We did not get out hiking on Black Friday as planned. We did hike at TJ Maxx and WalMart and Sam’s… does that count? 😂
Anyway, the next day, it snowed all day long. It was a peaceful, pretty slow snow all day. Absolutely lovely. And I cannot resist a snowy woods, you know I can’t.
Luckily there was one nearby. Sunday morning, my husband’s birthday, we went out to enjoy the peaceful snow and to take the baby out on his first snow adventure!
I was worried about bundling the baby up, and I brought multiple body suits, two hats, his coat, mittens, a couple blankets…. We were very prepared haha! But he was snug as a bug and he enjoyed looking at the snow and the trees.
He also really enjoyed chewing on his mitten. Might have been his highlight.
As most everybody knows, we hike to live and live to hike. Each year, we create goals as a family for the coming year. Our hiking goals go from Thanksgiving to Thanksgiving, and restart on Black Friday. This started years ago as part of the Black Friday #OptOutside movement and my discovery of the 52 Hike Challenge. It really evolved into something so special and important to us. And every year, we review our goals and accomplishments and look to make new ones for the coming year. Which we did over Thanksgiving dinner the other night.
Last year, we did a countdown from 10 list of hiking goals. Here’s how we fared.
10 pre-baby hikes ✅ This felt like a big ask at the time, and it kind of was. But we did it! and then we started taking the baby!
9 dog hikes. ✅
After we lost our dear Marge, I did take Jeff on many more hikes. Marge enjoyed walks, but as she declined into her illness, she was not able to do many walks. Jeff gained a lot of weight during this time, and once she was gone, I took him along with me quite a bit. I don’t really do solo hikes anymore without Jeff since I had a couple weird incidents, so he’s my buddy. Something I especially like doing is going out with him at/around sunrise early on a Saturday or Sunday before the world (or at least OUR world) is awake.
8 hikes with friends ❓
I mean, I have done a bunch of hikes with the Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts. Do those count? If so, then yes we did it. Actually, when I think about it, between the scouts, my cousin, and a couple former students, I definitely achieved this. The spirit of this goal was to be intentional around sharing time with friends and other families, but we really didn’t. So I would say yes we did it, but also not really.
7 kid-chosen hikes ❓
I would say we weren’t as intentional as I had hoped (what’s new) but we did go on many hikes the kids chose. Elephant Rocks, JSI, “blue hiking.”
6 hiking dates ✅
We did fit in several hikes. It was not just the two of us- it was typically the three of us- but that was still some good time to get that hiking therapy, the talks, and the connection.
5 new national or state parks/historic sites. 👎
this past year was very difficult financially, to be honest. We did not get to travel like at all. We didn’t even get to camp as much because we were very busy. Not to mention I started the year super pregnant and then delivered a baby. So this didn’t work out, but we are looking forward to adding new places this coming year.
4 special snack hikes (like the hot chocolate hike!) 👎
Better luck next year!
3 water hikes. ✅
Water hikes are definitely a fave in our family, so this one was easily in reach.
2 new state hikes 👎
We didn’t go anywhere. Except like Illinois once or something.
1 overnight hike 👎
This is like my one and only wish!! Can’t wait.
So all in all, we did not meet all our goals. But this year had way more in store than we ever anticipated so I think we did pretty good. There are two main things I’m grateful for as I reflect on my past hiking year. First of all, that we did get out there with our family more than we didn’t. And second, but most importantly, adding our little hiking buddy!
And I don’t just mean I’ve been pregnant and having a baby. Or changing jobs. Or blending a family.
Recently, I realized how out of touch I have been. I’ve been on a ride. The past few years post-pandemic have been rife with change and constant adjustment. We have been out of routine for so long… what even is a routine? And the coping skills and mindset I had when my world fell apart and I got divorced have escaped me. In the midst of all these things, I have felt like I was doing little more than surviving. Going with the flow in a way that wasn’t positive. Being shackled to a schedule I wasn’t managing.
After the baby came, I had some time to reflect. And while the world looks lots different today than it did years ago, one thing is for certain- motherhood, wifehood, and family remain my number one priority. And this has dictated all of my choices the past few years. And it is time to prioritize the things that ensure that I am my best in order to serve my family. That includes prioritizing my health and home and being the best example I can be to my family.
I have been wrestling with a scarcity mindset lately. Feeling less than, feeling like I didn’t have enough, that I wasn’t enough. I think that’s been the biggest difference between then and now- when I was afraid of having nothing, I practiced gratitude for what I did have and it made all the difference. Lately, I have gotten away from that. And in the face of this economic and emotional climate among other things, I need to get back in touch with that.
I have a lot of art supplies sitting at home. I’ve been part of a Book of the Month subscription service and haven’t read the books. I have a billion hikes saved and recipes and family activities pinned that I haven’t hiked or made. Instead of searching for what’s next, I’m looking for what I’ve got. I’m resourceful! I’m creative!
I’m cooking through my Pins.
I’m reading my books.
I’m creating my art.
I’m using clearspace to manage my phone time.
I’m hiking my hikes.
I’m doing FHE.
I’m getting back to me so we can be us.
This blog has been a lot of things over the years. And I really love blogging. It’s easy to get caught up in what’s popular or gaining traction. What’s making money. My blog has never been a money-maker. At its height, I have had several thousand followers and received free products. That was years ago. Then I thought it could be a helpful tool for families and people trying to engage with the outdoors. Now, I think I want it to just be what I want it to be. And I want it to document my/our journey through cooking through my Pinterest board. Making family memories with less. Regulating myself so I can help my family do the same. And I’m going to blog a little as I go as well.
I don’t know that I really need a big announcement to change direction, but I wanted to express what’s been on my mind for so long.
This year, we didn’t meet all our goals for our hiking year. I’m totally good with that.
This year was the definition of life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans. We didn’t count on most things that happened to us- our big spring break trip was cancelled due to a huge home repair that cleaned us out, we were engaged in a legal issue for months that we didn’t anticipate at all, and we found out we are expecting a baby! It is a mix of wonderful and weird, but all in all, good things. Each of these things caused some change in plans.
We did not hit our minimum 100 hikes. We got 63- not bad! More than 52 which is how this whole thing began.
We did get 20 new trails in. We traveled to some new places where we hiked. One of our favorites was Palo Duro Canyon in Texas. We also found some new local trails which was part of what this goal was for.
We finally did our wildflower hike which was overdue from the year before. We did a bluebell hike on Easter and it was one of the most memorable hikes of the year.
We did not get our overnight hike in nor did we hit every state that touches Missouri (except Nebraska which we are saving for our future South Dakota). Missouri actually has the most states bordering it of any other state! We did get to hike in Iowa which we hadn’t previously done so that was great. Oklahoma and Illinois as well.
Of course, we hit some of our very favorite Missouri places and local trails too.
And of course, our favorite Missouri waterways. What’s better than a hike that ends in the river?!
I did not feel as much pressure to accomplish these goals this year. As we set goals for the coming year, it’s become more like a wishlist, a hope, a dream. Because we know especially since 2020 that we can plan but our plan doesn’t necessarily survive contact with the enemy. Or in our case, contact with the year ahead. This coming year, we know that the baby will be coming, and we are excited to see how life looks with our new addition. Hope he likes that baby backpack because he has some hikes in his future! 🙂
People say that social media is everybody’s highlight reel. And I certainly post the big things that are happening in our lives, but my highlights are not necessarily just the things I’m posting.
My highlights are the random Wednesday evening dessert and we decide to play a game and share some belly laughs.
Or, alternatively, the “grab some impulse buy from the freezer” Tuesday night treat.
Or watching my kids freely create in the space we have designed for them to do so.
Or when they inspire me and push me to do the same.
Or when the kids decide to have a sibling sleepover in the basement.
Or when the boy and his best friend cuddle on the couch watching a movie.
Or when I’m scared and my husband comforts me.
Or I get reminded who I am through some conversation with someone- a family member, a friend, my man- who popped up with just the right words at just the right time on a random Thursday evening.
Or when the kids want to work together to make our house our home.
Or the silly selfie photos we take with my parents when my dad is making us laugh with his terrible faces.
Or when you are just looking at your child and you realize he’s all of the sudden so grown up and your heart swells with love and pride at the sight of him.
Or my friend and my husband helping me do Girl Scout stuff in the kitchen.
Or we visit family on a random weeknight.
Or when someone has had a hard day and they ask, will you play with me/ will you jump with me/ will you talk with me. Be with me.
Or in the everyday guess what I learned guess what I found out guess what I read watch this look at me.
Or the night we are too exhausted to do another darn thing, so we do a late dinner at the Mexican restaurant across the street even though we totally shouldn’t on many levels.
Or when they celebrate each other’s lives together.
Or driving the kids to their activities.
Or the conversations on the way to and from school.
Or in the relationships collectively but also individually- we witness grow and love each day.
Or hearing them share secrets and tell stories about their day. The best is when they ASK each other. 😀
Or the little lessons we learn and teach- explicitly, by example, and by lived experiences.
Or those Friday night transitions where either we are holding space for our kids’ transition or for our own transition.
Or the FaceTime calls when we are apart.
These moments are the highlight of my life. They are messy, but they are real.
My family has experienced quite a lot of tragedy so far this year. I have been on a weird and wonderful journey career-wise, and otherwise quite honestly. My husband and I have spent years healing and growing from our divorces. Our kids are growing growing growing. Some of it is quiet and slow til it hits you- hey! We grew! We made progress! Some of it hits you like a ton of bricks. But all in all, in between those tragedies and triumphs, we create this fabric of life to treasure and that is truly my highlight.
