Quiet

Sometimes the world is very noisy for me, and I am a quiet kind of gal. Sometimes I need alone time, time to breath in fresh air and be able to hear my own thoughts. My business was crazy busy, as in possibly the busiest ever this last week, of course this is very good, it just makes me crave peace and quiet when I can get it!

I find this whole raising my kids on my own thing extremely rewarding, but also very tiring shouldering the stresses and worries on my own. I don't always like the kids visits to their dads every other weekend, it's a little chaotic for them, and interrupts our life, but this weekend this 48 hour break was welcomed. It's a "me" time kind of weekend, with plenty of fresh air and a chance to finish the book I'm reading.

Sometimes it's as simple as putting one foot in front of the other, and rembering to slow down, enjoy the now.

Reminders that I don't need to make any major life decisions RIGHT now, things don't have to change when you are in a good place, enjoy it.

Instead I thought about how practical my car is, and what an excellent adult decision that purchase was, that even if I get another "fun" car I need to hold onto this one. Made a mental note to call the guy to trim my arborvitae's. Damn, my sprinklers need to get done too, but instead of being overwhelmed like I was a few years ago, I've got it. So happy I have gained my independence, and I can embrace time alone with my dog in the woods.

I can't say there is any one thing in my life I would change, perhaps I would've listened to my instinct more when I knew my ex was lying, but then again it was a lesson learned, I have good instincts, ones that should be trusted. Life is a series of lessons and if we listen and learn things just continue to get better. We blossom and grow to our true potential. All this from a quiet trail run.

 

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Fun Fridays

Thankful I still have Fridays off. This is my favorite time of the year pretty much doing anything outside, but the cycling is fabulous! Set off this morning (it was a tad chilly, but nothing a base layer, thermal jersey and tights couldn't take care of), ventured to the end of Mission Creek for a 42 mile ride, wanted to stay out all day, but had Shrek ticket sale duty. Made it back with 17 minutes to spare.

One little note, this time of year I have a favorite pair of bib tights. Well, bibs are always great, unless you have to pee. I can squat with the best of them, but for a female getting out of the bib tights without being seen, is very tricky. Lesson remembered today/ less coffee before you ride!

In other bike news, Lo finished the Pybus Kids Century Challenge. She rode the loop 10 times between September and October. I am so proud of her, she is just amazing! I think by this 10th she and I both had enough of the loop, as great as it was, 10 times in her 6 weeks was a lot!

 

 

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Fall

I love everything about this time of year. The colors, temperatures, root vegetables, smells...simply beautiful.

This is the third harvest for my Swiss chard start I got the first day of CSA pickup back in May.

Speaking of CSA we have one more week. This is my third year with farmhouse table. I have loved it, even more so this year because I failed on my own garden (consisted of rosemary, basil, parsley and Swiss chard). The farmhouse table is a co-op that supports various local farmers. I found myself using primarily my goods from the CSA and on occasion if I've needed extra produce for the week, buying it there. Plus it comes with a newsletter and recipes for your current weeks produce.

Love my old house and it's trees

And a very big thank you to my best friends for a wonderful birthday celebration last night. I love these girls with my whole heart, feel very blessed.

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36

Another birthday almost in the books! Couldn't have been spent any better way than surrounded by loved ones. The biggest gift of all is to be with my amazing kids, parents, sister and her family, my Oma and the love of my life. Thank you for being in my life! I have no issue with ageing, I consider it a blessing to be here each year. Losing friends to illness, and watching others fight for their life I don't take it for granted. The fact that I am 36 and have gotten to watch my children grow is cause for a celebration, indeed!

Cheers to many many more!

 

My sister makes the BEST cake. Angel food, with an espresso icing...dangerously good, thanks sis.

 

Some girls want jewelry, others want cool gear! Good bye to my giro pneumo hello to this beauty. Helmet envy no longer, thanks love!

 

 

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California Refresher

We are back from a vacation to California. I will use just about any excuse to travel, so the combination of my birthday being around the corner and the kids having half days for conferences I couldn't pass up the chance for a birthday trip to Disneyland! It's getting tricky to miss school with a high schooler, but we didn't leave until Wednesday so I felt ok with it all.

I will write a post on the Disney experience with older kids (highly recommend ) when I am not so tired.

Just all in all I am feeling grateful to have these opportunities with my children. Time away, no work or school, just enjoying, and creating memories.

My boyfriend has joined us on a handful of our vacations. He's definitely proved himself to be a compatible travel companion (phew)! I still treat all issue's in regards to my children carefully. We (the kids dad and I) had done Disney twice with my son and once with Lo, they have great memories of it. I know they thought about them on this trip, we talked and reminisced about them. It's hard because I don't know what it's like for them, I grew up with both of my parents getting to share all of our experiences. My kids or at least my son is aware of all their Dad misses, and that kind of sucks. The best I can do is let them be open and know the memories they have of all of us together are theirs to keep and enjoy, at the same time creating new memories with new people and be very glad I have a man in my life that gets and respects this! Cheers to rembering the past, celebrating the now and creating a future!

Santa Monica. Great photo then I noticed the man sleeping in the background

 

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In it's Glory

Busy but fulfilling weekend.  We spent Friday and Saturday in the Tri-cities catching up with family and watching my son in his cross country meet.  Sunday we took advantage of the beautiful fall temperatures and likely last weekend we would be able to get up to this lake and hiked with Lo to Lake Minotaur.   This is my favorite hike, perhaps it's the two lakes for the hike of one, or head up a little further to Labyrinth and get fabulous views of Glacier Peak.  In my opinion the best time is late September, the colors are amazing, temperatures are great and no bugs!  However we have been BUSY, so we were a little later this year.  I knew Lo would be fine (I have friends with kids younger than her that have gone), it's steep but short, personally the coming down is probably the worst.  If you have weak knee's this may not be the hike for you.
I took a pack for this one and Lo carried the camelback.  The secret I have learned to hiking with kids, is be prepared, or overly prepared.  We figured we would encounter snow at the lake (ended up encountering it much earlier and much more of it than expected).  We wore wool socks, water resistant pants over our Patagonia long underwear, breathable but warm long sleeves, and thin thermal gloves for going up.  In the pack I carried warm gloves for coming down, hats, and coats all for the lake and coming down.  Plus snacks, an absolute must for kids travel and of course my camera (the best part of hiking).
Lo was a trooper.  She rocked this hike, didn't complain and had fun with it.  I have to admit I wasn't as thrilled about working half the way up AND down in 2-3 feet of snow.  There was one set of foot prints ahead of us, so that meant a lot of losing our balance, snow giving way and falling down, not to mention the extra work it took too.  She was amazing.  Spending hours outdoors with those I love is probably the greatest treat to me. 
Here's Minotaur in its late fall glory.  Heading up Labyrinth  wasn't really even an option on this day!

Done and still smiling

One other tip to hiking when the weather starts to change.  Always pack dry socks and a change of clothes!  Happy Hiking!

Fall

The cool crisp air in the morning that wakes you up, and forces you to focus on breathing and warming up those stiff muscles. Getting excited about the changing colors. I feel free and happy on the trails, running, breathing, taking it all in with my four legged friend! It's fall.

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Sifting Through

It's been almost two years since my Opa passed away. I'm sad he is no longer here, but always grateful I had the chance the last few years to reconnect with him (after being estranged for 20 years) even though dementia had set in, his stories of his youth and young adulthood were always the same. My kids had a chance to meet him and hear these stories (even if it was the same story everytime we visited).

This is all I have from him

The letters, birthday cards and pictures I started sending him after my kids were born. After he died my aunt returned these to me in a bag. This week I took it out. I never knew if all those years he got my stuff, I never expected anything in return, I just felt he should know someone cared and that no matter what had happened, I had wonderful memories I'd always held onto. Every envelope was opened with a letter opener, it was this detail that brought me to tears, for it was those little things I had always remembered of him. For me it's not the material things we possess in life that matter, it's the memories we make and hand down from one generation to the next, that matter.

 

Happened across this picture I gave him in 2007 (has hole marks on it, because he hung it in his room). Just one of my favorite pictures of the kids and I.

 

 

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Because

Just because I love this picture of Lo.

 

 

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We Are Artsy

A new paint your own pottery store and cafe opened up in town! I LOVE this stuff and was super excited to take Lo. My Mom also joined us, what a lovely way to spend a few hours together! Lo and I made mugs for each other, now just can't wait to pick them up!

 

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