Lake Tahoe {part 1}

So get this, a few months ago we won a free "dream" vacation. Long story short, we had no idea that we were even going to be living merely two hours from this beautiful place and we booked our vacation here. We drove up Friday night after Mike's work and stopped at In & Out for dinner, as all road trips in our family start with a meal there :) We inhaled our burgers as we drove through the most beautiful country side and into the woods and into the lake where we were going to stay. We got there as the sun was seconds from disappearing for the night. That night was magical. It was absolutely pure magic. We stepped out onto our balcony (which is the view from the pictures above) and looked above to what looked like a million bucks in the sky...the brightest and biggest stars all covering us and about a million of them! The girls were inside safe and sound and Mike and I looked above in amazement for a good half hour until our bones couldn't handle the air any longer. There was nothing like it. That night we fell asleep with the fireplace heating our rooms and I awoke to the first sight of light into our room and ran out to greet the sunrise. I didn't want to sleep any longer and miss out on this glorious nature. 

It was a freezing 30 degrees out that morning! The air was so clear and you could even see some patches of snow at the peak of the mountain. 

We went to Bert's Cafe and I ate the best Huevos Rancheros of my life. I ate it two mornings in a row : ) 

After a hot and delicious breakfast, we went for a nice walk for about an hour as the little one napped in the stroller. We ran into a nice piece of the woods where Sophia got to pick pinecones. There were so many pinecones on the ground. Mike referred to as, "the birthing center for pinecones!" Ha! We brought a few home. 

 Our day continued to be amazing...but that will be shared in part 2! To be continued...

revolving style

image via

image via 

My style is always revolving. It has revolved depending on where I live and the state of life that I am in. Being in our new city, I am seeing myself revolve again lately. I see myself leaving behind the summer bohemian look that I loved down in southern california to a more sporty chic look among these cooler temperatures. So...I'm on a hunt lately for a dang good and warm camel color coat and some cute and comfy sneakers ;) Because let me tell you, I experienced the first bits of Fall weather yesterday and i kind of chickened out on a park play date. true story. 

Have a happy weekend everyone! We are headed to the Lake Tahoe for a little getaway and i can't even begin to tell you how excited i am! Its going to be the first time seeing a large body of water after leaving the oceans down south. And call me crazy, but i am packing swimming suits for everyone. Just being a little bit hopeful ;) 

its the most wonderful time of the year...

Its finally Fall! It is my absolute favorite time of the year. Summer has its perks but there is NOTHING that beats the changing of the leaf colors and the crisp in the air. Along with wearing boots and eating about everything pumpkin flavor. One of the biggest excitements for me about moving to Northern California was the change in weather. I always get a bit sad when the temperatures are soaring in the 90's in September. But, so far Sacramento has met all my expectation for the perfect transition into fall weather. We have had much cooler days and nights (you should see how ridiculously bundled up my children are already!)...and oh the trees in this city are all turning color and there are abundant piles of leaves along our sidewalks. We have already made many plans to go apple and pumpkin picking and I just can't wait.  So therefore, it is the most wonderful time of the year... and it will only get better as the holidays start to roll in :) Cheers to Fall and all its goodness! 

image is via pinterest 

yesss its friday!

Hi everyone! Sorry for the blogging hiatus for a bit... I'm still adjusting to our town and getting used to our new routine and life around here. Mike finished his first full week at his new job and we even celebrated his birthday this week! Its been a very full week but I am ever so grateful that its FRIDAY! 

We are supposed to get RAIN this weekend! The air has proven itself to be more chilly this week and I am ready to embrace fall! Anyways...I saw this fun page over at the lovely Sydney's blog and thought it would be fun to follow along. 

I'm...
Making: our new house a home
Cooking: a lot more Korean food lately
Drinking: decaf americano lattes...but wishing it wasn't decaf 
Reading: about Charlotte Mason and other homeschooling books 
Wanting: these boots
Looking: forward to fall and all the apple picking and apple cider drinking 
Playing: outside everyday and enjoying our new backyard! 
Wasting: time playing with my kids and not folding the piles and piles of laundry
Sewing: nothing yet...but was ready to dust off my sewing machine yesterday, so thats a start! 
Wishing: to have a full nights sleep  
Enjoying: my daily walks with the girls outside
Waiting: for the weekend 
Liking: eating ice cream at the local creamery, pretty often 
Wondering: what our future will bring here in this new city 
Loving: watching Sophia and Zaylee so happy here in our new home 
Hoping: to grow a garden outside in our yard 
Marveling: at all the lovely trees in this town 
Needing: nothing
Smelling: a neighbors campfire at night 
Wearing: sweaters and boots in the morning because its chilly and then changing into shorts and t-shirts by 3 PM because its like 90 degrees outside. This weather is crazy! 
Following: my GPS because I just don't know my way around the streets here yet
Noticing: bugs, mosquitos, spiders, mice, and other creatures around and trying hard to embrace the "non insect girl but wannabe country" in me ;) 
Knowing: God is faithful 
Thinking: about the weekend! 
Feeling: tired
Bookmarking: homeschooling curriculum and preschool ideas
Opening: the pantry and refrigerator a million times a day for little snacks
Giggling: listening to little conversations between Sophia and her little friends
Feeling: content 

we made it!

So, last Friday we made our long road trip and moved into our new home! It was quite a long day, but overall a successful one. One of the best decisions we made on this trip was to hire movers. It saved us A LOT of time and energy and worth every penny. I couldn't ever imagine moving again without the help of movers, especially when you have two little children in tow. 

^ thank heaven's for my brother who took the day off work and help drive one of the cars for us^

^ this is her new favorite "monster" face. i think its pretty cute. :) ^

^ running around the front yard after a looong car ride! ^

^ pretty happy about it! ^

so... a couple days before we moved Sophia kept saying, "i never saw the inside of my new house." I reassured her that she will like it but i can tell she was a bit uncertain because she hadn't seen it herself. Well, as soon as we opened the door and let her run inside she immediately loved it. She was running around the house yelling, "i love my new house! i love my new house!" Both girls have adjusted and been loving every minute here. Its been making this move a whole lot easier. Its amazing how flexible to change little children are. They forget what they are missing and nothing is ever greener on the other side. They live in the moment and enjoy it. Watching these two girls so comfortable and immediately at home has made this mama's heart more at ease. Its been more of a emotional roller coaster for me and today i braved the city alone to find the local target :) it was a success and it made me feel a bit more confident in living in this new city. Last night we even ventured out together as a family and found the local Korean market! #dontjudgeweneedourkimchi :) 

One of the best parts of living here has been having some of our very best friends close by! They have been over everyday helping us, watching our kids, bringing us meals and hosting football parties :) 

Although, we are still adjusting...i foresee a lot of good times to come! 

packing done

I think i am officially "done" with packing! Yeah we have a few small boxes lying around that haven't been taped shut yet, but for the most part we are good. It was one of the hardest 10 days packing this little home up and i can honestly and humbly say i could have never ever ever done it without the help of family and friends. i have to admit...i'm one of those people that hate to admit for help. i usually carry on too many tasks and like to take care it all by myself, but when it came to packing up my house in merely days I made myself swallow a bit of that pride and ask those around me for help. And it was great. We had friends pop in just to sit there and bubble wrap a few picture frames, family members stop by to just bring us "energy" doughnuts, others come to pack a couple more boxes, and even more generously people offering to watch my children. I went to bed every night the last week grateful in my heart. Grateful for the outpouring of help in every way, whether it was through a meal, packing, babysitting, and especially the extra love and hugs. On top of all that love, we were surprised with a surprised party by family and friends on Labor day! I am so overwhelmed with emotion of happiness and sadness. These last five years here in this city were a good one. We made a gem of a friendship with so many and the memories are insurmountable. So...by the end of this week we will be closing a chapter of our lives here and excitedly looking forward to another...i hope i don't cry.