Simplicity

Since getting back from Philippines, Russ and I finally collected all our plants from my parent's house and placed them back on our patio. A lot have died because of the weird Southern California freeze that happened while we were gone, but some are still alive. I've been working/writing in our patio every morning where it's peaceful and nice to be surrounded by plants while I type.

Not a bad home office:

Sun!

Lewis loves the sun as much as I do so he hangs out with me until noon which is when the sun leaves our patio :(

This next month or so, Russ and I decided we won't spend money buying art stuff or home goods. I was inspired by a blog post by Thrifty Decor Chick and decided to give it a try. We have lots of leftover wood and art supplies--it'll be interesting to see what we can make with the things we already have.

The Great Outdoors

Thursday morning I dusted off my picnic basket, made a quick salad, got the goat cheese out of the fridge, grabbed a bottle of wine and headed for my friend's apartment. There, we packed more goodies in the basket--gourmet cheese, salami, olives, figs, dates candies, fruit, chocolate, sardines, spiced nuts--put the basket and blanket into the back of my car and headed to LA.

We ended up at the Old LA Zoo which my friend knew about and which we wanted to explore. We hiked a tiny bit of the area and looked through some of the old animal cages. Pretty neat and I guess something not many people know about.

What's great about the Old LA Zoo is that it has a picnic area. This is where we set up our lunch.

All organized.

Great selection of goodies

The food...oh the food was lovely. I think this is how all picnics should be like from here on out. We sat on the grass for hours while the shade from the trees came and went. We chatted, we ate, we sipped, we laughed. These kinds of moments make me thankful for good friends and the kind of friendships that help us grow.

After lots of eating, there was a moment where we laid back down on the grass and blasted some Taylor Swift music. There was dancing, singing, and lots of fun-having.

Looking up

Things are looking up. Sometimes I need to remember to lay down for a little bit and be content. There are so many beautiful things to explore and find outside. As I'm writing this on my apartment patio, the tiny birds in the trees are chirping. Lewis is sleeping in the sunshine. And I'm...writing. All is well.

Creative Outlet

Hey guys,

I'm in a need of a creative outlet so I will make more of an effort to use this blog. I have my fingers crossed in hoping that I will actually stick to this goal.

A little update: 
I'm working part time from home now. This means that I spend a lot of the time going crazy from the lack of human contact. It also means that I talk to my dog, Lewis, a lot of the time. But having more time at home has been a welcomed game-changer because it means I get to nourish our little apartment with love, I get to go on lots of tiny adventures with friends, I get to hike and exercise more, and Russell gets more home cooked meals. Honestly, I don't know if I'll be able to switch back to a full time office job. I'm pretty spoiled right now.

Another change that's taking place this year is that Russell and I might be looking for a new home. Shhh, don't want to jinx anything by writing too much. I'll update on that as more of our plans solidify.

Since I am on a verbal binge, Russell and I have started an Etsy shop! Once we get more items on there, I'll share the link. It's a pretty small, dinky online store at the moment but I hope it grows over time. One of the things I wanted to do this year is to have more creative time with Russell. He's great at woodworking and I'm good at small randoms, so we're trying to piece that together. Our weekends consist of creating and crafting...things. More on that too as time passes.

2015 began with lots of changes and more are on the way. I'm excited to see where 2015 takes us.

'Till next time (and there will be a next time),
Katrina Henry

Catching Up: Philippines | Winter Vacation Edition

Philippines. I can always count my trips to the motherland to be filled with family, memories, and good food. After all, Filipino culture does revolve around family and food ;)

What was even more special about this trip is that it involved New Year's Eve which is one of my favorite holidays when I'm in Philippines. Seriously, it's the best. It was even better this time around because I had Russell with me to experience it. I tried taking photos but some moments are impossible to capture. Just image seeing fireworks coming from every direction you look, loud noises everywhere, all the neighbors awake, and the smell of barbecue and food.

Here's one photo of Russ and I holding sparklers in Pampanga, Philippines on New Year's Eve.

I saw and visited many places in Philippines but that all seems kind of meaningless and redundant when it's family that made all the trips wonderful. I love being with my cousins, Titos (uncles), Titas (Aunts), Lolos (Grandpas), and Lolas (Grandmas). It's the best feeling to sit around a dining table with them and laugh and talk. Russell picked up so many Tagalog phrases that he would use at the right circumstances, delightfully surprising my family. This made my heart soar even more. To have a husband also embrace his wife's culture and family is one of the best feelings.

Family:

Borocay

Subic Beach

Manilla

Writing this all down makes me miss my vacation there so much. I still ache for it. Sometimes I catch myself calculating the current time in Manilla/Pampanga. I count those 16 hours ahead and wonder what my extended family is currently doing. Are they sleeping? Eating? Laughing? And then I'm pulled back to my current state and to my current time zone, and I get just a tad bit sad. I'm chasing the impossible time lapse.

Anyways, I'm all caught up. Readjusted to America and all it's glory. I remind myself that the majority of the world does not look like Southern California. And that I am spoiled for living here. But then I am also thankful.

One day I'll visit again. When I have kids (and when they're old enough to not cry and whine on an airplane), I'll be sure to take them there. I want them to see the beauty and joy of family, to eat until their stomachs hurt, and experience a culture that's warm and inviting.

Catching Up: Singapore | Winter Vacation Edition

Hello!

I've been away from blogging for awhile. And the more I don't write, the more I don't want to write because there's so much catching up to do. So here it goes...

Russell and I left California on December 23rd for a three week vacation. It was wonderful, tiring, heart-warming, and lovely. The first part of that trip was a 5 day trip to Singapore. I lived in Singapore for about two years of my childhood so it was a treat being able to take my little brother and Russell there--both of whom have never been to Singapore.

We walked down Orchard Street (main street for shopping and a tourist area):

Walked around Marina Bay:

Went to the aquarium:

James walking through the shark tank 

This is glow in the dark cotton candy

The Singapore Zoo:

And the Singapore Night Zoo Safari, definitely a unique experience:

Singapore is not that big of a country. I think we did everything we possibly could in our 5-day stay there. We came curious and ready and left satisfied and tired.

Look out for the next post where I write about the motherland: Philippines!