Greetings! Today, and each month going forward, I'm documenting how I spent my month in just one sentence per day.
Turns out that the theme for May was Hang In There! With our backyard remodel temporarily on hold, I worked hard to stay busy while out plans were finalized, submitted to the city for review, and bounced back, finally, with just a few small change requests. Almost to the finish line!
May In A Sentence A Month
1. Struggled with a little post-menopausal depression today . . . sometimes it hits out of the blue and I have to just ride it out as best I can.
2. Headed to San Clemente to walk the five mile beach trail the moment it stopped raining this morning in order to take in as much post-storm coastal beauty as I could, and felt soooo much better for doing so,
plus did my weekly grocery shopping, wandered around TJ Maxx but left empty-handed (yeah me!), cooked this lemony dish for dinner, then settled in to watch The Phantom Thread, which I loved, but which left hubby scratching his head!
3. Five mile hike along the beaches and cliffs of Dana Point with my sweet hubby, a delightful outdoor lunch afterward at the harbor, then a couple of hours of backyard luxuriating, even if on dirt, reading and enjoying a beautiful viewing day of the ocean . . . I love living here soooo much!
4. Headed out and up into the mountains in order to attend a much needed women's retreat . . . it's been a bit stressful around here the last couple of weeks what with our backyard project, and it feels great to get away!
5. Just what the doctor ordered . . . spent the day enjoying bird watching, yoga, meditation, a clean-foods cooking class, wonderful meals, good wine, lots of chocolate, and the companionship of some truly inspiring women.
6. Arrived home from above retreat in time to enjoy a wonderful walk along the beach with hubby, have lunch together in downtown San Clemente, enroll in a beginners course at a knitting store we spotted, wander through the surfboard-heavy Los Molinos manufacturing district, and go beer tasting at Left Wind Brewery.
7. Fabulous paddle around Newport Harbor with my kayaking group, including a stretch along the Newport Back Bay, where I enjoyed watching an Osprey deliver a still-flopping fresh fish to two new hatchlings in a nest high overhead.
8. We're off to the airport, headed to the east coast in order see our granddaughter, plus visit Colonial Virginia, hooray!
9. Attended a Mother's (and Grandmother's!) Day Tea at my granddaughter's preschool, then took her to a nearby shopping mall where we rode trains, 'fished' for rubber duckies, ate pizza, shopped for toys, played an a fruity playground, and had an overall fabulous time.
10. Visited the National Zoo with our girl and had the best day ever . . . our third time taking her there, this is the first time she had enough stamina to we make it through pretty much the entire zoo!
11. Visited two parks with our girl, built the world's longest train track, then enjoyed singing one tired little girl to sleep for her nap.
12. Off to Colonial Virginia for the weekend, to give ourselves and our daughter's family a little private time (plus we need time to re-energize after three days with a fabulously energetic little 3 year old!), where we visited historic Yorktown before checking into our hotel in Williamsburg.
13. Spent the day in Jamestowne, which we loved, loved, loved, including visits to Jamestowne Settlement, Jamestowne Historic Site, and driving all around the island via the National Historic Parkway.
14. Drove back to our daughter's home in time to pick up our girl from preschool and enjoy lots of playtime in the backyard of her house, including showing her how to load and shoot a water spray gun . . . oodles of wet, watery fun!
15. Took our girl to the playground, baked cookies together, had a picnic lunch in the backyard, played on the swing, and just thoroughly enjoyed our last day with her before returning home.
16. Flight home, after which I collapsed on the sofa in exhaustion for the remainder of the day!
17. Off to get my hair cut, then a pre-lecture dinner at Taco Surf in Dana Point before attending a surprisingly interesting lecture on the life cycle of a tree by Cavity Conservation, and how many animals it supports both while alive and decaying.
18. Up early to bake lemon squares before heading off to a 36 mile bike ride up into our local hills with my group, including a tasty lunch stop at Java Juice, then home to shower, take a short nap, then head out to an evening potluck get together (hence why I was up early to bake!) with some gal-pals in light of all of our hubbies being gone at a men's retreat.
19. A rare hubby-less day (missed him!) which I spent race walking along the beach with my Saturday morning group . . .
. . . then off to San Clemente to take a knitting class at a cute little yarn shop there called Strands, plus a little browsing around the adorable Del Mar shopping and dining area before returning home and trying to remember the stitches I'd just been taught!
31. Spent the day cleaning up - the trailer, our towing vehicle, and our clothes . . . to every fun trip a little work must follow!
And so went the month of May!
May In A Sentence A Month
1. Struggled with a little post-menopausal depression today . . . sometimes it hits out of the blue and I have to just ride it out as best I can.
2. Headed to San Clemente to walk the five mile beach trail the moment it stopped raining this morning in order to take in as much post-storm coastal beauty as I could, and felt soooo much better for doing so,
3. Five mile hike along the beaches and cliffs of Dana Point with my sweet hubby, a delightful outdoor lunch afterward at the harbor, then a couple of hours of backyard luxuriating, even if on dirt, reading and enjoying a beautiful viewing day of the ocean . . . I love living here soooo much!
 |
| It was a gorgeous day to take a hike. |
 |
| We may have nothing but dirt in the backyard currently, but that doesn't keep me away when the ocean is this visible! |
5. Just what the doctor ordered . . . spent the day enjoying bird watching, yoga, meditation, a clean-foods cooking class, wonderful meals, good wine, lots of chocolate, and the companionship of some truly inspiring women.
6. Arrived home from above retreat in time to enjoy a wonderful walk along the beach with hubby, have lunch together in downtown San Clemente, enroll in a beginners course at a knitting store we spotted, wander through the surfboard-heavy Los Molinos manufacturing district, and go beer tasting at Left Wind Brewery.
7. Fabulous paddle around Newport Harbor with my kayaking group, including a stretch along the Newport Back Bay, where I enjoyed watching an Osprey deliver a still-flopping fresh fish to two new hatchlings in a nest high overhead.
8. We're off to the airport, headed to the east coast in order see our granddaughter, plus visit Colonial Virginia, hooray!
9. Attended a Mother's (and Grandmother's!) Day Tea at my granddaughter's preschool, then took her to a nearby shopping mall where we rode trains, 'fished' for rubber duckies, ate pizza, shopped for toys, played an a fruity playground, and had an overall fabulous time.
10. Visited the National Zoo with our girl and had the best day ever . . . our third time taking her there, this is the first time she had enough stamina to we make it through pretty much the entire zoo!
11. Visited two parks with our girl, built the world's longest train track, then enjoyed singing one tired little girl to sleep for her nap.
12. Off to Colonial Virginia for the weekend, to give ourselves and our daughter's family a little private time (plus we need time to re-energize after three days with a fabulously energetic little 3 year old!), where we visited historic Yorktown before checking into our hotel in Williamsburg.
13. Spent the day in Jamestowne, which we loved, loved, loved, including visits to Jamestowne Settlement, Jamestowne Historic Site, and driving all around the island via the National Historic Parkway.
14. Drove back to our daughter's home in time to pick up our girl from preschool and enjoy lots of playtime in the backyard of her house, including showing her how to load and shoot a water spray gun . . . oodles of wet, watery fun!
15. Took our girl to the playground, baked cookies together, had a picnic lunch in the backyard, played on the swing, and just thoroughly enjoyed our last day with her before returning home.
16. Flight home, after which I collapsed on the sofa in exhaustion for the remainder of the day!
17. Off to get my hair cut, then a pre-lecture dinner at Taco Surf in Dana Point before attending a surprisingly interesting lecture on the life cycle of a tree by Cavity Conservation, and how many animals it supports both while alive and decaying.
18. Up early to bake lemon squares before heading off to a 36 mile bike ride up into our local hills with my group, including a tasty lunch stop at Java Juice, then home to shower, take a short nap, then head out to an evening potluck get together (hence why I was up early to bake!) with some gal-pals in light of all of our hubbies being gone at a men's retreat.
19. A rare hubby-less day (missed him!) which I spent race walking along the beach with my Saturday morning group . . .
. . . then off to San Clemente to take a knitting class at a cute little yarn shop there called Strands, plus a little browsing around the adorable Del Mar shopping and dining area before returning home and trying to remember the stitches I'd just been taught!
20. Weeded the front yard in the morning, enjoyed a potluck lunch event with my spiritual congregation, then welcomed hubby home from his retreat before heading out together to meet our Lifelong Learning dining club for dinner at Eva's Caribbean Kitchen in Laguna Beach . . . fun night!
21. Attended end of semester Spanish lunch at a Peruvian restaurant, had a wonderful time, and met a gal that wants to meet soon to go walking, so nice!
22. Worked a volunteer shift at the harbor, then hurried to do all the grocery shopping afterward for our upcoming trip to attend a bike rally and then do a little RV'ing along the coast.
23. Packed, prepped our trailer and did food prep . . . early AM departure in the morning!
24. Off at 5:00 AM sharp for the 300 mile drive to Paso Robles, then took off to do a little wine tasting once we were all set up in our site.
25. Attended a 30 mile group bike ride through San Miguel, then back to clean up and head out for a tad more wine tasting. ;-)
26. A wonderful 32 mile bike ride with just hubby and me, first to Templeton to attend the Saturday Farmer's Market, then back via a series of winding roads through the heart of the wine country, including a delicious lunch stop at Cass Winery, where we both enjoyed some Santa Maria tri tip steak along with our wine tasting.
27. Headed to Cambria for the day to walk the beautiful Moonstone Boardwalk Trail, then back to the fairgrounds via the uber-scenic Santa Rosa Creek Trail Rd.
28. An AM walk into cute, downtown Paso Robles to pick up lunch sandwiches, then back to break down our site, hook up our trailer, and head to Morro Bay, where we set up camp and went for a walk along a nearby estuary in the fog.
29. Spent a fabulous day hiking through breathtaking Estero Bluffs State Park, followed by fish and chips at Morro Bay's Bayside Cafe . . . so delicious!
30. Headed for home, a coastal and scenic, but long, six hour drive.
22. Worked a volunteer shift at the harbor, then hurried to do all the grocery shopping afterward for our upcoming trip to attend a bike rally and then do a little RV'ing along the coast.
23. Packed, prepped our trailer and did food prep . . . early AM departure in the morning!
24. Off at 5:00 AM sharp for the 300 mile drive to Paso Robles, then took off to do a little wine tasting once we were all set up in our site.
25. Attended a 30 mile group bike ride through San Miguel, then back to clean up and head out for a tad more wine tasting. ;-)
26. A wonderful 32 mile bike ride with just hubby and me, first to Templeton to attend the Saturday Farmer's Market, then back via a series of winding roads through the heart of the wine country, including a delicious lunch stop at Cass Winery, where we both enjoyed some Santa Maria tri tip steak along with our wine tasting.
27. Headed to Cambria for the day to walk the beautiful Moonstone Boardwalk Trail, then back to the fairgrounds via the uber-scenic Santa Rosa Creek Trail Rd.
28. An AM walk into cute, downtown Paso Robles to pick up lunch sandwiches, then back to break down our site, hook up our trailer, and head to Morro Bay, where we set up camp and went for a walk along a nearby estuary in the fog.
29. Spent a fabulous day hiking through breathtaking Estero Bluffs State Park, followed by fish and chips at Morro Bay's Bayside Cafe . . . so delicious!
30. Headed for home, a coastal and scenic, but long, six hour drive.
31. Spent the day cleaning up - the trailer, our towing vehicle, and our clothes . . . to every fun trip a little work must follow!
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And so went the month of May!
