We had a great view of the aurora borealis here in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. We went to an area where we were away from city lights and had a large view of the sky without any other obstructions. A few others had the same idea we had, but it wasn't too crowded overall. We went to the top of a hill at Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge. It was the perfect spot to see the full aurora borealis.
One must endure some rain in order to enjoy the rainbows.
2. These trees.
These Hawthorn trees always put on such a grand show in the spring season every year.
3. This backyard.
Being gone for several weeks on our cross country trip left much to do when we returned.
4. These bookshelves.
Two new bookshelves we purchased at IKEA are doing a great job displaying our things of love.
5. This soap.
Simplifying our routine has been the best thing we have done for our household and our family. We recently added Dr. Bronner's Pure Castile Soaps (peppermint) to our bathing routine. We have always enjoyed Dr. Bronner's, but getting into a more simple way of personal care with this brand has saved our skin, and Jeff's face. Plus, the soap bars come wrapped in paper instead of plastic, which is a win/win in my opinion.
One last thing:
I've been using collagen a lot more lately, internally and externally. Collagen powders in my morning and afternoon drinks/soups, and collagen masks and creams for my skincare routine. I recently discovered that Rael, the same makers of the period underwear I've talked about before on my blog, makes skincare products, too. These Rael Collagen Face Masks were an "on the fly" purchase from Might Nest this month. I have tried two of them so far about four days apart and I have noticed a difference. Not only are they hydrating, but I have noticed some of the finer lines fading a bit. I am not afraid of aging, and honestly I am eager to see how I age over time, but being over 40 I am at the point where I want to hold onto my youth just a bit longer.
Positive affirmations this week:
"I realize how subtle are the influences that shape our destines." -Nikola Tesla
The quote reflects a common theme in human experience, where small, seemingly insignificant events or actions can have profound and far-reaching consequences on a person's life path and future. Keep this in mind when navigating through your mental health issues. The best kept secret is that other people's influence and options have no baring on how you live your own life. But it's a hard task to practice from day to day. But remember, practicing letting go of those subtle situations can be done and will be more beneficial to you in time.
Sometimes the view is different outside this window where I work, but it's always a view I enjoy with the half curtains closed. With my noise-canceling headphones on, I sometimes daydream as I did in school. No shame here, because daydreaming from time to time helps clear my head for good and productive work.
2. These souvenirs.
I am still going through souvenirs from our trip and these three are a treasure. They are from New Mexico and handmade from local Native Americans in that area. As someone that is part Native, it gives me great joy to be able to buy from other tribes. The nightlight is handmade pottery, and the ornaments are made of earthen clay. And, when I unwrapped them, the newspaper the lady wrapped them in read, "Gallup, New Mexico." I will be keeping the ornaments wrapped in the same newspaper so I can relive the moment year after year.
3. This city.
Portland, we love you!❤
4. This wind.
It started storming this week, but only a little rain fell. We were hammered with more thunder and lightning than anything else. Our fingers are crossed that none of the strikes start wildfires.
As a proprietor of a Free Little Library, there are no banned books in our library. All are welcome and we are a LGBTQ+ ally.
One last thing:
I have been loving the Dae Prickly Pear Hair Oil lately and along with the other products from Dae, this is another one I am adding to my everyday use. After surfing, I rinse the ocean water out of my hair and apply the hair oil. The smell is incredible, but it leaves my hair less damaged overall. Right now, you can get 10% off your first order, too!
Positive affirmations this week:
"True happiness, consists not in the multitude of friends, but in the worth and choice." -Ben Johnson
But what does that really mean? It means that the amount of your friends doesn't matter. You could have thousands of friends, yet still be lonely. The importance of your friends needs to come down to the worth of the friends, are they good people, are the trustworthy, etc., and the choice of friends. Chosen the people around you that you can count on and know they will always been there for you is important. As we age we realize that our amount of friends goes down, because we start realizing our own worth and cut contact with the "so called friends" we thought we could count on. So remember, even if you have two or three solid friends that are by your side no matter what, that's all that matters. It's best to keep your circle small and trusting, than large and questionable. This goes for family, as well. If they, too, aren't good for your mental health, rethink how they will fit into your life. Keeping certain people, even family at arms length isn't shameful, it's growth.
And on another note, if you're having issues fallen asleep, try the tip from Life Hack. Stretching is always a plus and as we age, it's even more important. But do it slowly, and stop if anything hurts.
(I am not a medical professional. All tips here are things that have worked for me and I am passing on the information to you, the reader. If you are concerned about stretching before bed, please consult a healthcare physician.)
Always love getting my Your Super shipment for the two weeks ahead. I've gotten into a solid routine with these and I feel like they set the weeks ahead up for success.
2. This box.
I always look forward to receiving my Kiwi Eco Box each month. There is never anything in this box I am not thrilled to start using, and this month was no different. The cloth pad was my favorite item this month.
3. These souvenirs.
So many great things from our Eclipse road trip earlier this month. I am excited to go through all of them. We bought several things, including this lip balm from Roswell, New Mexico, but also my mom and sister gave us some gifts, as well. I can't wait to sort through it all and relive the wonderful moments from our trip.
4. This doggy.
Hardy has been sleeping a lot since we got back. He had such a great time exploring new areas and all the new smells. He loved every minute of it and right now we are letting him relax since we returned and he has been taking advantage of it 100%. He is such a good doggy, he deserves it.
5. This selfcare.
I found these Hello Kitty eye masks on our trip and I couldn't wait to use them once we returned. When I was a kid I loved Hello Kitty, but that was before it went mainstream and got popular. I like to think I was one of the first OG users of Hello Kitty, even at the tender age of eight.
One last thing:
While we were in Arkansas, I was blown away by all of the state sales taxes. After living in Oregon for almost 20 years I've gotten used to no sales tax. The amount of tax that Arkansas has people pay is mind blowing. On a $27.42 purchase, there were a 6.5% state tax, 1.5% county tax, and 1.5% city tax. I get that this tax is how the states make money on tourism dollars, but that's a lot of tax on a small purchase. Not only that, if these states are charging that much per transaction, why are these states still so poor? It's a mystery to me.
Positive affirmations this week:
One thing I have tried to focus on more is the good in every situation. Even in stressful or hurtful situations, or even situations of loss, focusing on the good is a way to train the brain to not sink into a dark place for too long. Sadness and anger are valid emotions and there is nothing wrong with feeling those feelings. Be it for a day, a week, or even a year. But, feel those feelings and let them go. Grief has no time limit, but the longer we stay in a grief moment, the longer it because part of us. Time does help to allow us to accept it, but when that first light of hope comes in, allow it in.
We woke up the following morning and got on the road towards Williams, California. Again, it was a beautiful day and we were able to see areas we saw when we moved from Arkansas to Oregon back in 2004. It was nice to see a lot of the area again, and see things that most people take for granted, like California poppies growing along the median.
We didn't stop anywhere and tried to make good time getting to Williams, and the moon was full and glowing the whole way once the sun went down.
We made it to Williams around 9:00 p.m. Jeff said he was going to go ahead of call it a night from driving. This area of California is pretty bare with sights, but the sunsets were amazing! I have always said that nothing beats a west coast sunset.
Williams, California 🠊 Homebase
We woke up in Williams around 8:00 a.m. We ate breakfast and cleaned up the bus. We also got all the animals situated for the ride home. We planned on driving straight through from Williams, California, to Oregon without stopping.
As we crested the hill near Mount Shasta we got a great view of the snow-covered mountain. It was such a beautiful day that we saw the shadows in the snow along the mountain's sides.
We also got a great view of Black Butte along the highway towards the base of Mount Shasta.
We reached the summit of the Siskiyou mountain range and as we crested the top there it was; "Welcome to Oregon" sign greeted us. We were glad to be back in Oregon after such a long trip, but we were sad to end our time on the bus already. We all decided that living on the bus for long periods of time is definitely doable.
And before we knew it, we were getting off of Interstate 5 headed towards home base. It was a great trip and one we will be taking again soon. We can say now that we saw the solar eclipse twice. Once in Oregon in 2017 and then again in Arkansas in 2024. AND, we traveled to see the 2024 eclipse in a converted school bus. What a wonderful chapter to add to our book of life!
Life at a "Swell's" pace is a lifestyle and travel blog chronicling the life and travels while living in Oregon's beautiful Willamette Valley. It is mostly written by Shelly HW. Click the image to learn more»
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