Today I’m thankful to live where we live. We have mild weather, very few (if any) bugs/snakes that will kill you (in our part of the state anyway), it’s green year round (my fave color), there is a ton of outdoor life & activity to enjoy, and we are within an hour’ish of a mountain and the coast….best of both worlds.

I’m also thankful we had the opportunity to staycation over Memorial Day weekend. Typically we are camping that weekend, but we waited too long to make reservations, and instead of trying to force a camping trip that was going to be difficult to pull off we opted to stay home and enjoy a few day trips instead.

We make a lot of trips over the mountains to the East side of the state, but rarely do we stop at parks/attractions along the way. Our goal is always getting to family at the other end of the drive. So, we took our staycation as an opportunity to explore the North Bend area, which we drive through a lot, but never stop. We wanted to mountain bike part of the Iron Horse Trail, which ended up being a bit advanced for Sky, but we managed 4 miles before she was over it. I mean Over. It. Since our ride was cut short we explored the area and a few parks and pretty areas. I kinda fell in love with the area, and can’t wait to do some camping and more exploring. (No pics of this outing, was too busy enjoying the family time).

Day two we headed to Bainbridge Island, which is only about 1 1/2 hours away, but you would think it’s much further given it’s only the 2nd time I’ve been there. We got lucky with the weather, sunny and warm, but not too hot, and the island was just perfect. We hit the beach, and the forest, and a few of the little spots in town, and of course a winery. I don’t know, there is just something about being on an island that feels so relaxed, like time slows down.

It was extra fun having our friends join us in our adventure. Sky loved having Grace and Kiera to hang with all day, always nice to have other kiddos around for her!

Here’s to staycations and exploring the amazingly beautiful area we call home. Thankful I have such great friends and family to explore with!

What are you thankful for today?