Doesn't that sound like a winning combination? The possibilities are endless. When you mix the three of those together, all kinds of crazy things can happen!

But when you mix slush, ice and snow with three women, two dogs, and one camera....

.... you get a really fun day! 

Yes indeed!

(I think that's a favorite saying I'm using too often lately... sorry!)  

(It just sounds right, so I have to say it...)

I was invited on a hike with two women whose ages I won't disclose, but both of whom let me know I was the youngest one of the bunch.  We didn't exactly swap ages with each other, but somehow I knew I was the youngest kid on the block.  And that came with some serious implications. 

Because you see ... we were going on a hike.  And it wasn't just an ordinary hike. I was told I needed to bring my ice picks for my boots.  I knew right then that I was in for an experience.  I knew I was going to have to dig my heels in and make sure I didn't make a fool of myself falling off a cliff or something.  But I was sure this was something I could handle. 

So yes.  Back to the age thing.  So, I found out these two amazing ladies hike together 2-3 times a week.  In fact, they keep it on their schedules, and schedule their life around their hikes.  It is very serious business... let me tell you! 

So, I was informed right away that they would be keeping a very close eye on me to make sure I could keep up to them... seeing as how I was so young.  What a compliment!  Ha!

But, I thought surely it wouldn't be a problem for me to keep up with these two ladies, who had informed me that they were MUCH older than me.  Hmm.  But no age information was exchanged, let me reassure you.

We got started climbing the hill (mountain) behind her house right away.  We warmed up with a few stretches before we began the incline.  I was glad I did. I felt the muscles in the back of my legs immediately begin to pull up and groan in protest.  But I ignored them.  




We climbed one hill after another, down one, up another.  It was very hilly, mountainous terrain!

I can assure you that my excellent training tromping around in the back woods with my dogs came in very handy as we began to climb up and down these mountains.  (There is no mountain to climb where the dogs and I mostly tromp).  (Just so you know.)

 But .... anyway.... I was pretty amazed that my legs and calves and gastrocsoleus and gastrocnemius and Achilles and other pertinent muscles in my lower extremities managed to continue moving. 

 You can see the lovely trail we followed... just footsteps and deer tracks in the deep wet slushy snow...





Right about now, we stopped for a drink, and a rest up here.  We didn't rest long.  But long enough to catch our breath and have a few good laughs!



 You see that mountain in the background with what looks like two white lines coming down it?  That is Mount Spokane.  The top of Mount Spokane was hidden by a cloud, but you still get the idea...

I'm not sure why I took this picture... I'm still scratching my head about that... but anyway... maybe I saw something far beyond in the distant mountain range that intrigued me... who knows?


 You can see how the snow is melting off the mountain.  It was pretty warm out, at least 35 degrees or so.  I prefer to hike when the weather is a little colder so the snow is crusty and crunchy when you walk on it, and you don't sink to timbucktoo with every step you take....


But regardless of the deep snow, we trudged ever onward!  We mostly followed the deer, moose, and elk tracks (and poo) (it was everywhere)  I tried to stay away from it, but those silly deer would poo right in their tracks.  Makes it kinda hard when you're lifting your foot out of one deep hole, and you're about to step into the next track, and you realize...  at the last second...  that it is filled with black... poo... and it's too late.  Smush. Squish!

YUCK!



Can you tell that I like mountain views? 

I didn't think so. 

Here's another picture just in case I haven't convinced you ....


 We reached the Idaho/Washington state line.  Here is the pipe marking the exact spot we were at.  I stood with one foot in Washington and the other in Idaho.  That was neat....

 



We didn't climb up here.  There wasn't a path, and my friend told me we would have to come back in the spring or summer and hike up it.  I was glad to hear that.

I'm sure that by the time summertime rolls around, I won't mind climbing this hill one bit.  Nope.  Not one bit.  But I was really glad we didn't climb it today!


Our fearless leader who won't disclose her age, but probably is close to double my age, but acts about 20 years younger than me! 

What a lady!  Love her, and her enthusiasm for life and for the Lord!



I was totally confused by the time we got here.  I had no idea how to get home.  If something had happened to my friends, I'm not sure I would've found my way back.  Every trail looks the same after a while.  And the deer seem to go in circles, just around and around, criss-crossing, and going places my legs don't like to go.  I was really glad I was following her.  She'd been this way before, and I was glad she was there to take us back home!





I found this fallen tree to sit on.  My legs were totally thankful for a chance to sit and rest.  I could've stayed there longer, but ... before long... it was time to keep going...


 More mountain views...

Incredible glimpses through the tall trees!



Finally we found a trail that looked like someone with a vehicle had been here before.  We hooked up with the logging trail and followed it back down the hill to the house. 

By this time, I realized why my feet felt cold.  My boots were soaking wet.  These are very good Kamik boots that are made for the snow. I'm not sure why they took on water, but they did.  I sloshed and squished the rest of the way down the hill.  I'll be investigating this further before I go on any more hikes into the mountains on a warm slushy day!  Perhaps some waterproof spray is all they need....

The two hours had passed amazingly fast, and I couldn't believe it was already two hours when we met up with the logging trail and realized we were almost back where we started.  It was an incredibly fun and amazing day with these two ladies, and their two dogs, and my trusty camera.  We shared lots of laughs and stories, and my feet never got a word in edgewise. 

But I assure you once I safely climbed into my truck, they let me know loud and clear just how they felt.  It didn't take me long to get home, and pull off wet socks and boots, and run down to see Mr. Beast, my trusty wood stove downstairs to warm up. 

UPDATE:  My feet recovered just fine.  I thought you'd want to know. 

There is nothing more exhilarating than a two-hour hike with two amazing women, and two amazing dogs. 

I can't wait to do this all over again someday soon!

In this busy world that we live in, finding some quiet time alone with ourselves, and with God can sometimes prove challenging.  In the electronic age that we live in with all the conveniences that we have available, it would seem that we should have more time to do things that really matter, since we save so much time with things like microwaves, and frozen dinners, and drive through restaurants, online shopping, and so on.



But instead of all these electronic conveniences making our lives simpler, and more manageable, it seems our world has done the opposite, and become more chaotic and busy than ever before.

With all the electronic conveniences, we are trying to  keep up with the lives of hundreds of people at a time.  





In the world of "more more more" that we live in, it would seem that once we get the "more" that we desired... whether it be a new car, a better job, a nicer house, more fashionable wardrobe, or exotic vacation... than our hearts are still as empty as they were before....Somehow achieving and receiving the "more" in our lives doesn't bring the happiness our heart craves and desires.

Since we've moved to Idaho, one thing that I've had a lot of is quiet time.

We left Texas with the 24/7 interstate traffic, and bustling cities and suburbs, with a restaurant open 24/7, or a store to browse, something to do... go.go.go.  was the thing we did each and every day.  I hardly cooked meals, sometimes on the weekends, but we ate out a lot.  Our eating out bill for the month was almost always as high as our grocery bill, and we thought nothing of it.  We were caught up in a fast pace of life, and didn't stop to think much of it.

 

So when we moved to Idaho, all that began to change.  I think of the night my kids and I experienced the "change"... We left the house about 7:00 to go into the little town nearby.  We hadn't been  in Idaho long, perhaps a week or two.  It was a rainy evening, and rather than spend the evening at home, we decided to just get out and go.

Well.

We didn't go far.  We traveled into town, and found that each and every last little store had closed up shop and rolled up their carpets at dark, and the only thing open in town was McDonald's, and Safeway.  Not even the library was open!

It was quite a shock to our system... at first.  I mean... we had come from a place where you could always find something to do, especially if it was only 7:00 in the evening! But we were 45 minutes away from the closest Wal-Mart, and I couldn't even get my weekly Wally-world fix! It felt like culture shock!  No Wal-Mart! No library! Not even a decent restaurant open (you can't hardly call McD's a place you'd want to eat at unless you just have to!) 

So.  When the dust settled, and the kids and I realized that we were going to spend evenings home alone with no stores open, nothing else to do but just stay home... that is when we began to learn the secret to a happy life.

Yes indeed.

Quiet time.  Home alone.  Nothing on the calendar.  Absolutely nothing.  Just an evening home alone.

We began to visit the library during daylight hours, and books became a welcome friend to us once more.  I began to read books that I hadn't read since childhood.  My daughter began to write beautiful songs on the piano.  My son spent more time outdoors and just playing basketball with his friends or carving bows and arrows, and playing with the dogs, and just being a boy.  Being outdoors.  Once summer rolled around, we took daily walks, and enjoyed hikes through the mountain trails.



And so I said all that to say this.... moving to Idaho completely changed us from the busy, run-run-run lifestyle we had always known living in Texas to a place where life has slowed down and the most beautiful things that life has to offer have been made more real to us.

Just enjoying the beautiful outdoors that God created for us to enjoy.

Spending an evening relaxing with a good book or the Bible.

Having the time to cook wholesome nutritious meals for my family.

Spend valuable time with my children, listening to how their day went, and sharing in their joys, sorrows, and silly incidents throughout the day.


Slowing down.  That's what happened when we moved to Idaho, and it has changed our lives one hundred percent for the better.

Taking time to smell the roses (or flowers...)

Having quiet time.

Time when there is nothing else on the calendar, but just time to do the things you've always wanted to do.

Time to cook a wonderful meal for your family.

Time to spend with your family.  Time to listen to their concerns, desires, and dreams.

Time to enjoy nature and the beauty God created for us.

Quiet time.  I am thankful for the lesson I have learned since moving here to Idaho.  How valuable my quiet time is to me now.  How precious each and every day is when I can enjoy my family, enjoy being the wife and mother God called me to be, and not to have stress pouring out of my very veins to try to keep up with the hecticness of a busy nonstop lifestyle... that involved conveniences of restaurants, shopping arenas, highways with instant access, toll roads, amusement parks and on the list goes... conveniences that really only serve to make life busier and more stressful, more consumed and more miserable.

If you find yourself in the place I have described above, in a place where you find you are on a treadmill running full steam, and can't seem to get off... perhaps you need to set aside some quiet time.

Just an evening with nothing on the calendar.  No menus to plan.  No groceries to buy.  No doctor's appointments to schedule.  No house to clean.


Find a place in your home, if you can, where you can be alone.  Having quiet time alone is nourishment to the soul. Each one of us needs it.  Some need more than others.  But we all need some time alone.

And in that time alone, I encourage you to listen for the voice of God speaking to your heart.  For I know that God does not always speak in the thunder and roars of our life, but most often, He speaks very quietly and softly into our hearts when we open our ears to listen.

This is one of the quiet spots I have found.


Well, I know it doesn't look like much...

And it doesn't have to.

I just happened to carry an old rusted chair out to a favorite spot of mine in the woods, and every time I tromp back here with the dogs, I sit on my chair, and have some very special quiet time... for at least as long as the dogs will let me!


I don't know where your quiet spot could be... as I know many of you live in a very busy, hectic, fast-paced world. 

yet...

I wish that each one of you could have a quiet place... somewhere you can go that is private and quiet.  And let the stillness, and the quietness sink deep into your soul.

I have no doubts that you will find answers to things that trouble you.  You will feel peace where you once felt worry and fear.  You will find the rest your soul deeply desires from the busyness of your world.

Why don't you seek out and find your quiet place today?

So we headed out towards this lake to see what it looks like in the winter. The road up to this lake was steep and winding, and we were glad we took the truck with the 4-wheel drive.  The trees were covered in frozen rime as we drove, and the drive up to this lake was spectacular.  The sun had begun to set as we arrived.  As we crossed over railroad tracks at the foot of the mountain, I couldn't resist a snapshot of the railroad tracks and the beautiful colors of the sunset.





We drove down to the lake, well... as close as we could get.  The road wasn't plowed and my idea of a fun afternoon was not spinning tires and trying to get out of a big snowbank!  So we parked up on the hill, and walked down to the lake.  

You can see the tracks of the fearless deer as they traveled across the lake.  Because there were spots of ice that seemed thin, we did not venture out onto the ice.

One track through the deep snow led to the end of the dock

A small stream flows into the lake here, and it was not completely frozen over. We saw tracks of what we think had to be a beaver or an otter coming straight out of the water onto the ice.

This lake is not very big, and the farmhouse at the other side of the lake made a beautiful backdrop to the sunset colors

This was the dock that extended out into the lake, all covered in ice and snow.

The beautiful colors of sunset

This picture was taken out of the rear window of the pickup... sorry for the poor picture,  but I loved the rear view sunset I couldn't help sharing it!

 It was a beautiful end to a gorgeous day.  What a display of colors in the sky!  

As we drove home, the last lingering rays of sunshine lit up the sky bravely, but my camera just couldn't pick them up, and most of my pictures on the drive home were dark.  

But I was thankful for another chance to enjoy the beauty that God creates for us every single day... if only we will just take the time to look... and enjoy! 

 Doesn’t it look marvelous? It certainly smelled marvelous too.  

The directions called to puree the whole mixture.  So this is what I did.  Because I always follow directions. 



This is when things began to take a dangerous turn.  You see, the green mixture in the pot, looked halfway edible.  But once I threw them into the blender… see what I mean?