Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest I feel most alive surrounded by trees and breathing in the fresh mountain air.
When I am not working you will most likely find me spending time outdoors, volunteering with my church and exploring this beautiful planet with my family.
This is my place to share my passion for life and to encourage you to take time to find the extraordinary in your life.
Awhile back I mentioned we were partnering with Glamping Hub for a little family adventure. We finally went on our adventure and stayed in a modern cabin in the woods. We enjoyed the solitude and location of our cabin, but most importantly the time we spent together as a family. Our time there reminded us how we feel most alive surrounded by trees and breathing in the fresh mountain air, but also how we hope to one day have a cabin of our own nestled in the woods.
Vancouver Lookout is the perfect place to visit while you are in Vancouver, BC. Being up so high with a 360 degree view you are able to easily get your bearings of the city and visually plan out the rest of your visit. We could not decide if we wanted to visit the Vancouver Lookout during the day or at night, so we decided to visit at dusk. As a result, we were able to watch the city turn from day to night and catch one of the loveliest sunsets from the lookout.
One of our primary reasons for visiting Vancouver was to go snowshoeing. There isn't one, but three fantastic places to go snowshoeing all within twenty minutes from the city. However, between getting late starts each day and the extra holiday traffic we were only able to visit Cypress Mountain this time. On the day we were up there the glorious sunshine and blue skies combined with a fresh dumping of snow made for one heavenly day. The snow shoe route we took was one of those straight up the entire way. When we are out snowshoeing I am always thoroughly impressed with Cameron's ability to carry our heavy son on his back. He never complains and makes it look so easy. I am reminded time and time again how much fresh mountain air and family time is good for the soul. I am continually grateful for these two adventurous dudes and how much they make every single day special.
After Christmas, we were excited to spend time in one of our favorite cities- Vancouver, B.C. Although it had been a couple years since we last visited I was reminded how much I love Vancouver and the diversity of its surrounding neighborhoods. I like to think of Vancouver as the hip, more refined and established older sister to Seattle. Whatever characteristics I like about Seattle it seems Vancouver has in greater abundance or accessibility. My two great loves are the water and the mountains. Vancouver like Seattle has both, but in Vancouver the mountains are so easily accessible from the city it makes me envious.
As many of you know, our first son, Asher's due date was Christmas day. This year we were suppose to find out the gender of our third child the week of Christmas, but an unfortunate miscarriage in October put an end to that. Ever since Asher passed away I have made it a tradition to make tiny little wreaths to put around our house during the holidays to remember him by. Initially, it was a good way for me to channel my sadness during that first Christmas. I distinctly remember that first Christmas when we so painfully felt the loss of our first born- I had a realization where I finally realized why some people could carry such disdain for the holidays. In subsequent years, it has become a symbol of his ever important presence in our family and now the missed presence of yet another child. These little wreaths are also a good reminder to keep the holidays simple and provide a gentle nudge to focus on what really matters. The first year I made these because I was too grief stricken to do much in the way of Christmas decorating, but since then these little wreaths have brought me a lot of happiness and peace as I look at them each day whether it be in the bathroom, bedroom or on the refrigerator.
There is nothing more magical than witnessing the excitement of a small child- Christmas this year was no exception. Jasper is the perfect age to enjoy the sights and sounds of Christmas without having any expectations for what the season might hold. Christmas morning was spent at home as a family of three and then later in the afternoon at my parent's home. My parent's home is the epitome of every child's dream with each room thoughtfully decorated and lavish meals abounding with food and flavor. Jasper, just like his parents are always impressed and inspired when we visits Grandma's and Grandpa's home.
There is nothing quite like celebrating the holidays with a small child. The wonder and awe even a single strand of lights provides is a good reminder that Christmas time needn't be busy, over scheduled or expensive to be enjoyable- in fact it is more enjoyable if it is none of those things. This year I have tried my best to keep things simple. We forewent getting a large Christmas tree and instead invited our favorite little tree inside for a couple of weeks. This year I have not bought very many gifts, left most of our Christmas decorations in their box and spent very little time at the mall. Instead I made a simple advent calendar and we have been filling our evenings with hot cocoa, impromptu dance parties, walks and drives to look at the Christmas lights and even a Christmas movie or two once Jasper goes to bed.
Each Christmas season we make it a point to go on the Christmas Ships. We have left from Kirkland, Pier 55, and Shilshoe Bay. Each year we can count on a chilly night on the water, festive music blaring in our ears and lots of beautiful Christmas lights. This year, same as last year we left from Shilshoe Bay. We made our way through the Ballard Locks and then over to Golden Gardens. Since it was a clear night, there were a good number of parade boats following behind the Christmas Ship. Most of the parade boats were sailboats which had christmas lights strung over their lines. Being out on the water surrounded by lights and music felt like a quintessential Christmas in the northwest kind of night.
For anyone who has a small child it probably feels like every day is Christmas. Small children are constantly outgrowing, wearing out or in need of something and Christmas is just a good excuse to wrap up all those adorable gifts you have been stock piling over the past few months. It might just be me, but when it is small it is cute and when it is cute I am tempted to snatch it up. A long time ago I saw a good idea to give your child three gifts for Christmas; something to wear, something to play with and something to read. I really liked this idea as a good starting point for my Christmas shopping and if I had more self control that would be all I was buying. Instead, I remind myself Jasper will only be little once and he will only be able to fit into tiny plaid shirts and coonskin caps while roasting marshmallows over his play fire for so long.
During the Winter I am constantly checking the weather report up in the mountains. If we receive substantial snowfall during the week then we make it a point to head up to the mountains on Saturday. Saturdays have traditionally been our day set aside for being together as a family and having fun. I am not a fan of chores, errands or work on Saturdays and I avoid it at all costs. I once read an article which stated from the time your child is born until the time they turn eighteen you have 940 Saturdays. Particularly now that we have Jasper I want to make the most of these days and give him memories of hikes, camping trips, catching snowflakes on our tongues and enjoying picnics by the water. During the week in between work, laundry, and to do lists I try my best to squeeze in the chores and errands.
It is in the quiet moments I find the most joy as a mother. When I enter my son's room to get him from his crib after his nap and I see his beaming face and outstretched arms or the moment he stops crawling and looks backward to make certain I am going to chase him or when he rubs his tired little eyes and rests his head on my shoulder for a few seconds. Those are the moments, the moments I want to engrave on my heart. The past few months, I have made a conscious effort to pick up my camera more often to capture these small, but important moments in our lives.
For the second year in a row we took Jasper for the obligatory Santa photo. Since Jasper was so small last year it wasn't much of a feat to have him happily sit on Santa's lap, but this year we were uncertain how he was going to react this year. This year we also planned ahead forewent the three hour wait and visited Santa at a time he was less busy.
A big storm rolled into the mountains this weekend which meant lots and lots of new fluffy white snow. We decide to head up Saturday afternoon to check it out and get our first real taste of snow for the season. We were also interested to see how Jasper was going to react to it all. It was cold, blowing at times and the snow was coming down pretty hard, but as always Jasper was a trooper. We kept him bundled up pretty well, and overall he was delightful, but it came as no surprise he was not a fan of snow blowing directly into his face. Like each new experience we have with him, it is a learning process. We are constantly figuring out ways to adapt, be better prepared and make certain it is a fun experience for us all.
Downtown Seattle is such a fun and vibrant place this time of year, but there is also a lot going on in other parts of the city. We wandered down to South Lake Union during our staycation over Black Friday and were delighted to find so much to see and do. There were ships open for touring with complimentary hot cocoa and coffee, choirs performing, and an opportunity to make and festively decorate your own wooden boat from the Center for Wooden Boats. The best part of all these activities, was they were either free or by small donation.
This year we decided to mix things up and spent the evening of Black Friday in downtown Seattle. Normally, on Black Friday we have a tradition of doing a little shopping in the morning and then heading home to a local nursery to pick out our Christmas tree. Then we spend the rest of the evening decorating the tree and listening to Christmas tunes. Instead of our usual tradition, we jumped on the bus downtown armed with an overnight bag and eagerly anticipated our weekend adventure in the city. Although we spend a lot of time downtown in general we have not stayed at hotel in the city for over ten years.
Each Holiday season I like to create an advent calendar. The focus is not necessarily a countdown to Christmas, rather a tool to help us enjoy the season. This year I took twenty five mini craft paper boxes and filled them with slips of paper listing an activity we can do together as a family. Then I glued a little bottle brush tree on top and tied it up with a ribbon.
We have now reached the point in the year where there is not enough snow to snow shoe, but most of the hiking trails are covered in either snow, ice or both. It can be a bit treacherous making your way up and down safely, but it is a beautiful time of year especially when the sun decides to shine. On Thanksgiving we wanted to get outside for a bit before going over to my parent's house for dinner. We decided on Snow Lake because it is a moderate hike and we knew we could do it in the time that we had. Once on the trail it was a tad colder than I had anticipated, so next time I will need to be better prepared for wintry conditions.
On our way home from the Oregon coast we decided to take a little detour and meet up with our friends in Portland. Since I easily daydream about going to Portland at least once a month, it was a no brainer when the opportunity presented itself. There is something about Portland that feels so young and hip. The food scene cannot be beat and I love how easy it is to get around. We met up with our friends for lunch at Por Que No and then walked down Mississippi Avenue looking in the various shops. Some of my favorites include: Black Wagon, Paxton Gate, Land, and Pistils Nursery.
The holidays can be such a frenzied time, so we decided to enjoy the calm before the storm by heading to Cannon Beach for a few days. We stayed at Tolovana Inn in a two bedroom condo right on the beach, our unit had a full kitchen and dining room which made it easy to make our own meals and enjoy them at a leisurely pace. We only ended up eating out a couple times and our favorite was Tom's Fish and Chips. Aside from a day trip to the Tillamook Cheese Factory, we spent the majority of our time walking along the beach and enjoying the sea breeze. These days our trips are a lot less structured and just being together makes me feel endlessly happy and content. Jasper has taught me so many things. However, the most important thing he has taught me is to enjoy the mundane. Eating breakfast used to take me five minutes, now I can plan on at least thirty. He has taught me the unscheduled day has its advantages and being busy does not necessarily equate to fulfillment or happiness. Productivity has always been a source of happiness and pride for me, but since Jasper has come along some days I resign myself to the fact not much is going to get done. The important realization I have come to is that I am okay with it. Playing blocks, jumping in piles of clean laundry, unfolding and tossing the folded laundry on the floor, playing hide and seek, and crawling around the room are among life's simple joys.
A few photos from our life lately
