Summer

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

Currently August 2020

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It’s hard to believe we’re at the end of summer! It’s been a really, really strange summer, but it’s nice to look back over the last couple months and remember the fun we were still able to have. I don’t think we managed to even get half of our Summer Bucket List completed, but we still managed to have fun regardless. I will share our Summer Bucket List recap next month.

As for this month, it has been a constant cycle of work, play, repeat all month long! Our weekends have been full of friends and food (don’t worry, they’ve been very small gatherings), and then we hit the ground running during the week balancing work and home life.

Aside from that nothing too exciting has gone on. Here’s what else we’ve been up to this month…

Currently Watching

This month’s Friday family night movies have included:

  • Lilo and Stitch (I don’t recommend if your kid picks up on bad behavior)
  • Dora the Explorer (I didn’t think Gryffin would like this since it wasn’t a cartoon and out of his age range, but he actually watched quite a bit of it)
  • Angry Birds 2
  • A Bug’s Life

Currently Reading

Haha, apparently I’ve been on a “self-help” kick lately. I started the first 2 books a while ago and just wanted to finish them up, however the last one is new.

Girl Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis

Finished! This book gives you a nice kick to get you motivated and moving toward your goals. Some chapters were more relatable to me than others. While I didn’t necessarily love this book, I still thought it was good and worth a read.

Boundaries by Dr. Henry Cloud & Dr. John Townsend

Boundaries, Updated and Expanded Edition: When to Say Yes, How to Say No to Take Control of Your Life

I made it through 85% of this book before it expired on the library app. It’s on hold so I will have to wait for it to come around again. I also want to check out his book “Boundaries with Kids”.

Nice Girl’s Don’t Get the Corner Office by Lois P. Frankel

I’ve read some controversial reviews on this book, but I decided to check it out anyway. There have been some things in my professional life I would like to work on and this book addresses these issues and topics. I’m not very far into it, but flipping through there is a lot of helpful advice.

Currently Making/Baking

Homemade salsa and Pork Carnitas!!

Yeah…I’m not the best at food photography

Making homemade salsa was on my Summer Bucket List. It turned out good, but not the best salsa I’ve ever had. I’m now determined to find the perfect recipe. The pork carnitas on the other hand were amazing!! We have a Ninja Foodie and used the recipe that came in the cookbook. We will absolutely be making them again!

Current Favorite

The Abide App!

This is not sponsored

I’ve been feeling extremely overwhelmed and dealing with some major stress. My sister suggested that I try listening to some Christian meditations before bed to try and help me sleep. I hesitated at the thought of it at first, but then I remembered Psalm 1:2 “But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night”. The Bible also references meditating on scripture more than once, so I decided to follow her advice.

That’s when I discovered the Abide app. The free version comes with 2 sleep meditations and then a daily meditation. I find it extremely soothing and also really helps me focus on God and reminds me that He IS GOOD and to put my faith and hope in Him. If stress and anxiety are keeping me up at night I put on one of the sleep meditations and most of the time I’m asleep within 15-30 minutes. The daily meditations are great for the morning and it tends to give me food for thought throughout the day. I highly recommend.

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Anyway, I hope you all were able to have a good summer this year and that you continue to stay healthy and safe!

Much love to you all,

Cami

Currently July 2020

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And just like that, there goes July! We had a pretty quiet 4th. We spent the afternoon with my brother and his family. Gryffin had a blast playing with his cousins that we hadn’t seen since the shut down. I also made these delicious red, white, and blue brownie kabobs. They were as sweet and refreshing as they look! You can bet I will be making these every year.

After my brother’s house we went out to dinner at our favorite Mongolian grill restaurant. With the majority of fireworks shows being canceled, there were quite a few illegal fireworks going off so we had fun running from our back deck to the front window to watch them all, haha.

The only other thing I can think of that happened out of the ordinary was that Gryffin and I came down with small head colds (I got covid tested just to be safe and we’re clear). It made me realize though I need to be more diligent about cleaning my home’s high touch areas and making sure I’m washing HIS hands as much as I’m washing mine. Regardless of Covid, it’s not fun being sick, no matter what sickness it is.

Here’s what else we’ve been up to this month…

Currently Watching

The BBC version of Pride & Prejudice. I’m leaving this on here because I’m not done yet. I haven’t made too much of an effort but I’m also not giving up.

Also, Friday nights have officially become our family movie night! Gryffin is now old enough to sit through most of a movie – granted he gets some toys to play with when we’re about 3/4 of the way through, but we’re completely fine with that. Our Friday night movies have included

  • Sonic the Hedgehog
  • Trolls 2 (Gryiffin really liked this one),
  • Emporors New Groove
  • Scooby (we watched this one tonight!)

Currently Reading

I don’t have quite as much to share in this section as last month, but I’m still working on a couple books.

Girl Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis

I started this book over a year ago when I was looking at starting up my own freelancing business. This book is super motivational when you’re looking to chase after your goals and dreams. I took a long hiatus from this book after I put my freelancing dream on the back burner. I’ve picked it up off and on throughout the year, but I’m determined to finish it.

Boundaries by Dr. Henry Cloud & Dr. John Townsend

Boundaries, Updated and Expanded Edition: When to Say Yes, How to Say No to Take Control of Your Life

I made it through 60% of this book before it expired on the library app. I need to check this out again so I can finish it though. There are so many good points and I really find it helpful regarding different areas of my life. I also want to check out his book “Boundaries with Kids”.

Seeking Him by Nancy DeMoss Wolgeuth & Time Grissom

This is a devotional I recently started. I sometimes have a hard time being consistent with online devotionals and was wanting a hard copy to go through – this fits exactly what I was looking for and in need of.

Currently Making/Baking

Homemade salsa and Pork Carnitas!!

Yeah…I’m not the best at food photography

Making homemade salsa was on my Summer Bucket List. It turned out good, but not the best salsa I’ve ever had. I’m now determined to find the perfect recipe. The pork carnitas on the other hand were amazing!! We have a Ninja Foodie and used the recipe that came in the cookbook. We will absolutely be making them again!

Current Favorite

Summer days!

I have really enjoyed the warm weather and getting outside more.

Image may contain: 1 person, text that says 'AUTHOR AUTHOR OF THE THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLE TWYLA THARP KEEP IT MOVING LESSONS S'
This book was from last month

Gryffin is at daycare and I have Friday afternoons off during the summer which gives me 4 uninterrupted hours to relax and/or get things done. 9 times out of 10 I choose to relax and enjoy the quiet. Reading outside is definitely one of my favorite summer activities.

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I hope you all had a great July. Here’s to a happy and healthy August!

Much love to you all,

Cami

2020 Summer Bucket List

/ Cami Grace / 2 Comments

I’m not going to lie, I’ve been feeling a bit like a party pooper when it comes to summer this year – I haven’t been in the mood to do a thing. I’m not sure if it has to do with Covid restrictions or just what, but I need to get over it otherwise we will completely miss out on a fun summer.

We had so much fun last year (you can read about it here) and I’m determined that we can still make this one great too. I have added some new things this year, but I am also keeping some things on the list from last year as well.

Also, in case you’re new here, I have a 3 year old little boy. I wanted to point that out in case you’re wondering why a grown adult would want to do some of these things, haha.

Food & Drink

  • Make homemade salsa
  • Bake a pie
  • Make peach cobbler
  • Make homemade lemonade
  • Buy a treat from the ice cream truck

The last one here is a maybe. There’s usually a cute ice cream truck that goes by, but the ones driving by this year are a little sketch. Buying ice cream from someone’s mini van isn’t quite what I had in mind…

Out & About

  • Feed the ducks
  • Check out books at the library (via curbside pickup this year)
  • Go to a farmers market
  • Visit a new park
  • Try a new restaurant

Fun in the Sun

  • Run through the sprinklers
  • Have a picnic
  • Play T-ball
  • Decorate our deck
  • Paint rocks

Rain or Shine

  • Go puddle jumping
  • Pajama movie night
  • Hand-write a letter and mail it
  • Play a new board game
  • Make a summer scrapbook

For those who want to create your own, you can print a blank list here:

summer-bucket-list-printableDownload

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I hope you all are having a wonderful summer! What’s on your summer bucket list?!

Much Love,

Cami

Currently – August 2019

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So here we are…the last day of the August. I usually start looking forward to fall by now, but honestly, I’m just not ready! I have absolutely loved this summer!

Here’s what we’ve been up to this month…

Currently Watching

Movies have included Aladdin (which you can read about during our Staycation Recap) & Mary Poppins. Actually, I’m only halfway through Marry Poppins, but the rest should be finished tonight.

Mikey has also watched the Pokemon movie.

Currently Reading

Ok, so I haven’t started reading it yet, but Unseen has made it on my to-read list after a friend told me about it. I’m looking forward to this one!

Currently Making/Baking

Tamale Pie!

Ok, so I honestly think this deserves a post all it’s own where I share the recipe…and a picture, ha. The recipe is very versatile and you can serve it different ways. It’s delicious!

Fun fact, the same friend who told me about the book is the same one who shared the recipe with me. Don’t you love friends like these??

Also, because they are just that good, I am keeping these brownies on my list. I have made them so much this summer!

Ghiradelli Triple Fudge Brownies

Ghirardelli Chocolate Triple Fudge Brownie Mix, 19-Ounce Boxes (Pack of 12)

Current Obsession

Blogilates!

I am sure this has made it on a past Currently post, but Cassie Ho has AMAZING workouts and they are all free on her YouTube channel! She also has a beginner calendar on her website that has a workout plan, including links to the videos for the day. It has been working so well for me!

I took a very, very, veeeeerrrrrrry long break from working out after having a baby. I tried getting back into working out, but for one reason or another my workout routines were just not sticking.

Finally, after 2 1/2 years, I finally have a chunk of time after work that I’m able to fit in a 30 minute workout and stretch. I feel amazing…ok, sore, but amazing!

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I hope you all have had an amazing August and have a wonderful fall season!

Much Love,

Cami