The stars last night were incredible, there is very little artificial light at the campground so the night sky is amazing! So glad it’s warm enough to leave the fly off my tent and be able to see the sky from my sleeping bag. After a lazy morning drinking coffee, reading and taking Javi for…

We got on the road very excited to start this trip. My co-adventures are my sister Christina and her dog, Javi. A 7 1/2 hour drive went really fast with very little traffic,   we listened to a very compelling audiobook called Verity that left us not wanting to stop  because we wanted to keep listening. Couldn’t believe…

Saturday was a challenging day as we went to a very close family friends funeral mass. While it was wonderful to be with a group of people who loved him very much, it’s always so hard to say goodbye. My memory of him was of a quiet, smiley dad who was always helping others. Listening…

I am really enjoying these Fridays where I get to do a bunch of random stuff. This Friday morning entailed doing my laundry and helping my mom organize some of her dresser drawers which led to lots of different stories and hilarity about the random things that she had held onto. We found a booklet…

I got a new haircut today, the shortest I think I have ever had my hair and I am really loving how cool it feels on my neck!  I had lunch with a friend who had recently started a new job that she loves. It was so good to hear her talking about challenges she…

Today was spent helping Mom out in a variety of ways, we got forms notarized, went grocery shopping, I set up her Apple Watch and we played around with it for a little bit. She’s nervous but excited about the watch, at this point it seems to be easier to use than she expected. I…

I spent the day hiking to both the top and bottom of Alamere Falls. I made a conscious effort not to use my phone for anything except taking photos, I put it in airplane mode so that I was not tempted to look at texts or social media or listen to a podcast. I also…

I am so grateful for this time to slow down and wander, to be with my mom and for her very willingly giving me a place to stay so I can take this time off. I realize I am giving up some potential financial security in the future by taking this break, but I gave…

This is a photo of my mom, Ann and her best friend, also named Ann. Our families visited together today for the first time in quite a while, and it was wonderful to be together and reminisce. My sister put it well when she said about their hands in the photo ‘The Auntie Ann’s hands.…

First time I have set an alarm in the last two weeks! Met my hiking buddies at the Richmond Marina and walked along the trail to Point Isabel, where dogs outnumbered people! We saw every size and shape of dog and they all seemed thrilled to have the run of the place. What a beautiful…