Welcome 2020… halfway through?

Posted on by JC Rizk

If you are reading this, I want to say ‘Thank you’ for coming back to my page! Hopefully you’re not too annoyed that it’s been nine months since I last wrote a post. Yikes! Here’s a little re-cap of my life since we last connected…

In November, we bit the bullet and decided to take on a complete home renovation! We stayed at our neighbor’s house for two weeks, then with my parents for two weeks, and finally again with our neighbors for another two weeks (bless these people). Then, mid-December, we took a family trip to Peru for about a month with my in-laws … six children, ages four and under, plus eight adults … it was quite the adventure! I’ll write a post just on our adventures, but take a look at this breathtaking view of Machu Picchu!

I promise, this picture does not even begin to do justice to its beauty.

Since coming back ‘home,’ we returned to our renovation and only just moved in at the end of June! This past month, we are completing some finishing touches and getting settled: we have almost all of our boxes unpacked!

Obviously, COVID-19 has kept us isolated. We pulled Bird out of her preschool; thankfully, since she’s only three, she doesn’t quite understand that she’s not going back for the foreseeable future. I am extremely grateful, that as a stay-at-home mama, I am able to keep my kids home during this time. We are still quarantining as much as possible; with the spring and summer weather, the kids and I get outside a lot: ride the bike, scooter, play in the kiddie pool, sprinkler, play in our “garden” aka dirt piles that are in my planters, and going to our local beach, where we very seldom see anyone {helps to go right after breakfast on a weekday}. The one benefit of having the renovation finished and Hubby working from home are the increased family meals we share together.

My self-care at a time like this include: running {now that it’s hot, I’ve been running in the morning before the kids wake up — I love waking up early and being more prepared and awake when the kids wake up}, organizing the house and our items in it, cooking, some yoga {although not as much as I would like}, and READING! Since my last post, which covered books read up through September 2019, I’ve read twenty books! I think covering that many books in one post would be overwhelming, but you can check all of my read books out on my Goodreads {check out the column to the right –>}. Here are some of my absolute favorites from the end of 2019 and this first half of 2020:

FICTION

  • ANY book by LOUISE PENNY. I am reading the series with Inspector Armand Gamache and I absolutely love each book, which is difficult to maintain that level of excellence in plot along the way. These are 4 and 5 star books in my opinion! Recently, I read The Cruelest Month {#3} and A Rule Against Murder {#4}
  • Same goes for books by ANN PATCHETT! I read The Dutch House, Commonwealth, and Bel Canto and loved them all. Although, if I had to choose one, I would say The Dutch House was my favorite of these three.
  • Bear Town by Fredrik Backman. There were some heavy topics discussed in this story, and I thought they were so well told in a way that supports mental health awareness. This was my first 5 star book of this year! Highly recommend.
  • A Woman in No Man by Etaf Rum. I read this book in one day, which is a challenge for me, with running after the kids and trying to make sure life keeps chugging along. This was a stunning story about three generations of women in one Arab-American family.

NONFICTION

  • The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan. This book was really interesting, a bit dated, but the issues are similar issues we have today. After reading, I’m trying to help my family be more aware of what we are eating — shopping local when possible, trying to eat more sustainably, and next year, I hope to re-vamp our garden!
  • Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah. I love Trevor Noah’s humor and intelligence in his stand-up and in his show, and the book presented these traits, while also providing a peek into Trevor’s life growing up. Absolutely interesting and funny — I highly recommend!
My current read, with a new tea and my trusty aloe plant!

I am currently reading The Book of Pride: LGBTQ Heroes Who Changed the World by Mason Funk, and I only just finished the first section, but I am already learning about so many small acts that helped shape the world as we know it today. There is still a lot more space for growth and equality in all areas of our society, including LGBTQ rights, but this book inspires me that one person can make a difference. Together, we can make significant changes! I am excited to read further.

What are you reading lately? Anything that inspires you?

Travel Destination: Moab

Posted on by JC Rizk

Well, I am late in posting this, but it’s been a week: between a sick baby, both babes going through a mama phase, and getting ready for friends and family to visit, there’s been a bit of chaos! However, I am extremely excited about this post and wanted to take my time to do it justice.

We had an amazing long weekend in Moab! Hubby, babies, and I traveled three hours to Moab, Utah, and goodness, it did not disappoint. Saturday morning, the hubby picked the activity: a 9.4 mile long, 4×4 trail, called Fins and Things. On this trail, we saw a lot of Jeeps, many UTVs, and we decided not to rent a vehicle, but to instead take our Toyota 4runner. Oh my…

Let me begin by saying that I tend to get motion sick — even riding a fast, only several minute long roller coaster {with no flips} can give me a headache and feeling of nausea for the rest of the day. If you are in the same boat, maybe this is not the trail for you. Check out the following clip – it shows one of the many times we lost sight of the trail – terrifying and gorgeous!

The trip took us about 3 hours {with a half an hour stop to feed Lulu and let Bird run around} and although I felt slightly nauseated, the views were absolutely stunning. Also, I am thoroughly impressed with our Toyota 4runner; we kept a slow pace and definitely took our time on the jagged and steep areas, but we were able to complete the trail with the whole truck intact, albeit very muddy!

  • Snow dusted red rock
  • ^ Line of Jeeps ^
  • Look at this view! Stunning!

We then spent the afternoon in quaint downtown Moab with the dogs; our AirBnB was only several blocks away from the center of town – Bird started in the hiking backpack, but decided she wanted to walk back to the apartment on her own two feet. She recently started playing her version of the “red light, green light” game. She says “Freeze,” “Slow,” “Fast!” However, let me say there are a lot of “freeze” commands that make walking home a tad tedious, but adorable!

On Sunday, we drove to Arches National Park, which was only ten minutes away. Our goal was to hike the Delicate Arch, which starts at the Wolfe Ranch Parking Lot {for the 5k trail}. The drive to the parking lot was breathtaking, with many other stone formations that seemed just as iconic as the Delicate Arch. I really enjoyed the formation pictured above; it looked to me that it was greeting us on our arrival into the park. Absolutely remarkable!

We then started our hike up, up, and away the trail. Reviews of the trail are not joking when they say it climbs steadily upward! My hubby carried Bird in the hiking backpack and I carried Lulu in the Ergobaby; we started walking during his morning nap, but he was quite inquisitive at the beginning of the hike, as you can see from the picture above. He did eventually fall asleep and slept through the ascent, waking up exactly when we reached the Delicate Arch.

  • ^ That is our family!

The end of the hike seemed the most treacherous, as you climb along this narrow path up and around the formation, but truthfully, even though I have a slight fear of heights, this was feasible even with two small children. At the end of this path, you turn the corner and there is the Delicate Arch! We used the app AllTrails for this hike (and for our off-roading experience) and hubby and I were very pleased. Easy to use, tracks well, even in locations where cell service is not readily available, and provides the statistics at the end. If you’re looking for an app for your future hikes or off-road adventures, I recommend AllTrails.

I am extremely happy we hiked this trail in the winter. There were others on the trail, but definitely no massive crowds. The sun is warm even on a thirty degree day and I cannot imagine the heat in the summer. Lastly, we were able to take pictures relatively quickly, so we could hike back down before the kids’ lunchtime. Reviews I read advised that this hike can take 2-3 hours, as it is a moderate trail, there is no respite from the sun, and if there are crowds, I can only imagine trying to clamber up some of the rocks with others on your tail. It took us a little under two hours, hiking time, not including our time taking pictures under the arch and along the trail, as well as letting Bird out as we neared the parking lot, so she could get her fill of walking and rocks!

Honestly, I think Bird’s biggest take-away from this trip to Moab is that it re-affirmed her love of dirt and rocks! Hubby and I already decided we will come back to Moab to experience more hikes, beautiful scenery, and maybe, one day, another off-road excursion! On the way out of Moab, we stopped at Moab Giants for its outdoor Dinosaur Trail {there are other parts to this attraction that are indoor, but we had a long drive ahead of us and it was almost nap time for the babes}, where Bird wandered around, staring wide-eyed at the full sized dinosaur replicas. It was quite impressive and when we come back to Moab, we will definitely stop here to experience more of their attractions!

Can you tell that we are fans of Moab and all that it has to offer?! If this isn’t on your travel list, and you’re a fan of outdoor activities, whether you have children or not, this area has plenty to keep you entertained. We highly recommend it and it is an awesome place for children to explore nature.

What are some places that you traveled to that you recommend? What did you experience? Look forward to hearing from you as always!