Whatever: April Favorite Photos

A few of my favorite photos from April...

 

 

  Steve and I each went with a girl last weekend. He went to east to watch our oldest set a school record as stroke in crew...I went north to watch our baby come alive in a sport she really loves. 

We both missed a great day, but thanks to technology...kept up with the goings on.

Life is really wonderful right now.

Cooking: Rolling, Rolling, Rolling...keep that momma moving...Rawhide!

 Days fly by, don't they? Hours may drag, but days fly.  I feel a little ground hoggish this time of year. Eat, sleep, drive kids, work, repeat.   The short amount of daylight during  winter days makes it seem as if our days are short as well. The sun showed it's face finally here for more than five minutes this past week and I was at least able to be outside. I am jealous of my best friend whom I see park every morning to go run as I am off to work.  I miss morning runs.

This week was a good week for working out. I ran once, hit the barre twice and lifted weights one day as well. Yesterday, a friend and I took a 4 mile  hike, which was a therapy session for us both.  She is dealing with a divorce and I just vented about  my need to find things that are more my own. The hike was challenging enough that we felt it, but still easy and we both enjoyed just being  outside.

Reading: An Inspired Walk

I am sure you all have either heard of, read or seen Wild *. This book seems to be everywhere and with the Reese Witherspoon movie out in theaters, I am sure millions of people will see Cheryl Strayed's story.  I love Reese, she is from my hometown and is my hair crush. However, I wanted to read the actual words written by the girl who walked the PCT (Pacific Crest Trail) alone.

 

I am a fan of hiking. After a brief hiatus when the kids were whiny and made for a very painful  hike, I am back. Steve and I hiked a lot this fall and the girls were up for several long hikes as well. However, I am a ninny. I am afraid. Yes, I truly am afraid of hiking by myself. Mostly because I have read too many books about girls getting attacked.  The wild animals don't scare me. The wild people do.

Whatever: Hiking on a date weekend

Steve and I went hiking in Georgia last weekend and it was really beautiful.

Whatever: Almost grown

One of my new year's mental plans was to remember that my family is almost grown up.

We are finally at that age where we can all do fun things TOGETHER.  All those days of extra crap gear being toted are gone. The girls in my family are all the same size and dare I say it, I am now the smallest and possibly the weakest. I am fine with that. (sorta).

What that means is now we can do really fun stuff. Like bike trips and hiking. For real hiking. The epiphany came last week when I realized we could trade my barely used road bike in for a new bike for one of the girls. And take a bike trip.

Gratituesday: A weekend of fun and family

Such a fun weekend.

 

 

My brother, Eddie, who lives in the  Dallas area  (Allen to be exact) came to visit my parents at their farm. He and his wife and two sons drove a million hours (or 13) and then drove a million more while they were here (Atlanta, Nashville and Chattanooga were all on their hit list). 

We hung out with them earlier in the week  and caught a Lookouts game with them Friday.

The weather was perfect!

 

We normally only see them every two years and so it was a treat to see them.

 

Saturday, my sister Jennifer came into town with her husband and kids.

We got tickets to a event at the local zoo. We had a blast. The carni folk tasted barbecuefrom 8 or so vendors, the adults had a beverage, a wonderful local bluegrass band played and we had free reign of the zoo and all the exhibits. I was extremely impressed with all the improvements at the zoo. We really enjoyed ourselves.

 

 

Sunday we got up and went for a hike with our families. The weather could not have been better. We have had so much rain this summer that I forgot what low humidity felt like. Chattanooga is gorgeous and our hike was really rewarding. We really enjoyed ourselves.

 

After our hike, we hit the Chattanooga Market for lunch and music. Then headed home to build a fire. Yep, a fire. Steve and my brother-in-law burned a huge stump. For about 6 hours.

We grilled out and made a delicious dinner including fresh peach upside down cake. The dinner we cooked was the perfect ending to a very busy and very fun weekend.

 

Hope yours was just as lovely.

 

I cannot think of anything more gratifying than being outside and entertained, except being so with the family that you miss most of the year.

I am so grateful to have an extended family and for the time I get to spend with them. They are such a gift to me.

Whatever: Outdoors

I was sitting at the bar Wednesday night after the weekly evening run that my husband drug me to and I attended for the first time last night with one of my good friends. 

I was telling him how mad I was for years that we did not move to Colorado after my husband graduated from grad school.
It was weird, but as I was saying it, I realized that I am not really even close to regretful anymore. Which is a huge step for me.

 Instead, I realized that Chattanooga has most of the things that inspired the feeling that I wanted to move to Colorado.

 

 

 Chattanooga has changed a lot in the past 14 years. There are a lot more cultural opportunities and much better restaurants than when we first arrived. We have a huge culture of outdoor enthusiasts, other than the red blooded bass fishermen that I encountered the first few years we lived here.

That overwhelmingly red state state of mind has been tempered by quite a few of the people I have personally met over the past 5 years, making me realize I am not the only moderate in the sea.
We were even Outside magazine's number one place to live last year due to the abundance of outdoor activities and relatively affordable cost of living.

 I realized I just had just  been really remiss in utilizing all the great outdoor opportunities.
I started running about 8 years ago and that gets me in the company of a club of people who enjoy fitness and each other's company. But until recently, it was such an unrewarding experience to go hiking (one of my major reasons for moving to Colorado). 

My husband literally runs and my kids lagged and cried. So, I was opposed to doing it. I had given a stab at it a few times in the past two or three years, and it had not been horrible, but I still wasn't as into it.

Then something changed.

 

I went hiking with my parents and it was fun.


I wasn't sprinting to keep up with my husband and no one was crying about being bored. I was able to look around and the beauty surrounding me and truly enjoy it.

So, over Thanksgiving I took my sister and her family on one of my favorite EASY hikes.

There was little whining (her kids are tougher than mine, apparently) and we had a lovely time.

 

The wind was wild at the top and a cold front was coming in, so we didn't get the awesome photo I thought we might, but it was really peaceful and...enjoyable.

We had a great time as a family.
Even our dogs enjoyed themselves.

So, as I near the end of the year and start making my "want to do" list for 2013, I am adding Enjoy the Outdoors to the top of my list.