A Great Big Adventure!

It's hard to believe we've already been back almost a week - the time away, and the past few days have gone by in a blur. After a day of rest, we jumped right back into our normal lives-gardening, cooking, and of course going back to work. 

The (shy of) two weeks of was lovely, and I made a good decision coming back to work towards the end of the week. I am sitting here in a quiet house, it's close to midnight, and since kiddo and Nick are in bed, I thought I would update the blog's look-adding a new banner, and get to writing a quick blog here and over at blackberrysage.blogspot.com....

I had an amazing time on vacation-the sun. OH THE SUN!  It was so lovely, even when temperatures hit triple digits, it was still nice to get out in the sunshine and play. I can't say enough about how wonderful Yosemite and Mono Lake were, as well as the surrounding areas. If you have a chance, do check out Mariposa, Coarsegold, and Oakhurst-cute small towns with great shops and good people. Everyone we ran into were so warm and friendly-none of the Seattle Chill we're used to :) We met a fabulous couple in Coarsegold who ran Mountain Delights (an awesome shop, with a lovely sitting area under a giant fig tree)-they took us in and doted over Izzy. It's these kinds of stops that just make my heart happy!

It's late, so I won't spend too much time here, but here's a few pictures of our adventures! Things that these pics remind me: Everything was HUGE, my baby is growing way too fast (and has so many teeth now), and that we went on some fun hikes. Baby wearing sure helped, but an extra 25 lbs of weight kicked my butt!

I hope you are out and about enjoying adventures big and small! What do you have planned for fun this summer?

Best,
Raina

Memorial Days

       

I am just outside of Yosemite National Park, wrapping up a week long vacation. It's been over two years since Nick and I were on a proper vacation. It's also been two years since my Dad passed away. It's still hard, and I still miss him terribly, but I am still so relieved that he's no longer in pain. 

We decided to take Dad on one more trip to the places that he loved the most-Yosemite National Park and Mono Lake. He and I spent so much time here while I was in high school, and it's been almost 20 years since I have been back. 

I'll post more pictures of our trip soon, but for now, I leave you with the above pictures - places where we spread his ashes. I chose some of our favorite places. I also leave you with my new favorite picture of Izzy, visiting Grampa at the Veterans Cemetery. Lastly, please consider supporting organizations that help support Veterans, PTSD treatment, and suicide prevention. 20% of suicides in the US are by Veterans. Some of my favorite organizations are the DAV and Wounded Warrior Project. 

Yours in love and peace and of course, adventure!

Raina