For this week’s Happy Planner layout, I did something a little fun and spontaneous! I picked a sticker book at random without looking! The winner was the Big Grand, Color Story Happy Planner Sticker Book. Technically, it’s designed for the Big Happy Planner, while I’m using a Classic, so the stickers don’t always line up perfectly with the lines. But honestly? They still look super cute, and I love the playful style it gave my spread.
This week’s sentiments are extra special:
“We are all a work in progress”
“I hope there are days when you fall in love with being alive” (close to my fave mantra—fall in love with life)
“This Happy Life”
“Everyday is a gift”
To add some extra flair (though less writing space), I sprinkled in the small transparent stickers included in the book - vinyl records, ice cream, and musical notes. It’s colorful, happy, and a little random… just how I like it.
Oh, and can you believe we’re only 86 days away from Christmas? Woot woot! I even started my Christmas and pasalubong shopping already—thank you, Amazon Saudi Day promos!
Last week was filled with all things Saudi National Day (crafts, projects, and fun events). If you missed it, you can check that post out here.
I’m also on Day 20 of Stashtember! Even with lots of projects lined up, I’m still hoping to hit 30 projects—even if I spill a bit into October.
On the reading side of life, I only finished one book last week: The Couple at No. 9. I blame going out, crafting, and a bit of laziness. But hey, I’m still at 12 books MTD, which is pretty awesome.
Three years ago, we spent the Saudi National Day long weekend in Bahrain. We stayed at Fraser’s Suites, which, little did we know, would be our last time there for a while. Not long after, we got “poached” by The Domain Hotel when their manager helped my husband arrange a birthday surprise for me. Since then, we became regulars there. Fast forward to last month, when we found ourselves back at Fraser’s again, reminded of just how homey the apartments feel and how sincerely the staff treat their guests. You can read more about that here.
2023 Saudi National Day Scrapbook Layout
But back to three years ago: on our way home from Bahrain, we got stuck in heavy traffic. At first, we wondered what was going on, only to realize it was the National Day festivities in full swing. Cars were draped in Saudi flags, kids were cheering from sunroofs, and people were handing out candies and chocolates from car to car. Some even sprayed cars with (what we assume was) removable paint, but all in good fun. The energy was infectious, and the love for the holiday was everywhere.
I promised myself that next year, we’d celebrate with everyone.
Well, the following year, friends were staying with us at home, and we ended up missing the festivities again.
But this year, we finally joined the happy chaos!
Saudi Arabia is celebrating its 95th National Day this year. The holiday marks the unification of the Kingdom by King Abdulaziz in 1932, and every September 23rd is a day for Saudis to proudly celebrate their heritage and progress.
This year, the holiday fell on a Wednesday—so instead of a long weekend, it became a hump-day holiday. Still, it was worth it.
Crispy Crab Salad
Popcorn Shrimp Noodles
Masami Box - Shrimp Fried Box
In Al Ahsa, we kicked off with dinner at one of our favorites,Masami Sushi, which just reopened after a year-long closure. From there, we headed to King Abdullah Park to watch the fireworks. Traffic was crazy, and we had to park far, but the evening air was surprisingly pleasant, making the walk enjoyable. (Winter is coming soon! We can feel it!)
After the fireworks, we discovered a new coffee shop just walking distance from our place: The BLK Specialty Coffee.
The café is small and cozy, with affordable treats—my Spanish latte was only SAR 10 (around PHP 150 or USD 2.50), and the cake just SAR 18. Definitely a spot we’ll be going back to.
And of course, Lucky joined in the celebrations too! He wore a special outfit I designed with my Cricut, complete with matching sunglasses for the 23rd.
To wrap up the week and kick off the weekend, we had dinner with a friend at Flavors, in the InterContinental, where they delighted guests with a beautiful Saudi National Day spread of local pastries, a thoughtful and nice touch!
For the extended celebration over the weekend, we went back to Bahrain. Lunch was at our usual Bahay Kubo, where we ordered our forever favorites, lechon kawali and liempo.
We checked in again at Fraser’s, where the staff once more made us feel at home (with another room upgrade too! hehe).
That evening, we treated ourselves to a relaxing massage and capped the night with Jollibee delivery (one of the perks of serviced residence, the dining area + kitchen + cooking or delivery = happiness less the driving out).
I even had time for my favorite bubble baths, this time with a new concoction: Bath & Body Works bubble bath mixed with a little (or in my case, a lot!) BBW oil. My skin loved it!
The next day, I cooked breakfast - bacon, spam, leftover eggplant & ground pork omelette, and fried rice before we checked out. We passed by Boba T for milk tea (new fave as our old go-to had closed), then dropped by a friend’s house to deliver gifts before heading to the Corniche.
We arrived early enough to picnic before the Air Show, which, to be honest, was a bit underwhelming. Later that night, I saw Saudis online joking about it too—“National Day Air Show was more like a no show” and “wings of excitement, crash landed in disappointment.” Ouch, but true. A friend even showed me her video from last year—it looked 10x better. Fingers crossed for a comeback next year!
Aside from the outings, I also had fun making a few National Day themed crafts with my Cricut. I made stickers, toppers, and Lucky’s outfit. It felt extra special celebrating not just outside, but also through the little handmade touches I love.
All in all, I’m just happy we finally joined in the celebration this year. It’s always amazing to see how much Saudis love their country - the pride, the unity, and the joy are so evident. It’s a little different from how we celebrate back in the Philippines, but we’re grateful to be part of it here. Saudi has truly become our second home, and for that—and for all the opportunities it has given us—we are thankful.
