The Stevenson Ohana

Sunday, June 23, 2024

Kynance Cove- Cornwall

May 5, 2024: After church we drove to Kynance Cove. It was a good drive down on the lizard peninsula in Cornwall. Our friend in the UK recommended the place and so glad we checked it out. We loved our time here and was a really great place to picnic and explore all afternoon.

We did a lot more picnics and grocery runs this trip and all have come to love the bread and cheese and meat on-the-go. Riley got some kinder eggs for a treat and the kids loved those here. If I created a snapshot of our time here it would be sitting on the green hills overlooking the ocean with kids running around us and cheese and crackers and bread with lots of laughing. . , and maybe some wet feet and pants from us returning back during high tide to the car.

Cornwall- About Time.

May 3, 2024: We made a couple stops on the way through Cornwall to the Porthpean house and Vault Beach. These two stops were filming location to one of our favorite movies: "About Time." This movie has a special place in our heart. I first watched it dating Riley and it is one we rewatch annually, because we love the message. This film teaches about the value of everyday moments and the importance of living life fully. They were fun pit stops in our travels through Cornwall.

Also to note, the roads in cornwall were some of the most narrow sketchy ones of our lives.

these are two-way roads, so many blind corners and turnouts are rare. . . you just hold your breath as you pass each other with the sound of alarms of being too close going off each time.

Friday, June 14, 2024

School Photos 2024

The boys just got back from school and we got proofs of the school pictures. It made me smile to see they took a sibling pic! We have one more month of school before summer starts here and we are excited to have a break from school. Clay has had a great start to school, he has been going for a couple months now and already picking up a lot of dutch and singing songs in dutch around the house. I look forward to the day when the boys will converse in dutch together. We have had a pretty positive dutch school experience and think we have some bright boys ;)

Clay looking so scared but so handsome.

Sunday, June 2, 2024

9 years, 9 lives - anniversary

On May 23rd we celebrated 9 years of mawwage! Woah! It has just been one big adventure these years. We celebrated our anniversary with a sushi date and a walk through Amsterdam. . . and some other stuff not mentionable here ;) Riley wrote me the sweetest letter that he read to me overlooking the canals and I just want to remember it, so saving it here on the blog to cherish and read again when he is on my last nerve.

Dear Alyssa,

9 years of being married together. Wow. Pretty cool when you think about it. So many memories and time and places we’ve been together. Never would have thought if you asked the sun-kissed Hawaii version of me if in 9 years we’d be in Amsterdam with 3 kids after having done 5 years in Tokyo. What a ride.

As I sit and write this on our 9 year anniversary, the thought about cats having 9 lives keeps coming to mind. Now, stay with me, I don’t like cats too much, but I think there’s something there. They say cats have 9 lives. That’s pretty cool. Cats are resilient and keep coming back. And for us, for me, as I reflect on our 9 years, I’d like to think that they’ve gotten a bit more resilient our selves. That we’ve used some of our lives and have bounced back and will keep on bouncing back. We’ve had our share of tough moments in our marriage these past couple years but I believe it’s been for the better and we’re on a stronger upward trajectory, constantly trying get better even if sometimes it feels like two steps forward, one step back.

So going into year 9 of marriage, maybe we should be more like cats. Resilient, giving each other another life when we need it. I want a resilient marriage. One that bounces back. One that is committed to unconditional love. I think that’s the path we’re on.

I’m committed to being more vulnerable and transparent. Letting you in, to the deepest and darkest places because that’s what love. The desire to go into the dark together and have the resiliency to come back up to the light. It’s not always pretty and can be scary but it’s deep and it’s real. And that’s what I think we can be. Willing to go into the dark together with no judgement or shame, knowing the the darker it gets the lighter of light we can experience together.

I can easily say I love you more today than I did 9 years ago. I feel like our friendship is stronger and more authentic. I trust you, I value your input and opinion and think I’m a much better person because of you.

So, happy 9 years to my life partner, my travel buddy, my confidant, my friend, my lover, my Alyssa.

Love,

Riley

Monday, May 20, 2024

Cornwall- Mevagissey

May 4th- May 5th 2024: Our first stay in Cornwall was a charming little harbour town, Mevagissey. We stayed here for two nights and was our home base for exploring. We loved the vibes with the cute shops lining the streets, the old homes overlooking the water and the boats coming in and out. It felt like the perfect size of small enough to be nice and walkable but big enough that we were glad we had early morning strolls to ourselves. There is just something about a harbor that makes my heart so happy.

A hidden gem of Mevagissey was this secluded beach that was just a 10 minute from town. It was cool to see how the landscape changed from a port-town to a rugged, beautiful green coastline. If we had more time in Mevagissey we both thought it was the perfect spot to spend hours drawing and reading on the beach.

Couple goals: these two were the only ones on the beach early in the morning. Hard to tell from the picture, but they're probably in their 80's, the guy has a cane even more making it even impressive he was able to make it down the steep steps. It was pretty cool to see them together walking the beach, stopping and collecting shells and just spending time together out in nature.

We made it to church! Pretty cool being the areas that Grandpa was in as a missionary. We had a great time at the Redruth ward. Felt like testimony meeting in an old folks home. The average age there was probably 75, it was so neat hearing about the life experiences of the members there.