Wednesday, January 24, 2018

Adventure Gone Awry

awry: away from the appropriate, planned, or expected course; amiss.

One of the first adventures we wanted to tackle this new year, was to Mount St. Helens. We wished to see the volcano and experience a little "snow" this winter. It's about a 1 hour 50 minute drive... and we got to about 1 hour 35 minutes before we realized we should check to make sure it was open (it was New Years Day). About 10 seconds later, I had to break the news that we needed to turn around because it was closed... sometimes you just gotta roll with it. Just like the volcano mountain, many other places along the way back (Children's Museums, Animal Parks, etc.) were closed as well. At this point we totally could have called it quits, BUT, I wasn't going to let that happen. We were set out for an adventure, and I wasn't going to settle... so we stopped for lunch, and made plans to head to our favorite zoo/aquarium (which we should have gone to in the first place).

So thankful that it was open... and that the kids weren't destroyed from our 3.5 hour round trip that led us back to an adventure that is down the street from us (just a 25 minute drive). We're NEVER disappointed at Point Defiance... it's the very best. We arrived around 2pm, and had about 2 hours of daylight before we needed to pack up. Every time we come, a different exhibit "shows off"... this time around, it was the walrus. He was HILARIOUS. The kids spent a majority of the time watching him. Giggling at the way he was making "blurping" sounds and spat out water when he came up for air.

It was definitely an adventure gone awry. We'll get to Mount St. Helens another time... I guess the zoo was where we were supposed to be that day.












Pin It!

Monday, January 15, 2018

Adventuring

A new year... brings new adventures. Last year, was tough. It was filled with a lot of trial and error, navigating this whole family of 7 thing. The twins brought along a ton of fun and laughter (and of course amazing cuddles) but caring for two so little drained a lot of our energy. Getting out of the house to go anywhere takes about twice as long, and we never know which one is about to meltdown at any given point.... so 2017 was a year of being hesitant and slow, and intentionally staying near home. We didn't want to take our chances... create unnecessary challenges for ourselves. We used to EMBRACE adventure before kids... and then slowly as we added another, and another... and then boom boom two at a time... the idea of adventure, elicited more fear than excitement. But, that is no way to live.

We spent the second half of 2017 trying to figure out how to balance our health with our kids' routines. Being consistent in our working out... working out always combats stress and it's nice to keep off those extra pounds, not to mention, gives us a boost in the energy department. Forming a routine of "getting our workout in" has been great... it's encouraging and empowering... and we've been doing it together (the hubby and I) in our garage gym, for the last month. We're figuring out how to encourage one another, how to hold each other accountable, and it's a clear example for the kids to stay active. Putting that time aside to better ourselves, is also reminding me, how much adventuring plays a part in who we are. 

So this 2018... we are going to try our best to jump back into this thing called "adventuring"... because I've surely missed it. The kids have hearts for exploring, so it's time we stoke that fire that burns within them... reawaken the part of us that has been "sleeping" for the last few years... and to do it without worry or fear. 

"If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward." - Martin Luther King Jr. 















Pin It!