good times

so we had this amazing easter in san diego and then left from there to go to utah.  and honestly i can't wrap my head around blogging about it all because i could seriously write a novel about all the little moments and amazing times we had. 

and although i really thought that i was going to finish this blog post, sew a small quilt, and re-organize my kitchen tonight oh and follow with a long luxurious bubble bath of course.  i will just do my best to finish this blog post. 



and maybe not be so tired so that i may read a few more pages in my new favorite book:
Above all, be kind by Zoe Weil  about raising a humane child in challenging times.  LOVE IT!!



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so here begins our adventure...

which began of course with a visit from the "eestah bunny"
oh how she loves that rabbit for bringing her more m&m's and jelly beans than she ever knew existed
i was excited to find a couple vintage children books and her basket from a local thrift store, all less than a dollar combined. 



we had easter brunch at la jolla cove. overlooking the water, drinking mimosas, and just enjoying every second of a picture perfect day.

















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utah has always been a magical place to me.
i'm not sure if there's something in the water or what, but it's just so refreshing everytime i go.
it probably has something to do with my Grandmother Simmonds, because she was magical.
and even though she isn't there greeting you when you walk up the stairs, her spirit is everywhere.

i stayed with my cousin linsey who lives where our grandparents used to live.  it was so nice to see the house being lived in the way grandma would want.


the room i always stayed in when i came to visit.  the white room.  tons of comfy pillows and a white bedspread.  in the summer time the windows would be open at night and i could hear the crickets and smell the sweet warm  breeze  coming through this window.  linsey's girls let bayley and i stay in thier room, it was so comforting.


the dining area where grandma would make you peaches and toast.  bayley got to enjoy many breakfasts with her cousins here.




the mandarin restaurant, the best chinese food in the world


we would put the kiddies to bed and stay up and induldge in a game of balderdash and x rated ice cream sundaes

pretty crazy huh!!

or sometimes we just talked until we couldn't keep our eyes open anymore


my cousins are so cool...
and i have like 55 more that are super cool too!!!






famous strawberry cheesecake pancakes....yummmmy


i just love this picture






just a few of the kids

we went to the living planet aquarium and we loved it





bayley got 3 fruit snacks stuck in her hair on the ride home.  my cousin corinne and i were talking away only to look back and see this.....oh i couldn't stop laughing, poor thing.






and an awesome trip to the park to see my awesome friend shauna and her little boy (more pics coming soon)






tension tamer tea....ahhhhh  no more coffee for this girl



a few pictures around the orchard, my grandparents house and land is being sold.....
if only we could work out our awesome co-op idea linsey!!!









just a fraction of the family





good times

good night

me

my mom told me that when i was only a few weeks old, she handed me to her friend ralph and he looked at me and said "she's an old soul"  and every now and then i feel that way... and i just like the way it sounds.....

so it is the eve of my 29th birthday and i'm feeling quite introspective.
i think i have learned more about myself this past year than in the 28 years before that combined.

and this is what i think about getting older:
in my opinion, it sure as heck beats the alternative!!
why do people not want to get older???  if we're lucky, we will get really old.
so i am becoming quite okay with embracing every age and going with it. 
gray hairs and eye wrinkles, just proof of some seriously good livin' (yes i dye my hair and use eye cream, so what)

some Abbey stuff:
-i could eat asian food for the rest of my life and be okay with it
-i love natural remedies and i aspire to be more holistic everyday
-i have a strange obsession with buying magazines
-i love kimchi
-i don't watch much t.v.
-photography, sewing and writing are my passions
-i love to cook, but mostly when i have unlimited time and money to prepare a meal
-i don't like really sweet things (except chocolate cake)
-i have very strange toes
-i love the smell of nordstroms and pottery barn
-i love my family more than anything in the world
-i love talking
-i need to listen more
-i want to learn how to sing and how to play the guitar
-i use olive oil to take off my eye make up
-i am a procrastinator, but working on it
-i love paris and NEED a chocolate croissant right now!!
-i hate soda
-the song "somewhere over the rainbow" makes me cry
-i want to go to india and ride an elephant
-i'm afraid of flying, but do it anyways
-i love love love life!!!

so heres to my 30th year, i have many expectations for you!!!  I have a good feeling about this one.

happy happy joy joy

so we're still here...
we've just been having too much fun
just settling back in from our little trips
almost caught up on the laundry and getting back in the groove
but i have to get up and go to yoga (aka my happy class)
so i won't be pulling a late late night blogging
i will just post three pictures that make me happy and say goodnight.


us


"hi Bayley" my mom makes the snapdragon talk to her
 then bayley imitates my mom imitating the snapdragon talking in a high pitch voice and it is hilarious


easter morning after cascarones(confetti eggs)!!!

stay tuned for more easter and utah pictures

goodnight

this is how we roll...

bayley has this dance she does
she begins with the very first beat of the sesame street theme song and it just takes off from there
it's a ritual, no matter what she is doing.  eating. playing. whatever.  when that first beat is heard, it's like "oh my song's on, i gotta perform!"
and she is just in the zone. dancing.
like a deep squatting, bouncing, head down, hippie, tribal dance that comes and goes with the beat
and it makes me smile so big and laugh everytime
what a moment to witness. it's pure, simple, yummy life

speaking of life, this is a great book about how great life can be


i haven't finished this book yet, but so far it has changed me forever, for the better and i am so grateful for it.

so in our recent efforts to simplify, i find myself being more content with what is and less likely to become distracted and run to the local Target (i'm pretty sure they used to own my soul) in hopes that buying forty dollars worth of random crap i didn't need will pull me out of the funk i was feeling.  only to realize that now i have to put away and deal with the forty dollars worth of crap and i forgot to buy razors which is the reason i went there in the first place so now i'm still in a funk and i have hairy legs. shoot.

so i am trying to shop less and live more, and i think it's working.

our trek to the beach was grand















i keep looking at bayley everytime i pick her up and thinking "this is all gonna be gone soon"  these crazy toddler years.  and even though it challenges every ounce of my being at times, i'm going to miss this so very much.  so we are eating up every crumb of life right now... not wasting a single morsel.

the other day, i decided to follow through with a project (another new thing for me).
i went out to our tiny plot of dirt and i started digging away like i was mining or gold or something (in reality i was feeling frustrated and needed to blow off some steam).  digging up plants, getting rid of old mulch, i was a woman on a mission and it felt amazing!!!  i found worms deep in the clay-y earth, potato bugs, and a super creepy centipede that looked like it could eat me.  adam put together the 2x4's into a nice garden box, i filled it with rich organic soil and -badabang-a garden was made.  i planted broccoli, yellow squash, and basil. 



"beauty is the promise of happiness"  -stendhel



these pictures hold a deeper meaning for me, i love them with all of my heart
there were no outfits planned, no props thought up, no special place to drive to at sunset....
just pure spontaneous fun
jumping on the bed, curtains open, eating a fruit snack, in the moment



























"if you want to be happy, be"  -tolstoy

happy monday

xoxo
-abbey