Made a Cool "Discovery" This Weekend

Project 36Smile!

It's really easy to want to be outdoorsy here when the weather is 70 degrees and sunny—like it has been for the past week. It has felt amazing! Honestly, to walk outside and not feel that that initial blast of cold air and need your pea coat, is a great feeling.

Saturday found us at Discovery Park with our puppy! Everyone kept mentioning it to us and how beautiful and expansive it was. When we drove the 15 minutes it took us to get there, we were surprised as to why we had never been there before. It kind of reminded me of one of the many hikes we took through Hana, in Maui. It was very woodsy, lush and green most of the hike. Then we get to one of the best outlooks from the park, seen here:

 Mac enjoying the view as well. 

It really just makes you stop in your tracks, breathe in a deep breath of that clean air and relish where you are. And that's exactly what we did. It felt great to kind of step away from the busy week we had and spend some quality time outside together. Here are my boys :)

Mix up your usual weekend of going to the same restaurant or seeing the newest movie and hike around Discovery Park. Your lungs could probably use some clean air and your legs with thank you for the exercise. Plus, you'll feel better too.

The beautiful weather continued on Sunday. Let me preface this by saying—for those who don't know—since we live in Seattle, our moms are obviously in Houston. So it was kind of weird to not have plans after church to go to a nice restaurant or cook something up for the moms in our lives. You would think we would be getting used to it, since we haven't lived in Houston in almost three years, but nope, it doesn't. Your moms just have a way of never making you forget them :)

So after attending a nice mass at St. Anne's in Queen Anne,  we hopped on our bikes and cruised around for about five hours. We didn't really have a plan as to where we were going or what we were going to do. There was a bike path over by Magnolia that we had driven by a couple of times, so we headed that way.

We ended up riding to Discovery Park again, riding along the trails that led us to Centennial Park, close to downtown. Another park we had yet to visit with gorgeous views of the water and city. It was breathtaking!

Of course, it's a little different than Maui where all you see is just baby-blue water. Here you see baby blue water surrounded by land. The contrast of the places was nice. The fact that we have the experiences to make comparisons still amazes me to this day. Maui. *sigh*

We ended up biking into downtown and had some lunch at Red Robin. Actually pretty delicious food for being a Red Robin. Back home we went after an activity-filled, picture-esque bike ride.


Thank you Seattle for giving us great weather and some amazing places to add to our ever-growing list.  Where to next?


We also ended up skyping with my mom while they were still at my sister and her husband place celebrating Mother's Day. BTW she loved the gift we gave her: it was a photo album from Shutterfly. She absolutely LOVED all the photos and paragraphs that accompanied them. We talked to his mom over the phone as well and she LOVED her canvas printed photo of all of us at our wedding.  I think they had a great Mother's Day.


36Smile! is blog where Sabrina will be writing about, sharing memories, anecdotes and much more that make her smile 365 days of this year! Too often, we are wrapped up in the hustle and bustle of this crazy little thing called life. We should take time out to enjoy the little things that make us smile and celebrate it! The "S" in 36Smile resembles the "5" in 365 days a year. 

Flashback Friday - BSC Forever!

Project 36Smile!

On my usual walk today with my dog, I noticed a sign in the QA bookstore "What was the first book you read?" explaining a reading initiative local schools are doing to get kids to read more. Which is a fantastic idea! With so many tech toys out there, it's vital to get those out of their hands and replace with books. 

It got me thinking and though I don't remember my very first book, I do remember being engrossed in the—wait for it—Baby-sitter Club Books. OK, go head and laugh. I allow it for a minute. But everyone had their book, TV show or vice they have and that was mine. 

But cmon, how can you not like  Kristy, Mary Anne, Claudia and Stacey and all the misadventures they had together?! It brings a smile to my face as I write this. I remember being so excited to delve into each one as I flipped open the book. I liked reading each story and comparing myself to the girls—I think I was always a Stacey at heart. With her love of fashion and boys and being the exceptionally well-dressed girl at Stoneybrook Middle school, I liked her the most. Besides her math smarts, we had to be related, right?! She had diabetes, I had psoriasis. She even dotted her i's with hearts! OK, so almost every 13 year-old-girl did that, but still. 

That's the thing about these books though. Ann Martin had a way of writing straight to her audience—me—a 13-year-old girl looking for a place to fit in no matter how many friends she had at her school or how cool she felt. She based the character of MaryAnne on herself. So the adventures were real-life scenarios that middle school girls went through. I loved reading every detailed page and couldn't wait to get my hands on the next chapter. She made that awkward girl maybe not feel so awkward while being apart of something where you weren't judged on a day to day basis. It gave you an escape from the oh-so-terrible-world feeling you got sometimes. You felt safe reading the books and wanted more when you were finished. 

Oh, and of course I watched the video as well. My sister and I adored the collection! We were of course, BSC fan members too. 

We didn't have iPhone, iPods, iPads, computers, Nintendo when we were my age, so reading books and getting outside is what kept us occupied. That needs to change now. You have to find what your kids, nieces or nephews are into and get a book right up their alley. Even better, go to the book store with them and let them pick something out that they actually want to read. Letting them pick it out will have the biggest impact on them. 

I don't know what my parents did with those books, but I can't thank them enough for starting my love for reading at the right time. I would totally reread those books if I could. To this day, I LOVE reading books. I can't wait till I find the next great book, grab a cup of coffee and curl up and delve into that world.

Oh, and thank you Ann Martin for developing an amazing, relateable series that holds a special place in my heart almost 15 years later. Hat tip to you. 

Hopefully that special kid in your life finds the book that keeps them turning the page until they crave more and more. Smile once you know you did that for someone, it will be a great feeling!

What is your favorite childhood book? What made you start reading it?

36Smile! is blog where Sabrina will be writing about, sharing memories, anecdotes and much more that make her smile 365 days of this year! Too often, we are wrapped up in the hustle and bustle of this crazy little thing called life. We should take time out to enjoy the little things that make us smile and celebrate it! The "S" in 36Smile resembles the "5" in 365 days a year. 

Get Off Your Butt and Enjoy The Ride

Project 36Smile!

What do most Americans do when they come home for a long day at the office?

Sit their butts down on the couch, pop in their version of a healthy frozen meal and veg out in front of the TV. 

Yesterday was a different kind of day for us. 

Before Chris even got home, he sent me a text saying "Get your bike ready, let's go cruise around QA." You have no idea how happy that makes me. Chris and I were really active in Maui. How can you not be? It was 70 degrees and sunny, literally every day. So we would be running, swimming or body boarding at the beach every week. It was great!

I've kept up my running like a mother here, but Chris on the other hand is something else. He just can't get into it. Who knew that he would get into biking here?! He loves it! And you have no idea how happy that makes me! The fact that he wants to get out and go biking and actually enjoys it. He is like a little kid with a brand new toy—can't get enough.

It was such a beautiful day yesterday, we had to stop and soak up the view this Emerald City gave us on days of beautiful sunshine:

View from Kinnear Park with the lovely, Seattle Center and Mt. Ranier 

Us looking spiffy with our bike gear on. 

Like I always say, we're always on the mind set of "what's next? I need to get this done right now," mentality, so sometimes you NEED to stop and smell the flowers, enjoy the view and get your head out of the iPhone for more than two minutes. It wont kill you, I promise. Unplug for a little bit, take a deep breath and enjoy what life has given you.

I know we did.

And we might just do it again today. 

BTW: You can burn anywhere from 200-700 calories depending on how light to vigorous you bike. Don't feel silly jumping on your bike! This is the most bike-friendly city I know. Save gas and enjoy the wind blowing through your hair. It's a great feeling!

36Smile! is blog where Sabrina will be writing about, sharing memories, anecdotes and much more that make her smile 365 days of this year! Too often, we are wrapped up in the hustle and bustle of this crazy little thing called life. We should take time out to enjoy the little things that make us smile and celebrate it! The "S" in 36Smile resembles the "5" in 365 days a year. 

How To Find Hope In The Midst of a Brutal Downturn

Project 36Smile!

Hope. 

That is the one, of the many things that I am holding on to during this "brutal downturn." Job downturn that is. 

But hope is the thing that makes me smile today. 

I received the book, The Job-Hunter's Survival Guide, in the mail today, by none other than my mother. 

She is always there, rooting me along in this job searching, telling me to keep my faith, hold on to hope, be patient and let go and let God. 

Written by the infamous, Richard Bolles, author of What Color Is Your Parachute (FYI 10,000,000 copies sold), I knew I was in good hands. Immediately, I open to the chapter titled "How to find hope in the midst of a brutal downturn." To know that I have alternatives, as he calls it, is extremely helpful to say the least—and inspiring. He lists 18 alternatives that gives job hunters like me a starting place. Granted, I have tried the majority of the alternatives, some I have not.

But the "secret to keeping hope alive is to always have these alternatives."  

A big one that stood out to me—and one that I don't think job hunters think about—is Self Inventory. 

Once it actually hits us that "OK, so that really wasn't a bad dream, I don't have a job now," is when it gets real, yet we have no idea where to start. 

"Before you do anything else, do a thorough self-inventory of the transferable skills and interests that you most enjoy and do best, so you can define in stunning detail exactly the job(s) you would most like to have, to your family, friends, contacts, network and employers. And then use this knowledge to focus your search for work."

After we understand what it is that we can actually do, have a goal in mind—companies you want to work for—the end is easier to see and the job search wont be that bad. 

The same goes for when you actually land the job as well. Don't focus ALL your time on the "roles and responsibilities and impressing your boss." Take time to inventory—so to speak—the company. Get to know their mission, commitment, previous work and press. It shows that you not only know how to do your job well, but how the company in general works. 

If you're a fellow job hunter like me, take time and take inventory on your self and your skills. You'll feel a lot more confident about your ability to find a job and the experience you can contribute to that dream company you want to work for. I know I did. 

Dream job I know you're waitin' for me so here I come!

36Smile! is blog where Sabrina will be writing about, sharing memories, anecdotes and much more that make her smile 365 days of this year! Too often, we are wrapped up in the hustle and bustle of this crazy little thing called life. We should take time out to enjoy the little things that make us smile and celebrate it! The "S" in 36Smile resembles the "5" in 365 days a year.