LIVING IN THE PRESENT

Life here in the pacific northwest has been quite a different season for us.  The leaves are just unreal.  I mean 1 tree can have literally red, orange, yellow and bright green.  It takes my breath away.  I have honestly had to pull over several times, just to take it all in.  

Sweaters, boots and beanie's are also pretty amazing as well. 

I know, I'm a little late on the whole Halloween pic thing, but well that's how it goes.  Better late than never right?!

Real life here has been quite a roller coaster for us lately.  I mean, it seemed like problem after problem.  School, work, money, trying to find renters, trying to find a new house... it just all piled up on us.  

Thankfully, most of those have finally resolved and we can breathe again!   Just as I sit here tonight, posting pictures, after the hurricane passed, it seems silly.  Silly that I stress so much.  Silly that I don't see what's right in front of me. 

 I am blessed.  So blessed! 

It's so easy to get sucked up into life, and what's not important.  I tend to forget what really is.  Which is so sad to me.  Just a year ago, we lived in Tucson, AZ.  I begged God everyday to find KC a job and move us to the NW.  And he did.  A job that KC loves, and he gave me the best job of all!!  These kids are amazing, healthy and hilarious which is all I ever wanted.  

Time just fly's by and the second we stop seeing what we have, is the second that we start falling.  God says over and over to think like a child.  Kids don't look in the past or the future they live in the present.  They care about what is happening right then and there.  What a huge lesson to learn.  

This is my goal for November.  To live each moment and stop thinking about what's to come.  Feeling thankful and hopeful. 

PORTLAND, OR

KC had a last minute job in Portland, OR last Monday, so with a free car and free gas we decided to tag along.  I had wanted to see Portland for such a long time, and it didn't disappoint.  So gorgeous.  The vintage shopping was amazing and next time I plan on taking a little more time to find more gems.  We went to the zoo, the rose garden, and the ate some good food.  KC had one wish, and that was to go to Rogue.  He tried about 7 different beers (testers of course, I mean we are in our 30's now hehe).  It was a great 2 days and can't wait to make another trip when we can plan a little more in advance.  This is our first fall season here in the PNW and we are loving it.  I still am in awe of the leaves here.  The size, the color is just so gorgeous!

Sorry I'm a little behind on posting on this little space.  My mind and priorities have been on other things.  It's no surprise that one of my biggest things I struggle with is faith.  I have struggled with this for many many years, and just can't seem to relax and trust God.  I am in need of prayer in this.  I find myself wanting things done quickly and in my time instead of God's.  It's been hard for me.  We are still struggling with finding renters for our AZ home, finding a new home here, and trying to find a way to keep up financially.  My job that I was blessed with isn't really providing me with much work at all, and so I am out there looking again.  Worried about this area of WA and the lack of jobs has made it hard to keep faith that God will provide.  I am trying to focus on my kids, and school.  Writing papers every 2 weeks, tests, and keeping up with my readings has given me a little distraction.  I also am trying to enjoy this season and remember that I do have a nice home that keeps us warm and provides our family with happiness.  I am blessed every day with 2 health kids, well sorta of... cold season is here, and an amazing husband that keeps me grounded and shows me daily how to live with faith that everything will work out. 

FALL

 

This is our first fall here in WA and I am loving it!  The cool crisp air, the red leaves, the sweater and boots... perfection.  After our trip to the pumpkin patch I started reminiscing about last year in Tucson.  I'm pretty sure it was 95 degrees, the dirt was blowing and we had a 4 month old!  My allergies were at their worst and the heat made us leave the patch early.  It's pretty amazing to see the transformation made in just a year.  Rhone and Lachlyn have grown so much since then. Rhone can't stop talking about making a pumpkin pie, so I've got to figure that all out, who knows maybe this fall I might bake my first pie! 

WELL HELLO THERE

  

Oh how I missed writing on this little space! It has been a while since I last have sat down here.  It has been such a busy, crazy, eventful month of September.  As I have mentioned before, our lives have changed a lot around here... the biggest being that I started my job.  The next being I started school.  So as you can image with day care, homework, and extremely sick kiddos and mama, it has been a whirlwind.  Today finally I am able to sit and concentrate on hobbies.  I have so many photos, headbands, and IG & Fb posts to work on.  

My job is going very well.  I am actually really loving being back.  I work at a pretty sweet hospital and they truly are one of the most through and patient loving hospitals I've ever worked at.  It is all about the patient! Which you would think is how every hospital would be, but sadly that's not always the case.  This place strives to make every patient comfortable, confident, and most importantly we want a laugh before they leave.  It makes for such a great day full of positive co-workers and patients.  Switching machine brands is a pretty big deal in therapy, but after a couple of exhausting days, I picked it up pretty quick and am ready for being on-call now.

www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu

So with me being back at work, one of the hardest parts was taking the kids to day care, and by kids I really just mean Lachlyn.  Rhone did so well! He really loves it and has a bunch of new friends to talk about all day.  He fit right in, and comes home with new knowledge which is super fun.  Lach had a rough go at first.  She cried each time for about 20 mins and then was ok the rest of the day as long as she had her pacifier and blankie.  Well today her teacher said she didn't need either all day, so that is great improvement and I know that this is such a good thing for her.  Kids need to be social and to learn how to interact and be away from mama and dada every once in awhile... tears... they grow up soo fast.  The frustrating part is that the first week they brought home colds, which we all got, and then the second week they brought home the stomach flu!  Lach had it pretty bad, she was sick throwing up Fri-Sun.  Rhone was the sickest I've seen him in years on Sunday.  And then I got it all Sunday night.  We are all recovering still and trying to get their appetites back to normal.  It's just hard to see your littles so sick and helpless.  So from this point on, I just wait until I get called in, which I am so happy about.  We have a ton of playdates to catchup on, fall festivities check list, projects galore, fall headbands to make, and some overdue library books.  

Thank you all for giving me some time away and stay tuned to my next post about the exciting day KC had last Sunday...

Labor Day Weekend

Labor day weekend marks the end of the summer with school starting the next week and my job starting soon.  So we were thrilled when my parents invited us to tag along on their camping trip to Saltwater state park.  This state park is nestled 1 hour south of us, and directly over the flight path to the airport.  So at first when we set up camp we were a little worried about the planes going overhead every few minutes.  It's a weird feeling to be "camping" with lush greenery all around and then you hear an airplane over head... but what this place does have is an amazing beach and views.  Which is why I can honestly say, I loved this camp site.  I'm a sucker for anything that involves the sea.  I immediately relaxed as I breathed in that salty air.  For the kids it this trip was filled with nature, exploration, and once again playing on the beach and throwing rocks. // Rhone's favorite past time// Another plus to camping in the city, is it's just a quick drive to the local farmers market and being able to hit up a couple garage sales.  Definitely my kind of camping!

On Sunday, we ended our weekend with a quick trip to the local state fair.  It was our first time taking the kids to a fair, and Rhone absolutely loved it! Lach pretty much had to just ride in the stroller due to her lack of height, but she did enjoy playing with the prizes Rhone won her.  Rhone's favorite was the race cars.  I wonder where he gets his love for muscle cars from? Lachlyn however thought they were a little too loud but eventually getting her ears covered over and over became a pretty fun game.  It was a perfect end to a great weekend and probably the one of the funnest summers of my life!