy, Close to home. Oh, so much fun. Anything and everything is better with daddy, I've discovered. What a terrible thing to be adored so! Nothing is better than when we're all together, it's as if all is right with the world!

butterflies and flowers...

Day no. 2 of our "stay-cation" was a trip to a place I had been wanting to take the girls to all summer. We finally made it! We went just a few miles away to an amazing place called Wings of Wonder

Wings of wonder is an Educational Outreach teaching about butterflies. It's beautiful, fun, and perfect for inquisitive kids like mine. Meritt wasn't so sure at first, but warmed up as soon as she realized all the flying butterflies wouldn't hurt... they only tickled!

I thought the scenery was exceptional. The flowers divine. The day PERFECT! We had so much fun, I highly recommend it!

There were sunflowers so tall... they towered above us as we walked through their amazing gardens! If you haven't been, - head to Wings of Wonder!

I'm Back!

Sorry, I've been gone so long. Took some much needed family time off, then my beloved computer had to go to the doctor, so it's been a little while! Had an awesome time with Matt and the girls last week. Took tons of day trips, lazy time, and enjoyed each other immensely! Here are a few photos of our first day trip to the beach!

animals

Last weekend, we went and spent a fun family day at the Ag Fest at the Fairgrounds. We got to see & pet all kinds of animals, ride ponies, and do all kinds of other great things. We had a great time, the girls loved it, and we can't wait to do it again next year!

San Francisco