Maine Trip 2021 - Exploring Maine

We spent several days exploring surrounding areas and doing very "Maine" things. We went to East Quoddy Lighthouse, which sits at the furthest eastern point in the United Stated. We went to a local bay area to get some fresh lobsters for dinner. Visited a cute town called Lubec, which is right below the Canadian border, and yes we happened to find another brewery haha. Hopefully next year we can cross the bridge over to Canada, I have never been. Our trip was so good and I can't wait to go back. See my other two post here and here.

Maine Trip 2021 - Acadia National Park & Portland Maine

There were two and half days we carved out to explore Acadia National Park and Portland. They were long days, but very fun. We woke up extremely early to head out to Acadia National Park (~2 hours from my parents house). I read that parking can be hard to find so it was suggested to get there before 8 am or after 5 pm. Another tip was to buy your entrance passes and print them out before arriving at the park; both you have to display on your dash board. I am glad we left when we did because parking was filling up fast, but we found a spot and went straight to hiking Jordan's Pond Trail, ~3.2 miles long. The hike was pretty moderate there were some narrow pathways and rocky areas, but we did the hike in about 1.5 hours, but if you go when it fills up or hiking with kids it will probably take twice as long. We went to the visit center and gift shop, then drove up to Cadillac Mountain and hiked around the top. It is the first place to view the sunrise in the United Stated during a certain period of the year. We spent half the day in Acadia and then went to Bar Harbor and had a late lunch at a brewery and walked the town a bit. 

Maine Trip 2021

Amos and I finally found some time to take a break from all the hustle and bustle of work and city life and headed to my parents vacation house in Maine, our first time. They purchased the house back in 2019, it needed a lot of love and care, and they have worked so hard to transform it and make it a beautiful escape for all of their loved ones. They are in a remote location which makes it ideal if you are looking to escape to the great outdoors and hear and see all of mother nature. The property is approximately 2 acres with beach front access. They are pretty lucky because it is rare to find sandy coastline in Maine and my parents happen to have quite a bit of sand along their portion of coastline. We went down to the beach frequently with the dogs to explore and run around looking for crabs, shells, and keeping an eye out for the seals. There are seals and you hear them early in the morning, they are loud, and howl like wolves, so cool. We ate, drank, relaxed, hung around the fire ring, Harrison played in the dirt for hours upon hours, and it was amazing being around family. Amos and I did take a few days to explore Portland and Acadia National Park, I will save those for future post, but below are some pictures of our time at my parents and how beautiful and relaxing it all was.  I can't wait to go back and I hope I can spend half the summers there and explore more and make amazing memories with my family.

My parents backyard looking out on the water, the fire pit my dad made

The Doctor Seuss Experience

A few weekends ago we took my son, Harrison, to see the Dr. Seuss Experience that is currently being exhibited in Houston. I introduced Dr. Seuss books to my son at a young age, but due to the length of the books they only just started to capture his attention. I bought a set from Amazon when he was born, this one here. Dr. Seuss holds a special place in my heart since his books are where I really learned how to read and my love for books began. I read "Green Eggs and Ham" almost every night when I was little. Harrison's favorites include; "Horton Hears a Who," "Green Eggs and Ham," "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," and "The Cat in the Hat." 
The exhibit I believe really brought a lot of the classic Dr. Seuss books to life. Among those were; Horton Hears a Who, The Cat and the Hat, The Lorax, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Oh the Places You Will Go, and a few others. It is very hands on and interactive so my four year old went to town and had a blast so much so that he did not want to leave. If you live in Houston or the surrounding areas you have to check it out if you have little ones.  

Interior Improvements Moving to Exterior Improvements

It's been awhile since I have shared progress on our #1920sheightsbungalow. If you are new you can catch up on us buying and fixing up interior of the house here and why we decided to buy it here. The year 2020 was a big year where we got to tackle a lot of the interior aspects of our house and (slightly corny) myself, with the intellect and experience gained through and with the graduation from the dual master's programs at University of Houston. So this year I wanted to focus on all things exterior; below is a list of plans I have for the house, and for myself to really focus on personal health and fitness (which hasn't been a top priority as it should be as of late...). 

Working on My Tablescapes

I love a pretty tablescape and I have really been stepping up my game, especially since I haven't been able to spend the holidays with  my whole family due to COVID. I have a lot of faux flower arrangements, which I have combined with years worth of purchased faux flowers, where I then take them apart and rearrange them and put them in a different vase making mine own. However, when I make a tablescape for the holidays I like to have real flowers. So I am building on several décor skills, picking out the linens, plates, candle holders, and the part I love the most making the flower arrangements. I already have a really nice collection of serve/dinner/glass-ware, but I am hoping to spruce it up a bit and add some more colors, like blues and greens. Below is a list of where I purchased most of my table items; however, a lot of the items are discontinued. 

The plates are from an old collection at Anthropologie

The floral large serving bowl from an old collection at Anthropologie

The white vintage plate chargers were gifted from my mom who purchased and used them for my bridal showers. 

The napkins and napkins holders were from Target and a Marshalls find

The wine/drinking glasses are from Anthropologie (they were a wedding gift), part of this collection here. 

The candle holders I don't remember, but they could be Zara Home, CB2, or Anthropologie

The pink table runner is I don't remember the exact seller, but you can find cheaper options here. 

Goal Getter

I might be a little old school, but I am a person who loves to write down their goals. I have been told one of my notable attributes is that I am a person whose drive allows me to reach my goals. Now that doesn't mean that I reach those goals exactly how I planned or during my "ideal" time. I write this post now because I have achieved a big goal of mine recently and that is in my efforts of continuing education. I finished this summer with a dual masters in engineering (MIE) and business (MBA). Originally I wanted to pursue my masters in my mid-to-late twenties, but the way I traveled in my previous job overseas and offshore that wasn't really feasible. Instead I obtained my masters in my early-to-mid thirties. I didn't plan on finishing early, but it worked out perfectly and all the hard work paid off to my advantage all under two years. I get the question now what are you going to do with some of your free time or what are your goals now. Well I have a few new goals all of which could change down the road, but for the most part I believe are pretty solid. I also thought I would take a moment to recognize some of the other achievements I have acquired, to remind myself that I have come along way and not to put too much pressure on myself. I have also added side notes that each of these achievements all required hard work and did not come easy. 

A Weekend Cabin Get Away

It has been awhile since our family has been anywhere since covid took over. However, I saw this link through instagram about these cute cabins, surrounded by trees, and located all across the country with one location about an hour outside of Houston. The company is called Getaway and they have everything you need to disconnect from electronics and get the break you deserve. I booked a weekend for us and it was so much fun. It was just what we needed, some down time, walking, spending quality time as a family, and enjoying the outdoors. The precautions they took on sanitizing the cabin was amazing and you are pretty isolated from other people. I do wish this location was closer to a lake or pond; we really wanted to take Harrison fishing for the first time, but that will have to wait. Other than that it was fun and we definitely want to do it again maybe sometime in October. Hope you enjoy some of our moments from this weekend. 

Mommy and Son Day of Fun at The Color Factory

If you live in Houston you have to check out The Color Factory art installation. Harrison had no school today and so we decided to stop by and see what this was all about. You have to buy your tickets in advance and the parking isn't so convenient, but once you walk through the doors you start to get excited. My son is three and he enjoyed every second of it and we laughed and played the whole time. As you go through each section there is a guide to explain each "art" piece and there is usually a sweet treat that goes along with each room so bring your appetite. They also give you a "coin" that you can activate at each picture station that will email you each photo, some of the photos were boomerangs. Scroll below to see what I was able to capture with a running toddler on my camera and the photos we were able to take together at the photo stations. 

Traveling To Inverness - A Look Back In 2010

If you are new to this space where I share bits and pieces of my life welcome and feel free to explore. For those of you that have been following along since the beginning a big thank you and sit back while I do another look back of the travels I did when I lived overseas in 2010.  I did not have a car when I lived in Aberdeen, Scotland, but that didn't stop me from exploring outside of the city because of all the trains and buses routes. One of the weekends I went to Inverness, Scotland. Inverness is northwest from Aberdeen with rolling green hills and beautiful rivers. I stayed in a little upstairs apartment overlooking the river. Inverness is know as the "Capital of the Highlands." There are a lot of small side visits you can take from Inverness like the famous Loch Ness, where the loch ness monster is supposed to reside. I did not witness it during my travels, but the boat ride was spectacular. I also toured Urquhart Castle which sits along the Loch Ness. It's abandoned ruins are beautiful and haunting at the same time. So I hope you like my pictures that take you on this journey from the train ride leaving Aberdeen, walking around Inverness, the boat ride to Urquhart Castle, and gathering more insight on the Loch Ness Monster. (Some of the photos are slightly blurry due to the point and shoot features while moving not being the greatest on my camera then and foggy conditions when on the water).

#the1920sheightsbungalow Kitchen Update!

I was asked by one of my dear friends that I should post a before and after of our kitchen at #the1920sheightsbungalow. She was one of the few people who saw the state we bought the home in and while it wasn't horrible to me I was told that most people wouldn't be able to overlook all the "flaws."