Outdoor Trails, A Day at the Beach, And More.
3:49 PM
It's been exactly a week since my last post, but I feel like so much has happened since then!
I did some more driving, finally taking it beyond small neighborhoods and onto the busy streets. Me and Mom decided to drive down to a local farmer's market to buy some fruit and lettuce, and that drive is actually pretty tricky. Lots of traffic and a tight curvy hill that you have to be cautious about when going down. I even managed to drive into the parking spot and pull nicely into a parking space! To date, this was the longest, most challenging drive I'd been on and even though I was pretty nervous at some points I felt SO proud of myself! Mom was really happy, too, and agreed that I did surprisingly well for a beginning driver. I think we'll try to go out for a drive tomorrow, too. We almost decided to go back to that market, but decided against it in favor of a day of staying home and relaxing. This time around learning how to drive feels different, though. The last time I learned how to drive, I always dreaded going out and I was way too hard on myself. This time around, I actually get excited at the prospect of going out for a drive! And while I'm still nervous being behind the wheel and get after myself for little mistakes, I feel like I'm more able to let things go and tell myself it's alright, and that I'm not quite as hard on myself anymore. Here's hoping it stays that way!
also found myself getting more creative since my last post. There's this floral tank top that I have in my closet and have just recently been wearing more often since it's really nice out. I really love the pattern and the colors and the material is so soft. The only thing I wasn't crazy about was the sash that tied around the waist. I'm rarely a fan of those kind of accessories that tighten around the waist. It just feels like the equivalent to wearing a corset to me. So I took the sash out, but it matched the pattern of the dress and I thought it was so pretty, I hated to just throw it out! So... I made it into a headband!
How 'bout that? So now I have an insanely cute floral headband that I could either match with my floral top or pair with any other outfit I want! I swear, I'm normally not this creative at all! But I'm glad this one worked out! ;D
The biggest things that have happened since my last post, though, have been me and Mom finding really fun places to go! On Sunday my mom came across this place in the newspaper called the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge that looked really neat. It was advertised as being full of outdoor scenery and great trails to walk through... and admission was only $3 for the both of us, so we decided to go there! It really was a beautiful place. We walked along the wooden walkway, surrounded by trees on either side and overhead as they loomed over us, and there were plenty of blackberry bushes on either side, too. It was really pretty. Eventually there was a point where we could get off the walkway and continue on another trail in a wide-open area that was lush green wetlands on one side and what truly looked like African dry lands on the other side! It was pretty peculiar, but totally cool. On the green side, there were these two twin barns a little ways off that looked really nice and picturesque. As we walked, we saw up ahead that there was a sort of wooden boardwalk that went a long ways, which would take you out further towards the Puget Sound. It was SO HOT on this day, though, so we were sweating on this long stretch and had to stop at the shaded halfway point to replenish with the water and grapes we packed. As exhausted as we were getting from the heat, though, I have to say that the end was worth it: it was such a pretty view, and we ended up seeing a heron fly by as we looked through the viewer! On our long walk back, we were definitely ready to get back to the car, having sweated ourselves and seen so much. The only frustrating thing was the injustice of never being able to completely capture everything we saw with my camera, no matter how many pictures I took (and I took A LOT). Oh well, that's usually how it goes: you see the pictures, but they are never nearly as good as experiencing it firsthand, with your own eyes. I'm sorry for the outrageous number of pictures that you will see ahead, but I just couldn't help taking pictures every second!:
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| Heron flying by! |
What did I tell you about picture moments every second? Or maybe I'm just out of control. Hahaha, that could be it, too! It was a great day, though.
The next day, we were still itching to get out of the house, so Mom suggested we go to Alki beach, a place she's always wanted to go and a favorite among Seattlites (and close-to-Seattle-ites ;D). I'd never been either and I was so excited to go to another beach unexpectedly close to home this summer. It was an absolutely gorgeous day, plus a Monday, so it couldn't have been a better time for a day at the beach! I hadn't really been to this part of Seattle either, but I fell in love with it as soon as the beach came into view and we drove past the beachside condos, houses, restaurant, and little shops. We parked on a nearby side street lined with trees and more lovely houses, along with a park across the street. As we got out of our car and started walking towards the beach, I couldn't help thinking how great it would be to live around here. You could walk out of your house and go across the street to the park or walk the five minutes down to the beach. It was been even better for those lucky ones who lived in the condos that had a front-row view of the beach. Every day you could step out of your front door and immediately see the water. Oh, to dream!
This was by far one of the most relaxing beaches I'd been to. Once me and Mom found the perfect spot to lay out blankets, we sat ourselves down and just admired the water for awhile. Everyone else around us seemed so laid-back... even the kids! Although later on in the day there were a few noisy children that showed up, for the most part the atmosphere was really relaxing. It was so nice laying down, watching the occasional ferry pass by, and I even brought along some beach reading material (Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan). A couple of times throughout the day we went into the water when we got a little hot, but we really couldn't go more than thigh-deep in water because the water was SO COLD. Mom eventually was brave and swam, but I was still too much of a wimp and could only almost go in before shivering and shaking my head. I really wanted to swim, though, because it'd actually been a few years since I'd gone swimming, so before we left, I went in for one final time and after a few more pathetic attempts, I finally just took the plunge. It was so cold, but I cannot tell you how GREAT it felt after that. Once I got in I couldn't stop, and it felt so glorious to finally get my swim in after years of being deprived.
After drying out in the sun and packing up our day at the beach, me and Mom walked a little ways down the street to the Starbucks for a sort-of dinner, all the while fantasizing a life lived in this lovely beach-town part of Seattle. Even though we really weren't very far from home, it felt like we were away on vacation <3
[Don't worry, I didn't take nearly as many pictures on this day!]
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| On the other side of Seattle now! |
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| View from our blanket. |
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| Some reading material |
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| Those mountains, though.
Well, that's it for this post! I hoped you enjoyed it :)
x Danielle
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2 comments
Lovely post dear!Really like it:)
ReplyDeleteKeep in touch
Antonella xoxo
I enjoy reading your blog, it makes me want to travel so much! You're so lucky that you can go see these beautiful sites :) I nominated you for the Liebster Award (you were one of the first I though of because I love your blog!) check out my post to learn more http://awhimsicaldreamer.blogspot.com/2014/08/liebster-award.html
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