Month: October 2020

Currently September/October 2020

/ Cami Grace / Leave a comment

Playing catch up!! Our September was packed! First, our family went on a vacation. If you missed the recap, you can read all about it by clicking here. Then, my parents came to visit for 2 weeks the following weekend after we got back. It’s been a whirlwind!

This month I’ve been resting and trying to get caught up on house work, (along with catching up on work, work). Now that it’s fall, I’m really wanting to do a deep clean of the house. I’m thinking of dedicating a month to deep cleaning and trying to get it done little bits at a time. I’ll keep you posted if that happens!.

Anyway, here’s what else we’ve been up to…

Currently Watching

Jurrasic World: Fallen Kingdom

I’m not typically a huge fan of Sci-Fi movies, but I’ve always been able to make an exception for the Jurassic Park movies. I enjoyed this one. It was your typical Jurassic movie, but the story line was a little different than I was expecting. I have a feeling it’s going to lead up to more of what I had in mind in the next movie (assuming there will be a next movie). I missed some parts of the movie here and there since Gryffin was having a hard time with going to bed, but my husband bought it so I’ll be able to re-watch it soon!

Friday family night movies have included:

  • The Incredibles
  • The Incredibles 2
  • Wreck-it Ralph

Currently Reading

Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder

While the last month and a half has been fun, it’s also felt a bit chaotic, so I decided to go with something light hearted and comforting, which ended up being a children’s book. I finished this book, so I’m on to the next one in the series!

Farmer Boy (Little House Series) by Laura Ingalls Wilder

My goodness, these books talk about all sorts of yummy food. It’s hard reading before bed because it makes me so hungry lol.

Currently Making/Baking

White Chicken Chili from the Salty Side Dish

I can’t remember if this recipe has made it on the blog before or not, but either way, this has become my most favorite fall recipe so far. The only thing I do different on this recipe is leave out the heavy cream and I add a can of mild green chilies. It’s the best!

Current Favorite

Calmed by Nature YouTube Channel

While I like to listen to music with lyrics, I often find it to be distracting when I’m trying to focus, so I was happy to discover this Youtube channel. There are so many different scenes and sounds to choose from! Just staring at the pictures is calming, then you add the sounds and I can feel my stress levels evening out.

My current favorite scene is this cozy ship cabin. The dim lights, tea, and book is extremely inviting. This is the epitome of relaxation to me.

My second favorite has been the Cozy Fall Coffee Shop.

You’ll have to let me know if you have any favorite channels or apps like this!

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I hope you all are having a wonderful fall so far!

Much love to you all,

Cami

Beach Vacation 2020

/ Cami Grace / Leave a comment

I had hoped to get this up last month but we had so much going on that it was impossible! I honestly wasn’t sure if this vacation was actually going to happen but I am happy to report that we were able to get away and spend a whole week in Oregon! Unfortunately, as you may (or may not) have seen on the news, there were terrible, heartbreaking fires and the smoke was pretty bad, but we still managed to get out and enjoy what we could!

Here’s the recap!

Where: Seaside, Oregon
When: Tuesday, September 8th – 12th

(we spent a couple days in Canby, Oregon first to visit some friends. We were so busy hanging out and having fun that I didn’t end up documenting that part of the trip – although I’m sad because we took Gryffin to the Oregon zoo for the first time but somehow didn’t mange to get a single picture.)

After being in Canby for 3 days, we made our way to the beach!

Day 1: Playground, The Ocean, and The Beach House!

We made it in to Seaside around 3:30 in the afternoon. Check-in wasn’t until 4:00, so we headed to the park that was directly across the street from the house. We went with some friends who also have small boys and they had a blast playing together and getting their energy out.

After they were done with the park we walked down to the beach. It was smoky but there was relief by the water! The weather was in the 80’s and perfect!

After running around in the waves and watching Gryffin make “snow angles” in the sand, we headed back to the beach house to check in.

I loved the little chair in the corner. It was the perfect reading space!

The house was small for 6 adults and 3 little boys and a baby but not overcrowded. It was just a couple blocks from the beach access and the perfect distance away from downtown – close enough to walk, but far enough not to have crowds.

I’m honestly not sure which I miss more, the beach or this jetted tub!

The layout was a little weird, but I definitely would stay here again!

Day 2: Downtown Seaside and More Beach

After making breakfast (cinnamon rolls, sausage, and orange juice) and getting ready for the day we walked to downtown for some fun and shopping.

First stop was the Carousel Mall. All the boys got to ride and it was pretty fun hearing Gryffin yell “ye-hawww!”, haha.

We went back for naps and then a little more beach time.

Day 3: Cannon Beach

I honestly can’t believe it’s been 8 years, going on 9 since we left (For those who don’t know, Mikey and I lived in Cannon Beach for 7 years. It’s where we met, dated, and lived during our early married years)! It was crazy to see how much had changed and how much the little town had grown.

Soooo smoky and foggy :(

We walked around a bit and I got to see one of my favorite people I used to work with. It was so nice to catch up! After visiting for a while, we did a little bit of shopping before stopping at Fultano’s Pizza for lunch and then headed back to our beach house where we got in the hot tub since it was freezing outside (I realized I also forgot to get a picture of the hot tub outside)! It was wonderful!

Day 4: Aquarium, Beach, and Buried Treasure

We spent the last day much like the second, except it was so cold that we drove to downtown Seaside instead of walked. We walked around a bit and then ended up at the aquarium where Gryffin got to feed the seals! Yet another memory missed with my camera, but we had been soaking in the moment!

Octopus!

After the aquarium we walked to the beach where the boys dug for buried treasure. This was an amazing idea our friends came up with! We had spent the previous few days finding and purchasing little trinkets to put in the boxes. Our friend, David, left to bury the treasure and then the boys came over to dig it up. They had a blast and were so excited! We will definitely be carrying on that tradition for every beach trip we take.

Once they dug up their treasure we headed back to the beach house and rested before soaking in more time on the beach again.

Day 5: Going Home

Before we knew it our time at the beach had come to an end. It was sad to go but we were ready to be home at the same time. I missed our dog and being in our own space. The drive felt long and the smoke made it really difficult! I felt so bad for everyone who had to evacuate their home and for those who lost so much! There was definitely a heaviness throughout the week as we knew of the devastation that was happening around us. Praying for all who were affected by the fires everywhere.

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I have more to come this month! Stay tuned for the next “Currently” post and a fall bucket list!

Much love to you all,

Cami