wanna see what i did yesterday?

i totally slacked off and didn't take any pictures...but rae did!  rae, salem and i headed to the portland audubon society for a little adventure.  we met a cool owl, peregrine falcon, turkey vulture and a couple of other birds.  head over to rae's blog to see pictures!

wanna see what i did yesterday?

i totally slacked off and didn't take any pictures...but rae did!  rae, salem and i headed to the portland audubon society for a little adventure.  we met a cool owl, peregrine falcon, turkey vulture and a couple of other birds.  head over to rae's blog to see pictures!

memorial day weekend = joy

the day before my great escape, i was seriously burdened regarding three main areas of my life.  knowing that i would have some time to chill with God, i painted some rocks to symbolize these specific things:  my heart, my relationships and the direction of my life.  i carried them with me in my pocket as a reminder to pray and give them to God.  the campground sits next to a river and i claimed a boulder as my own and frequently escaped there.

pulling into the camp on friday afternoon felt like coming home.  a fresh breath of air and renewed hope surged through my veins.  throughout the weekend when i didn't feel the need to slip away to talk with God, i had no desire to leave the campground.  i was exorbitantly blessed by instant family and conversations.  my time studying the word grew into discussions with those around me about how to live it out.  the hours spent enjoying the beauty of the sunshine, rolling hills, luscious green foliage, and stunning shooting stars were shared as we stood in awe of the one who made it all.  being surrounded by laughter and joy made my heart soar.  just like last year, i left questioning why i had to leave.

hot showers and a soft warm bed welcomed me home.  i came back a little lighter...without those three rocks weighing me down.  i came back richer...more friends, hope and peace.  i came back with a passion to live where God is leading me.

memorial day weekend = joy

the day before my great escape, i was seriously burdened regarding three main areas of my life.  knowing that i would have some time to chill with God, i painted some rocks to symbolize these specific things:  my heart, my relationships and the direction of my life.  i carried them with me in my pocket as a reminder to pray and give them to God.  the campground sits next to a river and i claimed a boulder as my own and frequently escaped there.

pulling into the camp on friday afternoon felt like coming home.  a fresh breath of air and renewed hope surged through my veins.  throughout the weekend when i didn't feel the need to slip away to talk with God, i had no desire to leave the campground.  i was exorbitantly blessed by instant family and conversations.  my time studying the word grew into discussions with those around me about how to live it out.  the hours spent enjoying the beauty of the sunshine, rolling hills, luscious green foliage, and stunning shooting stars were shared as we stood in awe of the one who made it all.  being surrounded by laughter and joy made my heart soar.  just like last year, i left questioning why i had to leave.

hot showers and a soft warm bed welcomed me home.  i came back a little lighter...without those three rocks weighing me down.  i came back richer...more friends, hope and peace.  i came back with a passion to live where God is leading me.

multnomah falls : april trip

this is a delayed post too, but i couldn't resist sharing these pictures.

for future reference... if you are in need of a good workout, strap a thirty-five pound kid on your back and go hiking.  really, it is fun!

the babies toddlers {LOVE} to ride in the backpacks!  mari tends to fall asleep eventually and azariah quietly takes in all of the sights.  i seriously can't think of a time when they were grumpy while on a hike.

meshach impresses me with his energy and stamina.  typically i am the one slowing the group down by asking for breaks.  :o)  he loves to explore and find little creatures.

this is my new favorite recent picture of mari...such a beautiful little girl.

we spent quite a while hanging out near the top and eating snacks near the river.  (oh...did i mention my brother came too?  ha ha ha!  he carried mari.  there is no way i could carry both of the little ones!  not sure why i didn't get his picture...)  chipmunks joined us and we gladly shared our crackers.  it was so fun watching the kids take in the whole experience.  i can't wait someday to experience this with my own kids.

multnomah falls : april trip

this is a delayed post too, but i couldn't resist sharing these pictures.

for future reference... if you are in need of a good workout, strap a thirty-five pound kid on your back and go hiking.  really, it is fun!

the babies toddlers {LOVE} to ride in the backpacks!  mari tends to fall asleep eventually and azariah quietly takes in all of the sights.  i seriously can't think of a time when they were grumpy while on a hike.

meshach impresses me with his energy and stamina.  typically i am the one slowing the group down by asking for breaks.  :o)  he loves to explore and find little creatures.

this is my new favorite recent picture of mari...such a beautiful little girl.

we spent quite a while hanging out near the top and eating snacks near the river.  (oh...did i mention my brother came too?  ha ha ha!  he carried mari.  there is no way i could carry both of the little ones!  not sure why i didn't get his picture...)  chipmunks joined us and we gladly shared our crackers.  it was so fun watching the kids take in the whole experience.  i can't wait someday to experience this with my own kids.

tulip time!

on april 10th i set off down to woodburn on a quest to find tulips.  stacy (a friend since middle school) met me at starbucks and we were on our way to the wooden shoe tulip farm.  it had been a while since we had hung out and i was so blessed to hear how God was challenging her.  He has great adventures planned for her on the mission field!

i absolutely adore tulips.  hundreds of pictures didn't quite capture the beauty of being surrounded by these precious flowers, but here are a few of my favorites.

i love my boots.  seriously felt like a kid while i purposefully squished through the mud.  i don't really know why it makes me so happy, but it does.

there is an orchard next to the tulips and we took a little stroll through the trees and felt like it belonged in a movie.  this picture is {priceless}.  we almost gave up before finally getting this one.  timing was everything and it took us quite a while to both be airborne when the timer on my camera expired.  it made for a nice little workout between running to and from the camera and jumping.  worth every bit of the effort.

the entire day was a thing of beauty.  sunshine, tulips, creative and fun pictures, ooh... sharing an elephant ear, God conversations, catching up with a friend and even a little shopping to finish the day off right.

one thing i am working on is doing what i love to do instead of the things i like to do.  the things i love tend to take a little more effort but abundantly bless me in return.  too often i turn on the tv instead and later feel like the day was wasted.  this is only the second time i have been to the tulip festival... i missed numerous opportunities because of my lack of initiative.

i learning to fight the monotony of daily life.

tulip time!

on april 10th i set off down to woodburn on a quest to find tulips.  stacy (a friend since middle school) met me at starbucks and we were on our way to the wooden shoe tulip farm.  it had been a while since we had hung out and i was so blessed to hear how God was challenging her.  He has great adventures planned for her on the mission field!

i absolutely adore tulips.  hundreds of pictures didn't quite capture the beauty of being surrounded by these precious flowers, but here are a few of my favorites.

i love my boots.  seriously felt like a kid while i purposefully squished through the mud.  i don't really know why it makes me so happy, but it does.

there is an orchard next to the tulips and we took a little stroll through the trees and felt like it belonged in a movie.  this picture is {priceless}.  we almost gave up before finally getting this one.  timing was everything and it took us quite a while to both be airborne when the timer on my camera expired.  it made for a nice little workout between running to and from the camera and jumping.  worth every bit of the effort.

the entire day was a thing of beauty.  sunshine, tulips, creative and fun pictures, ooh... sharing an elephant ear, God conversations, catching up with a friend and even a little shopping to finish the day off right.

one thing i am working on is doing what i love to do instead of the things i like to do.  the things i love tend to take a little more effort but abundantly bless me in return.  too often i turn on the tv instead and later feel like the day was wasted.  this is only the second time i have been to the tulip festival... i missed numerous opportunities because of my lack of initiative.

i learning to fight the monotony of daily life.

angel's rest + kiddos = tough!

brandon and i decided to attempt a 4.6 hike with the kids yesterday.  i am so out of shape and my muscles are screaming at me today, but it was worth every minute of pain.  check out the view!

i love sharing moments of God's phenomenal beauty with them.

angel's rest + kiddos = tough!

brandon and i decided to attempt a 4.6 hike with the kids yesterday.  i am so out of shape and my muscles are screaming at me today, but it was worth every minute of pain.  check out the view!

i love sharing moments of God's phenomenal beauty with them.

we had a friend over today!

 

emma came to hang out with us all day!  we had so much fun.  the kids didn't know she was coming, so they were surprised when they woke up.

at breakfast, meshach asked what bug she should be. {i call them big bug, doodle bug and lady bug.}  he came up with honey bee and called her that sporadically throughout the day.  :o)

meshach loved to help take care of her and offered his hand to her on our walk.

 

  

  

  

it was such a beautiful day!  after lunch we went back outside to play with chalk.