I Love November

taking a moment to find joy in the little things

The beginning of November is peak around these parts for autumnal glory. I was feeling rather sorry for myself that my oldest didn't feel up to going hiking on Saturday. I really wanted to get out there and enjoy the beauty of fall, not stay at home and nurse a sick child. But she and I stayed home until she mentioned wanting to walk to the park for a picnic. I'm so glad we went...we found so much beauty and happiness right in our own neighborhood.

{pretty}

{happy}

Spending time one on one with my girls always makes me happy. I spend LOTS of time with both of them, but when I just get to hang out with one it's a whole new level of happiness.

We put together our shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child!

I got the most wonderful, thoughtful surprise in the mail this week. Adrienne of My Memory Art, followed my instagram series of Violin ABCs and was inspired to put together this memory book to send me. I've ordered my prints and am eager to put this book together. THANK YOU for blessing me, Adrienne!

{funny}

Look closely...you'll see she used the actual number as the first letter in the words five and forth : )

It's been a little windy here the past couple days.

{real}

These photos could easily have gone under the category pretty or happy. I remember seeing some mushrooms last year, but this year we have TONS! Maybe I'm taking more notice or maybe there really are more. At any rate, I find them very interesting and wonderful subjects to photograph. Like flowers and leaves, there are so many different kinds!

I'm linking up with  It's the Little Things, {pretty, happy, funny, real}, 

Wednesday Around the World, Image-in-ing and Little Things Thursday 

A lot of {pretty} and {happy} ~ Waterfall Edition

taking a moment to find joy in the little things

{pretty}

Most of these are in my own backyard...it's so pretty out there right now.

These last two I snapped while hiking.

{happy and pretty}

I love, love, love waterfalls and this past week I've had the opportunity to hike to four different ones! First there was Oregon's most visited waterfall...Multnomah Falls. The girls and I have an annual tradition of hiking to the top. This past winter some rocks fell on the bridge and damaged it - closing it for repairs for several months. It just reopened this past week, and it was a perfect day to hike to the top.

{funny and real}

The hike to the top of these falls is quite over-hyped. The only view of the falls you have is this one...it's pretty, but not nearly as breathtaking as the view you have from the bottom - with both upper and lower falls and the bridge in the middle.

And then you get to the top and can virtually see nothing. It just looks like a normal creek and if you look out toward the gorge, you can see the parking lot below. Oh well... the girls like it and it's a fun little tradition we do in May. 

back to {happy and pretty}

Then we went to Bridal Veil falls. These falls are probably the closest to our house and the hike is really a nice, short walk. Because of those two reasons, we've never bothered to stop. {funny and real} I've started seeing pics of these falls on instagram and decided I needed to take the time to go see them myself. I was NOT disappointed. They are gorgeous!

Sunday we took a family hike to Tamanawas Falls

And on Memorial Day, we hiked with some friends to Punch Bowl falls. This particular hiking trail is one of the most popular in our area. My husband doesn't really like hiking with thousands of other people, so this was another new to me trail. He had done this hike before with the girls (on one of those rare occasions I chose to stay home), but I had never gone. We got there early and pretty much had the area to ourselves, but as we were hiking out it was getting very crowded!

lower falls

Seeing either of these falls takes a little extra effort. To see the upper falls (pictured below), you have to balance on rocks or wade through water, and even then the falls are still pretty far away. There is a view point from up above, but the trees and other forest growth keep you from getting a nice, clear view. And to get this view of the lower falls (pictured above), I had squeeze my way round a rock and tree and peer through a small opening to get this shot. 

upper falls

So that's what my week looked like...lots of adventuring and getting out into nature. There were other happy moments, too...like meeting Chase the horse and Wallace and Gromit the donkeys. 

more {happy}

{real}

The main reason we are able to do this kind of stuff is because we've simplified our lives in other ways and we have the time and freedom to go. This is the reality of pursuing minimalism for me. It may seem like we are often on the go, but the reality is that we are home most of the time. I only schedule one activity a week for the girls and I, and then on the weekends we have our family adventures. This is why I pursue simple living...so I can do these things with my girls.

I'm linking up with Life Through the Lens, It's the Little Things, {pretty, happy, funny, real}, Little Things Thursday and Floral Love

Take a Hike

Over the past couple of years I have developed a love of hiking. It helps that I live in an area where trails abound and the scenery is beautiful. To the west I have the coast, coastal mountains and plenty of wildlife refuges. To the east I have mountains, forests, waterfalls and rivers.

I will hike in any season and in any weather. Hiking does something for me that nothing else can. It also has been a great activity to pursue as a family.

Our kids have been hiking since before they could even walk. Not only is it good exercise, it's an amazing way to spend time as a family. We explore, discover, tell stories, play games, laugh, cry, eat, get lost, experience nature up close and personal and see amazing things. We get hot, cold, muddy, wet and tired.

We get away from our home and our stuff and spend time with each other in nature. It really doesn't get any better than that. I hope when the girls are older that they look back on these times with fondness. I hope they will call us up and ask us to join them and their kids on hikes.

With my camera in hand, I've discovered a whole new aspect of hiking....looking closely and capturing the beauty of nature. I look at things differently when I look through the camera lens. Instead of seeing dried up weeds or bare trees, I see beauty in the form and shape.

I challenge you to spend some time outside this week - go for a hike, or at least a walk!

I'm linking up with Lisa at Four Simply Living for Life Through the Lens