Category Archives: Staycation

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 64: Summer

Posted in best friends, food, Friends, Gratitude, happily ever after, simple living, Staycation, work life balance by

I think I’m ready to slow down my writing again as I wrap up summer this week. Maybe tomorrow will be a good day to stop, on day 65. Maybe after day 65 of summer and before we start school again would be a good time to transition. That’s what I’m thinking today. The last time I attempted to stop writing, I kept on going. We’ll see…


Today I enjoyed my BFFs at Testarossa winery for a picnic. It was so much fun to have some downtime and some girl time together today.

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.