Category Archives: Happiness

I See Him Changing

Posted in cats, connection, family, Gratitude, happily ever after, Happiness, intention, Love, Mindfulness, motherhood, parenting, positive living, rooted, simple living by

I was sleeping and sitting up in my rocking chair because my head was congested and I couldn’t sleep lying down last night. 

My perspective was shifted, as he walked into the kitchen and I could see him through the darkness and dawn’s early light from my chair.  I liked this image.

I enjoyed this new view and waking up to him, watching him get his favorite morning meal, a bowl of cereal and milk by himself, which he normally does, but I’m usually busy moving and doing and miss the observing part.  He is taller now and I noticed him growing up right there, in this moment.

It’s not that I don’t recognize the changes normally, it’s just that I had a different perspective this morning and I wasn’t in a rush and I was just observing the morning and him being there, growing up just like, that and eating simple cereal.

I noticed the piles of laundry waiting to be sorted and the cat sprawled out in the bean bag chair. (It still seems strange to me that we live with animals.) The laundry can wait.

In this moment, I was content and thankful to be aware and to notice that my baby is growing up, even with my stuffy head!  Sometimes it’s cool to switch your perspective and to see things differently.

Life is good.

End of Summer

Posted in Beach, Happiness, positive living, simple living, spark joy, Staycation, work life balance by


Hello friends! How are you?

I have been enjoying taking a writing break as we ended our summer staycation and are transitioning back into our new school year routines.  Change is good.

It has felt both good and strange not to write every day and I have missed this part of my nightly routine, while at the same time have enjoyed the break. The yin and yang of life continues.

What’s shakin’in your world? I hope all the transitions are bringing you some sort of joy.

nAMaste

Day 65: Summer

Posted in Beach, connection, family, Gratitude, happily ever after, Happiness, Mindfulness, parenting, positive living, simple living, Staycation, work life balance by

Seriously? Has it been 65 days already?  By counting the days, I’m fully aware of time passing and how long summer vacation actually is. I will be ready for the school year to begin again this week. This was a transition summer for our family, with me working from home, and with the two teenagers starting their first summer jobs as lifeguards and practicing with their sports’ teams. This summer, we stayed closer to home and did more afternoon and day trips around our more complex schedules. The kids slept in while I worked, and we enjoyed our friends and hanging out together during the afternoons.

I realized that we had a “free” day with no commitments today and wanted to do something all together as a family. After much discussion and debate, we decided to visit the Mystery Spot in Santa Cruz and packed a picnic lunch to take with us.  Have you ever been to the iconic Mystery Spot before?


We enjoyed the mystery of the optical illusions and the feelings of anti-gravity and like we just got off a rollercoaster. 



Our tour guide was funny and entertaining and we enjoyed the experience of doing something new together and laughing at the craziness of it all.


The Mystery Spot is located in the Santa Cruz Mountains. After we finished our tour, we left the redwood trees and took our picnic to the beach, where we enjoyed watching the surfers and locals walk by as we ate. It was a gorgeous day to be by the beach.  I loved today, and being with my crazy family. I am thankful that we made it happen.


Life is good.

Day 63: Summer

Posted in Beach, best friends, connection, Friends, happily ever after, Happiness, simple living, Staycation, work life balance by


Today I am thankful for these beautiful ladies. Our babies are seniors in high school this year and have been friends forever. 

We hosted a summer birthday celebration at the beach today before they all start their last year together. I am thankful that when we moved back from Holland, that these friends were planning their annual birthday celebration and invited us to join them and we’ve been celebrating ever since. 

It was a cold day at the beach, but it was fun to be there never the less. When we arrived, the parking attendant shared that there was a shark sighting 100 yards off the shore, so the kids stayed out of the water besides splashing around on the shore.  They had fun playing with full sized shovels and digging holes and building ramps.  They enjoyed eating chips, fruit, candy and Subway sandwiches, but not necessarily in that order. A day at the beach is always a good day.

Life is good.  

Day 62: Summer

Posted in Happiness, motherhood, parenting, simple living, work life balance, working mom by


I am holding on to the last few days of summer and being with my babies when I can.  

Today we stopped for boba tea drinks and I convinced them to go for a walk in the park with me. We did some geocaching along the way and then they decided to play for a few minutes. I hope they never lose their youthful spirit!



Life is good.

Day 61: Summer

Posted in family, food, Gratitude, happily ever after, Happiness, intention, joy, Mindfulness, motherhood, parenting, positive living, simple living, spark joy, work life balance, working mom by

A week from today, the kids will be back in school. Summer is winding down. While I’ve mostly enjoyed the unstructured afternoons, I’m looking forward to a more normal and expected schedule that the school year provides for our family. As I practice living in the moment and being thankful for what is, here are three events that filled me with joy today. 

I enjoyed a lunch break with Jeff and Juliana between our work schedules. We chose to get falafels and schwarma wraps for lunch and it was all delicious. We wondered if my parents might like this food and wanted to share it with them when they come to visit soon. 

After work, Jeff and I enjoyed going for a walk and doing a kettle bell workout together. 

As we waited for the rice to finish cooking as part of our dinner, Jeff and I sat on our comfy outdoor couch with a drink and listened to the water fountain, while we relaxed and chatted about parenting teens. We are growing up!

What three things brought you joy today? 

Day 59: Summer

Posted in Beach, best friends, connection, Friends, Gratitude, happily ever after, Happiness, work life balance, working mom by

Tonight I’m thankful for our camping friends who invited us to come join them for the day. This is glamping, staycation style and I loved it and brought the smell of the campfire home with me. How did I get so lucky? 


Thank you friends!! We had a great, windy, cold, fun time with you. 

xo

Day 57: Summer

Posted in Cooking, family, Gratitude, happily ever after, Happiness, positive living, simple living by

What made you happy today?

I love the little things. 

Today Jeff helped me to fix my fountain. My fountain tends to get clogged and hasn’t been working forever. I asked Jeff to fix it with me today and he did. We got the shopvac out and vacuumed out the dirt and leaves. We washed the filter screen and reassembled the parts and then filled the fountain with water to test it. The best part was that Jeff stayed calm throughout the process, which was a miracle!! He hates hassles and he didn’t complain, which made me as happy as the fountain working.


This made me so happy! I love that my fountain is working again and the sound of water fills my yard. 

We enjoyed the rest of our steakation, sitting on our outdoor sectional couch and planning to go to the new Whole Foods to get delicious, juicy steaks to grill out for dinner.

We had to try the Mochi ice creams before dinner, because it’s summer time and we can have dessert before a late dinner.


Life is good! 

I hope you’re enjoying your weekend!

Love,

Adriana