Summers are always good, no, great, and this year has been my busiest summer in BC so far! It was awesome, no doubt, but I can't deny that by the end of it all, I was so looking forward to getting back to my regular daily life! I even cannot wait for all the busy-ness to die down! I was just spent! Okay, I think you get the picture.
It's funny because it was actually just August. Just a month - but it's all my summer with all the events that took place.
So... Photos time!
So of course I made me some blueberry sauce to top over my cheesecake!
Finally got reunited with my bestfriend, after years of not personally seeing each other! She lives in San Francisco and thank goodness SFO was part of our US Trip!
At Pier 39
The bestfriend's gift - a Hello Kitty glasses frame.
At my Aunt Marge's place in Hercules
Aunt Wilma's place in Sunnyvale for lunch!
Pier 39
By the Golden Gate Bridge
Disneyland! Woohooo!
Universal Studios! :)
Grandma and me at IHOP for breakfast
Huge wall of rock by our campsite
Camping in Gallagher Lake, Oliver BC (I was a first-time camper!)
Who says we can't have ribs at camp?
Little campfire we had! (There's a fire ban in Okanagan)
One Sunday morning in Gallagher Lake. So beautiful and calming.
Worship around a campfire at Harvest Kids Camp
I lied. This isn't part of summer. This was in spring when my Grandma arrived in BC from the Philippines. We all went to Harrison Hot Spring and Minter Gardens for some much-needed rest and relaxation.
Vacations really do people good. I remember a month before our planned US trip, I was just so restless and so unmotivated to work. Oops. I was feeling stressed and was so excited that work seemed to be so heavy a burden to carry at that time. But after a week of going around places, I was so tired that I longed to get back to my daily life. It was a great and fun trip, mind you. It was just the California heat
was too much to bear and made us all the more tired than we really were.
So when I got home, I eagerly unpacked and "redecorated" my place with stuff I got from my aunt (that would be a new post altogether). And just when I finished unpacking, I had to pack again for the camping trip! And that I kinda dread because I didn't know what to expect since it's my first time. It proved to be such a relaxing trip, one that I really needed! It was spent lounging around reading a book, eating, snacking, swimming in the lake (best part!), stargazing, talking and hanging out with friends, a bit of biking, ice cream break, and playing beach volleyball. I think I did good as first-time camper and that un-nerved the stress out of me for sure!
Another long weekend came and there's the annual Harvest Kids camp - super fun (as always) but exhausting! I had a kinda sweet 'motherly' moment at that time too! The 6-year-old girls in my tent asked to be read a story that night. Awwww. And since they were so chatty, I obliged and they did quiet down to listen. I think halfway through it, they fell asleep. But after a full day of playing with kids, I got home and gave myself the pleasure of a warm bath. And oh my gosh, it was so relaxing I kind of fell asleep in the tub. Haha!
I have been too eager to get back to a quiet life though - I'm old-fashioned that way I guess. I borrowed a bunch of books from the library to start off my quiet me-time moments and got new movies I could watch on my leisure. With my mind and body renewed from the vacations I took, I've been more productive and more motivated to work (yay!) and started off prettifying my house. I got so inspired by how my aunt decorated their house and saw how much it does me good to go home a pretty and well-maintained place.
I've also started to read some devotionals before I start my day to get me inspired, fill my day with hope, faith, and trust in God. I'm telling you, it's doing wonders to my everyday life. And with that renewed spirit, I've planned study times for both the bible and academic subjects that I like to pursue in the foreseeable future. I hope and pray I can fully commit to these. :)
There's a lot to look forward to again! Thank you God!!! :)