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Last school year, I started inviting my girl squad over for coffee on Wednesdays. This includes my mom, grandma, aunt, and cousins. The start showing up around 8:30, usually Grammy first, and leave about 11. It’s become one of my most treasured traditions.

Two cousins and I went thrift store shopping after coffee. Not only did I find a bunch of great clothes for back to school and a few shirts for Adrian, I ran into a friend I hadn’t seen in a while and got to chat for a while and catch up. What an unexpected gift.

A few days ago, someone reached out about purchasing Cowgirl, Ava’s horse. Because she’s a medical mystery, and because we have less and less time to ride her, We decides this was probably a good idea. As days went on, our hearts hurt and we realized we weren’t ready to sell. This was the kick in the pants we needed to get serious about a good vet and a better routine for riding. I’m excited to jump back into the horse world.

I’m writing this Thursday morning instead of Wednesday night because I spent last night until my eyes were too heavy to keep open looking at multi family homes, run down motels, and interesting real estate. My company finally has enough money to invest in real estate and I’ve become obsessed with getting the most bang for my buck! We’re hitting milestone after milestone and I just pray we can slow down enough to take it all in.

This morning Bible verse was about Abraham. He had unwavering faith and God blessed him with righteousness. The study asks to meditate on Romans 4:4-5 which says something to the effect of: Those who do work get paid but the payment is an obligation. Those who trust God are credited with righteousness.

It seems so simple and obvious, yet I work to get paid rather that trust in God pretty often. I always trust God, but I also always work for what I want on my own strength. Dear Jesus, help me be more intentional and aware about trusting You all day everyday.

We went out to the stable last night after Pete had already taken a bath. I said “Oh no, Pete! You already took a bath and now you’re all dirty again!” He said, “Welp, my hair is still clean!” And because of the clean hair, we didn’t feel a need for the second bath when we got home. Never mind the muddy feet.

After my now-normal coffee and Bible study in my cozy chair routine, I headed to the office where I feel mostly caught-up lately! We’re closing in on 100 properties and maybe it’s the calm before the storm, but I’ll take the calm anytime, even if it really is before the storm.

I had a 2.5 hour drive through windy hills to a place I’d never been… so naturally I called up my mom to protect me should I encounter a bear or break down on the side of the road. We took off to Ponderosa to check out a new cabin we may manage. We chatted the whole way up, topics from Buckeye trees to Ree Drummond, and to our surprise, as we came around a bend on The Great Western Divide, we saw a brown animal in the road. It was a big cow! Another cow ran across the road while a few others stayed on their side so we could cross. What a treat to see a herd of cows hanging out on the mountain. On the way home, we stopped at the Ponderosa Lodge for lunch/dinner. The lodge is currently for sale, $1.5 mil, and though our investing funds are tied up on our downtown renovation right now, it was fun to think about what I’d do if we bought it. Wedding venue. Vacation rentals. Snow plow rentals. So many possibilities. Bakery. Coffee shop. Maybe the new owners will need property management.

When I got home I had a meeting with my team about using influencers to gain momentum on our stagnant listings. I love my team.

The kids went swimming and then my parents came over. The sun was already down- about 8:30- and we all went out to feed the animals and pick veggies from the garden. Jack, in his Spider-Man Halloween costume, rode on the roof of the golf cart, spider man style. When we came in we sat around the kitchen island, Adrian made salsa with the garden veggies and I made a caprese charcuterie board. Jack and Ava packed their backpacks and went home with mom and dad to stay the night, even though they’ll be back by 8:30am for Wednesday morning coffee.

Sitting in my chair in the front window with my Bible study and cold brew in the morning is one of my favorite things, and it’s very easy to convince myself to get out of my warm comfy bed when I remember that’s my next stop. Though I haven’t kept up the routines of smoothies or exercise in the mornings like I had hoped… one out of three new habit goals isn’t bad. There’s always tomorrow, Lord willing.

A dear friend and her sweet baby came to visit this morning. She and her husband live in Mexico now. I met her through a mutual friend at a church organized Bible study. I can always tell when someone’s a goodie, and she’s a goodie. The kind of person you meet and think- we should be friends. When she and her hubs moved, they transformed their home into an Airbnb and we manage it for them. Whenever they’re in town, we make it a point to hang out. This time was even more special because their sweet new baby was in tow. She brought bagels for the whole team, and we talked for hours in the sitting room of our office, while the baby slept in the store room. Great way to spend the morning.

I remember Jack running up and down the long hallway of the home we lived in at the time, and now when I hear Pete running down the hall, I get that same smiley feeling. I love it. Everything about a little boy’s big feet joyfully plopping down a wood hallway, only to reveal themselves wearing a Spider-Man costume, Mandalorean mask, or hardly anything at all, just makes my heart burst.

Ava and I swung by my mom’s for a homemade cup of coffee to-go and the three of us drove around Hanford and Laton to look at some real estate. I’d love to be closer to the kids’ school, but the more I look at what’s available, the more I love my home. It was a fun adventure to drive around some country roads I’ve never been down, hanging out with mom and Ava.

I was standing in my room and I saw Alec, age 15, and Pete, age 4, drive by my window in Pete’s Jurassic Park battery powered Jeep. Alec was driving and Pete was hanging on the back. The kids are loving having Alec here for a few days.

I finished work early and came inside to make lunch, clean up, and hang out with the kids. Lunch was quesadillas and avocado. Dinner was orange shrimp and ramen noodles. It was nothing fancy, but the kids ate both meals and that’s a win. In fact, there was no dinner left, and no tears… maybe a first in Herrera history.

I’m really enjoying keeping up with the Airbnb Facebook group for our Central Valley. I’m a “community leader”, listed as a group expert, and I absolutely love playing that role. I even bought a hat for the occassion.

After dinner when everyone had settled in, I took a long bubble bath and listened to my Ree Drummond book, then climbed into bed. I realized I’ve read eight books this summer, and I’m pretty proud of myself for it. My trick is- I listen to the audiobook versions, and I do it in the morning when I’m getting ready, when I’m in the car by myself, and pretty much anytime I’m alone.

-Ava’s mom

It was such an eventful day yesterday- I’m writing this in the morning. Better late than never! There were ups and downs, but sticking with the theme, I’m only writing about the good stuff.

After only three days of this, I’ve become more intentional about paying attention to each moment. This may be the best thing thing I’ve ever done.

In the morning, I was going through my Bible study when I heard the sleepy pitter patter of four year old feet coming down the hall wall. We spent the rest of the morning in my favorite chair- snuggling and reading books about tractors. “That’s Not My Tractor” is his favorite.

I got back to work on sorting through clothes. There are about six trash bags in the entryway to donate. The kids kept themselves busy playing outside, swimming, and building a fort in the playroom. I hid the remotes so we’re still on a no-TV streak.

Ava and Jack picked basil and tomato from the garden and we made a yummy pasta for lunch which even Adrian liked. For dinner, we all cooked again and Pete prayed over our meal.

Before dinner, Jack and Pete went with Adrian to pick up Alec in Fresno. While they were gone, Ava and I watched a little TV to celebrate the time alone together. We watched our favorite episode of Fuller House, where Kimmy takes Ramona’s spot as the mouse king in the Nutcracker, adding her own spin (literally) to the play. I laugh out loud every time.

I’m about halfway through Ree Drummand’s book and realized I’ve already ready it. But I love The Pioneer Woman so much, and it’s so upbeat and funny, that I’m going to finish it. Again.

This morning I woke up early and completed Day 1 of Lysa TerKeurst’s 40 days through the Bible. It was a great way to start out the morning.

I read something that said the hardest part of accomplishing a new habit is preparing for it. So, if you’re prepared, you’re more likely to do it. Want to go to the gym in the morning? Have your gym bag ready the night before. Etc. So, last night I put the blender on the counter and low and behold this morning I made a smoothie for breakfast. I resisted the urge to put it away as it throws off the aesthetic of my counter space, and tomorrow morning I’m going to make another. Spinach: 1 Donuts: 0

My mom came over with a little dog my dad found out in a field in Hanford. It has one ear and is a tiny shivery chihuahua with brown and white spots and a long waggy tail. The thought was that he would stay at our house if he got along with Charlie and Pip, which he did, but I think my mom wants to keep him instead. I hope she does.

My brother-in-law Anthony and his wife Danielle held a pop up coffee shop nearby, so we went to support them and bought some delicious coffee. I had two iced lattes and they were both delicious. While there, we ran into some friends and invited them over to swim. The kids swam the rest of the afternoon, and we were later joined by Anthony and Danielle and their kids. I put the hose in the dirt pit with the tractors and the boys had a hay day, while the little girls and Ava jumped off the diving board on repeat for what seemed like hours.

A new restaurant is in town and they’ve opened it up by ticket only to train staff and get their routines and recipes down. We had a delicious late dinner with friends: Ashley, my good friend and old college roommate, her husband Matt, Danielle, Anthony, and some other friends. I had the beet salad, salmon entree, and rice pudding for dinner. It was all amazing but I’ll definitely be back for the beet salad. Ava babysat the kids for us while we were away and they had a great time as well. She got a little money from Anthony and Danielle so she’s on cloud 9.

I finished my Erin and Ben Napier book, so now I’m looking for the next good thing to read.

-Ava’s Mom

Inspired by Ben and Erin Napier’s book Make Something Good Today, I’m going to write a little of the good that happens each day.

Pete and I picked the kids up from Hartland Christian Camp this morning. On the way, Pete said things like “Holy Mackeral!” and “Holy Blockamole!” Phrases he must’ve learned during his past few days at Grandma’s while Adrian and I were on vacation in Vegas. When we picked up the kids from camp, they were both really happy to see us. Ava loved it and hopes to go back in the winter. Jack gave it a solid 5 out of 10 and has no plans to return.

I gave a short but sweet tour of our downtown building- still in the demo phase- to Leadership Tulare high school kids and a few representatives from the Chamber of Commerce. I talked about the history of the building and our plans for the future. Afterward, Adrian and I had lunch at Mikey V’s.

Ava was invited to swim at a friends house, so I took her to Hanford for some much needed time with her school friends. Pete was asleep in the car when we arrived, so I dropped her off and drove around for an hour while he slept, listening to my book which inspired this journal. We drove all over Hanford, and as we pulled up to get Ava, Pete woke up. The friend has a soft white shag rug in the living room, and Pete loved it. He asked me to take off my shoes and feel it with my toes. I politely declined since I don’t know this parent too well and definitely didn’t want to rub my bare feet on her fancy white rug.

The boys made popcorn and put on the new Bad Guys movie. We sat and watched it until it was over, then moved on to bed. I put all the remotes in our old hutch drawer to cut down on TV, and as a result laid with Pete to help him go to sleep. I sang him a song and he put his arm around my neck and played with my hair until he fell asleep, all within a few minutes. He must’ve been really tired from such a full and fun day.

To prep for school shopping, we’re going through the kids’ clothes and donating or giving away what doesn’t fit to make room for fresh new school clothes. We took a break to go to the Friday Farmer’s Market in Tulare- just a few booths of mostly Hispanic foods and beverages or little trinkets or jewelry. We ate delicious tacos, coconut cheesecake, and the kids had shaved ice and rode the train (made out of a lawn mower). It was hot and pure summer fun.

-Ava’s mom