P H A I N

Day 1 & 2 Yellowstone. Probably the most diverse scenery I've seen in the span of 2 weeks. I had planned on going to Yellowstone in 2018 with Samantha, on the way back from California, but ended up coming straight home from San Francisco. So, of course, I started planning for a trip specifically to see Yellowstone. I threw out the suggestion to my family that we should all go, and most of them agreed! Having 9 of us go introduced some difficulties but ultimately we got it all worked out and started planning what all we wanted to see along the way. The first day was just driving, we headed to Sioux Falls, SD. Day 2 was jam packed full of sights! The first stop being the Corn Palace. About half of us had been there before, but it never ceases to a-maize! (See what I did there? Eh? No? Too corny? Ahem...moving on.) Next was a ghost town in Okaton. Abandoned places isn't everybody's thing, I know, but since it was right off the highway, we stopped and...

This year I'm turning 30! So I thought I would mark the occasion with a few things that I've learned so far, and most of them I still have to work on, but here goes! 1. Progress, not perfection. I struggle big time with wanting things to be a specific way and I always end up disappointed when things don't match the vision in my head. Roll with the punches a bit! And celebrate progress, even if it doesn't quite match what you had envisioned. 2. Compare to yourself, not others. I find I tend to put myself down whenever I look at someone else in envy. But if I look at where I was a year ago, I'm pretty proud of the progress I've made. 3. You can't pour from an empty cup - know your limits. Raise your hand if you have a hard time saying no! I would stress myself out endlessly by saying yes to anything someone asked of me. It's okay to say no, your well-being is more important than pleasing everyone. Boundaries, especially for yourself, i...

This month I... -Was a vendor at the Oddities & Curiosities Expo (It was actually at the end of August, but, whatever.) This went so well! I sold my target amount and received so many kind comments and even had people return to buy more! I'm looking forward to next year and hoping to maybe expand to a couple shows. I was able to snag a couple amazing things while at the expo, including this adorable kitten! -Started wedding planning We booked our venue and found a photographer, both in our budget! -Saw IT: Chapter 2 If it's September, I'm already watching scary movies. But that's true nearly year round. -Walked around Parkville Nature Sanctuary  -Carved some acorns and pinned more butterflies! (Which you can find on my instagram!  https://www.instagram.com/eclecticcuriosities/ ) September has flown by and I'm looking forward to fall weather in the coming month!

Days 8-11 We left Los Angeles and headed up the coast towards Salinas. Along the way we stopped at the Santa Barbara Pier. We actually drove onto Sterns Wharf and I freaked out because I was certain we would fall though with the amount of creaking and groaning the wood was making. But we survived and we wandered around, looking for a good place to eat. While we were deciding, we had the opportunity to see dolphins! They stayed close by for several minutes and we got a pretty good look at them. After they swam far enough away that we couldn't see them anymore, Samantha decided she wanted some fresh seafood: mussels. Which is not appealing to me. So I got some drive-thru.  Our next roadside stop was Morro Bay to get a gander at their giant Morro rock! It was nearing dusk so we didn't spend but about 30 minutes here, and we got to see sea lions! Samantha attempted to take a video and I managed to get in her way. As I had done the entire time. Like, every time she made...