Category Archives: nature

blackberry weekend

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We had such a wonderful and BUSY weekend! It was only busy because it was filled with fun things though, and that’s the best kind of busy if you ask me. We had a dinner date out to a new-to-me Chinese buffet place (SO DELICIOUS!) and we even did our couponing at Target and ended up “saving” more than we spent- 60%!

On Saturday, we went to our friends’ birthday party for their little boy who just turned one! I won’t tell you how many pieces of cake Michael had… (hint: it starts with a “th” and ends in a “ree”)!

We also went blackberry picking! I really needed some berries to make jam, and we ended up getting just enough.

We wouldn’t have had even close to enough berries if Michael hadn’t been willing to be a wild man and climb into a lot of the taller brush.

And yes, it was as hot as these photos make it look, so once we were done, we went home and jumped straight in the swimming pool! Our little princess is always so wiggly after I get out of the pool (maybe because I drink a whole lot of ice water), but this time she even got hiccups while we were swimming. It felt so funny underwater!

I made my jam later that night, and it turned out soooo good. I think blackberry jam just might be my very favorite.

hi-ho, hi-ho, a-camping we did go!

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I’ve been talking about camping for a few weeks now, and this weekend we finally went! I don’t think I’ve ever been this excited to go camping before, so Michael definitely loved my new-found enthusiasm.

I never went camping as a kid, so I guess I never learned all the basic skills you really need to do it. Luckily, I am married to an Eagle Scout who knows pretty much everything and doesn’t mind doing it.

He sets up the tent like a pro.

Thankfully, he also knows how to start a fire.

Neither one of us is all that great at cooking hotdogs, though. Everything might look just fine and dandy in this photo, but both of these dogs fell into the charred-ash abyss just seconds later. Whoops.

I planned a bunch of fun things for us to do, but I didn’t tell him anything ahead of time, so it was all a surprise! We did a “nature scavenger hunt”, which actually turned out to be a whole lot more exciting than I had anticipated! I also had a secret plan for dessert.

We made Campfire Cones, which I had seen on Pinterest not too long ago. They were such a fantastic idea because they are so customizable and whole lot less messy than regular s’mores. Oh, and I guess they were delicious, too! We put marshmallows, white chocolate, milk-chocolate covered caramels and cookie dough bites, Reese’s pieces and M&Ms in ours. Mmmm.

I had found a bunch of glowsticks at the dollar store, so I brought those for some more fun. It was also nice just to have it to wear so we could see each other walking around in the dark. Of course we played with them with the camera’s slow shutter speed.

Michael made a wave.

And I made a heart!

We had such a great time together, and this just might be one of my new very-favorite photos.

Thanks for taking me camping, buddy!

nature “walk”

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“Gimpy”. That was what Michael called me most this past week.

I fell and hurt my knee pretty badly on Tuesday, so running has not been an option since then. But if you know me, you know I just had to get out and do something, so I took a few walks and even brought my camera on one of them!

When you take your time getting around, you just might notice some things you otherwise wouldn’t, like these vicious geese.

Some lady ducks.

Or even some beautiful little flowers.

I definitely love finding beauty in the small things.

take a hike!

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On Saturday, our friends Breanna and Ben invited us out for a hike! The trail was probably about 4 miles long, and we had a whole lot of fun. I always love being out in nature and it was nice to finally spend some time with them.

Hiking is even better when you take a break to eat fruit snacks!

I had never been on this hiking trail before, so it was a fun new experience. There were some little waterfalls, but the truly awesome part was the rock formations!

Of course, there was also a whole lot of monkey business that went on. Like this.

And this.

This.

And even this!

Please notice how there are no girl “monkeys” in any of these photos. We were well-behaved!

This little guy wanted nothing to do with any of us crazy monkeys.

Oh well. I love my monkey just the same, even if he does see the forest as a jungle-gym.

fun with friends!

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This past weekend, we went to visit Chris and Cerina! They moved away last summer, and we still hadn’t been to their new house yet or even met their new BABY! Lucky for us, I guess they like hanging out with crazy people because they were happy to have us.

It was awesome to finally meet little Nathan. He is definitely a ladies’ man already!

We had a lot of fun watching a movie and going on a little hike! The water at the park was so blue, and there were so many huge rocks. I loved it!

I love my buddy.

We even ate lunch on this rock! That’s hardcore right there.

No doubt about it, nature is one of my very favorite places to be.

Please notice the big scratch down Michael’s leg… he climbed a fallen tree and then jumped onto another tree! I think that’s more crazy than hardcore.

Since it was Saint Patrick’s Day, Cerina made pizza with green dough! Yum. And of course, the boys had their “muffkies” (cookies baked in a mini muffin pan).

Thanks for having us Chris, Cerina and Nathan! 🙂

so blue

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Yesterday evening we were invited to go blueberry picking with Rory and Lauren from church! We had so much fun! Even though I don't eat blueberries, it was still fun to pick them and goof around while doing it!

We even found a little bunny!

And ran into a fun puppy!

What a fun way to spend a Saturday evening =)

goofy ganders

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Part of *spring* break should definitely include some outdoor activities, don’t you think? Well, we included a trip to the park in our weekly agenda. Too bad it really didn’t feel all that warm and “springy!”

So what do you do at the park on a dreary winter day during spring break? Spy on the waterfowl, of course!

Who, by the way, you are no longer allowed to feed. Environmentally, it makes sense. FUNmentally, it’s just boring. By the way, I have absolutely no idea what kind of bird this guy below is, so if you do, you should educate me!

Since I was taking pictures anyway, I figured I would try to get some good ones of Michael and I together, seeing as we really don’t have very many. My mom did great with the camera, but well… Michael didn’t do so well with the posing! Just look at these goofy faces! I guess that’s one reason I love him, though.

Here is the only serious shot we took…

Honestly, I hope we’re still this goofy in 60 years.

the great outdoors

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This weekend we went hiking! This trail is probably the best there is, since it is only 4 miles AND it has a waterfall at the top.

Michael had never been there, and I wanted to surprise him so… I didn't tell him where we were headed! I had him wear his swimsuit (it's tradition that you get in the freezing, numbing water under the falls…) I tried to convince him that he was doing a triathlon, and that that was the reason for the swimsuit. He didn't buy it. He somehow did manage to concoct some idea of a church pool party, despite the fact that yours truly was not dressed to go swimming.

Nature allows me to leave the world behind.

Nature allows Michael to be a daredevil.

This was before he realized how cold the water is…

While he was swimming, I found this beauty…

He was pretty anxious to get out of the water!

Mist.

And we met Rocky, probably the most fun dog in the world. His owner was a really nice elderly gentleman who let us play with him! We threw the stick into the water and Rocky dove out to get it every time! =)