Dewdrops

Here are some photos of dewdrops in our yard that I took last Sunday morning after a light rain during the night. Now the rain is definitely not "light"! We've had dumping rain, crazy wind, and power flickers for the past 2 days. It's nice to watch out the window, but I'm not looking forward to going to row in it this afternoon :(

I had some fun with some photo-editing apps for these photos. I used Pic Stitch for the dewdrop collage and Overgram for the one with the quotation. I love the results, and they're both free too :)

I hope that everyone is staying warm and dry!

Thanksgiving

Moon Jellyfish in the Monterey Bay Aquarium's "Jellies Experience" exhibit

Crown Jellies in the same exhibit

Looking for some wild ocean creatures off the aquarium's deck

And here's what we spotted - a Sea Otter munching on a crab

And a Harbor Seal :)

The view...

X enjoying Ghirardelli ice cream - yum! :)

City lights across the bay

Happy Thanksgiving! Right now I'm feeling very thankful for family - both immediate and visiting relatives - and the amazing time we've had this past week, including a beautiful day in Monterey, lots of games, fun, laughter, talking, and, of course, enjoying good food :) I just wanted to share a few of the pictures I took yesterday in Monterey. Hope you enjoy them and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Normality

"Normality is a paved road: It's comfortable to walk, but no flowers grow on it."

- Vincent van Gogh

“Joy in looking and comprehending is nature’s most beautiful gift.” 

– Albert Einstein

Rain

"Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather."

- John Ruskin

I can agree with this today... maybe I won't feel the same way later this winter when it won't stop raining and I have to do things in the rain, but today the storm had perfect timing. I stayed home all day, made paleo cinnamon muffins for breakfast (yum!), worked on school stuff, read, and cuddled with my astraphobic* dog :)

*astraphobia is the fear of thunder 

The Bright Side of Life

It will always be easy to find the gray in life; the bad, the sad, the stressful, and the boring bits. Which is why we must always try to find the bits of color. Some days they will be harder to find than others, but with an open heart, open mind, and open eyes you will always be able to find something, be it big or small, to brighten your day and bring a smile to your face :)

"I could never stay long enough on the shore; 
the tang of the untainted, fresh and free sea air was like a cool, quieting thought."
- Helen Keller