Backpacking is Favorite

I'm sitting outside on our back porch, sipping some coffee, listening to people laughing on the lake, staring at the mountains while typing away on my laptop, and trying to be productive yet fighting the urge to dream my afternoon away.

Doesn't get much better than this.

Unless I had a slice of chocolate cake sitting next to me, but other than that.

And also unlimited spending money on clothes.

Anyway.

We had an AMAZING backpacking trip with our friends. Jena and I have been friends since we were in high school, then husbands came along and joined our crew and this was the first time the four of us have spent together. (Lane missed their wedding because he was deployed, then all of the following big events of friends weddings, etc. that we would have done together because he was deployed! Boo deployments!) This made up for any lost time and more though.

They're a phenomenal couple. They're just EASY to be around. Conversation flows, they share easily and ask questions back, laughter is abundant, hearts are shared, struggles talked about... we love them! Couldn't have picked a better couple to join us in exploring the Colorado mountains! It was an adventure to be sure.

As always, it was just GOOD to get away. I feel like L and I have done a good job of enjoying our summer together. Unplug. Appreciate each other. Enjoy creation. Sift through life. Check and re-check priorities. Nature speaks to both of us so loudly that it is hard to ignore what we hear out there.

Even Sophie got to join us on our outdoor adventure! This pic was just from a day-hike after we found our camp, but she had her own little backpack that she carried her own food in. Adorable!

We got hit by a MASSIVE hailstorm, but we all thought it was awesome. Wouldn't be a true Colorado adventure without a little fight from the elements.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Sassiness

Goodmorning, friends! I love the mornings- the chill that's still in the air, the quiet outside, the prospect of a new day and not knowing what it will hold.

Maybe I just woke up on the right side of the bed; I don't think I'm this chipper each morning. Either way, this is a beautiful morning!

This morning I wanted to share with you something that has revolutionized my week. I only discovered it a few days ago, but I foresee it having lasting power in my life.

It's from the Flat Belly Diet plan. I'm not on it, but they have a drink called Sassy Water. I'd drink it just for the name- how fun! It's supposed to be a drink that kind of kick-starts your diet, reducing bloat, aiding digestion, yada yada yada. I just think it's yummy.

It actually is really pretty and summerish too. If you're hosting a shower or party of any sort, it'd be perfect!

I have to tell you, I was even more inspired to make it after finding this:

Yes, that is mint. In my backyard. I was doing some yardwork the other day weeding and such and came across this. I thought 'Whoa! Those weeds are crazy overgrown, that'll take awhile!' Then, I stepped closer, smelled the beautiful smell, and realized they were not weeds, but were, in fact, mint.

In my backyard. All I could ever want. And that picture doesn't even capture all of it. It is Everywhere. Fine by me. Sassy Water and then some mojitos coming up!

Sassy Water:

2 liters water (about 8 1/2 cups)

1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger

1 medium cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced

1 medium lemon, thinly sliced

12 small spearmint leaves

Combine all ingredients in a large pitcher and let flavors blend overnight.

Drink entire pitcher by the end of each day.

Hope you guys have a great Friday and have some fun weekend plans ahead of you!

I am from

Happy Friday, friends!

So I discovered a poem tucked away that was titled 'I am from...' that I must have written 10 years ago. I loved reading it, but decided to re-write it because I am now 'from' more things than I was back then and I thought it would be a neat exercise to discover what has shaped me up to this point in my life.

I heard (read?) someone say something along the lines of: How do you know where you're going if you don't know where you've been? I think there is such truth to that, knowing your story helps to guide you on your journey.

Though this is a bit of a departure from what I've been doing the past few Fridays in My Favorite Things!, I still thought this would be fun. I think that I wrote the poem in my high school creative writing class... it might have been my original idea, it might not have been. I might have written it in college? Maybe? It is rare that I have a completely unique and original idea, so if this isn't my idea, I apologize! Still... think about where you are from... and where you are going...

i am from…

i am from a family of five who grows closer each year and two older sisters who i idolized

i am from small-town heritage, 4^th of july parades, neighborhood summer tag, and walks to the pond

i am from the wilderness: climbing 14ers, camping, rock-climbing, and skiing

i am from a dedication to marriage, to pursuing dreams, and to selfless giving

i am from the oak ridge boys, john denver, and peter, paul & mary

i am from finishing two triathlons and craving more finish-line moments

i am from the history channel, questions, and an insatiable quest for knowledge in books

i am from unconditional love, and learning how good my jesus is

i am from a devotion to education; sisters, aunts, moms, and grandmas charting my path to teaching

i am from tradition; walking on feet, drawing names, family dinners, family summer vacations to the old swimmin’ hole, and bedtime tuck-ins

i am from marrying the boy who stole my heart when i was 18 years old

i am from supporting a husband who served 4 years in an army special operations unit

i am from 3 deployments and countless other goodbyes, and knowing the middle east more intimately than i ever thought i would

i am from seasons of heartache, doubt, and worry only to be conquered by love, faith, and the knowledge of what hope is

i am from 5 years of being married to my best friend, discovering how life-giving and fun marriage is, and the hope of beginning a family with this man

i am from finding my gifting and passion in teaching, nominations of best teacher awards, only to be taken down new paths without teaching into writing

i am from life-long friendships, both new and old

i am from fighting for peoples’ hearts

i am from ‘love wins’, good stewardship, and knowledge that everything is spiritual

i am from challenge, discovering my backbone, growth, and redemption

Favorite Things Friday

Hello friends!

I am sure that you were waiting with baited breath for my second edition of Favorite Things Friday! I LOVE Fridays with all of their goodness and especially because they're Friday Follow days!

Favorite Thing One: This week the winner goes to....

THIS project:

The idea came from my friend Brooke who got it from this awesome lady...I think. That was all awhile ago and I'm just now getting around to it, but it's super fun and super cute wherever it came from. They did it with picture frames (brilliant) but I got crazy and used a set of drawers. I have loathed that piece of furniture for years now.... BUT after this project it has all changed. It now has a prime spot in my home and receives much love. This project changes things, people.

Honestly, when I first painted this thing I had hopes of it being a beautiful accent piece in my home... little did I know that it would be NEON blue and blind eyes if stared at too long. It needed to go.

Basically, this is to make things look Shabby Chic. AKA beautiful, in my book. Because

seriously, look at that color. NOT beautiful. This is to make it look old, worn,

distressed, and loved over many years. So you take some candle wax and

rub it over the areas that would have got most banged up over the years. The wax

prevents the paint from really sticking and makes it easy to

get off with sandpaper.

I'm nearly 100% certain that I did not do this step right. But hey, it works. It doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful, huh Nester lovers?

Step Two: Paint your piece whatever color your little heart desires. Let it dry, then take some sandpaper and rub on the areas where you had put the wax and it will come right off leaving the color you had underneath.

Step Three: After re-applying wax to your sanded areas again, paint your final coat (you can do 2 or 3, whichever works best for you) and let it dry. Then, take some sandpaper and re-sand around your choice areas; it can be as much or as little as you want to get the look you want.

Step Four: Admire and adore your new work of art.

Step Five: Fall in love with the fun knobs you found at Hobby Lobby to take the place of the previous ugly one.

On to Favorite Thing Two:

This was inspired by this post by a New York Times columnist. I think it might be something in the water of the blogosphere, but there are a lot of people talking on the discussion of what were the most influential books in there life. And it got me thinking: What books have shaped me? All the other blogs excluded major religious texts, so I followed along the same lines and thought of books outside of the bible for me.

I love this topic. I am a voracious reader. Any others out there? At any given moment in time I am reading at least 2, if not 3, books. Currently, it's The Power of One, Hinds' Feet on High Places, and The Far Pavillions. Normally there is at least one super interesting non-fiction in the mix, but these are my three for now.

Books have always shaped my life. Early on it started with being tucked into bed by my dad throughout elementary school and reading Nancy Drew mysteries together. I was even on the Battle of the Books team in 5th grade and we won for our county! I wear that badge of honor with pride.

Next it was seeing the worlds created through the eyes of C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia series and Roald Dahl in the BFG and having those help shape my imagination and creativity. Here is my well-worn and loved copy of the BFG... favorite book of my younger years... that I still own... and is next of my list of books to read. Again.

Then books became a way to open my eyes and new ways of thinking and I found them as a means of education. Biggies were God's Politics by Jim Collins; incredible, incredible book. Then, I am such a history nerd that any work by David McCullough that helps teach me about history steals my heart. And lastly, Not on Our Watch by Don Cheadle opened my eyes to the world. I love books.

Favorite thing number Three:

When L walked into the kitchen last night (after a week of leftovers and me not cooking) and exclaimed with such glee and joy: We're having REAL food tonight?!? It smells SO good!

You gotta love him.

Things I Love

On this Friday the 5th day of March I'm thinking back to some of my favorite things of the week:

* Wednesday morning when L and I woke up at 6 to work out before the day started, made it to the living room and read for 15 minutes before falling asleep until 8. We then had to get ready for the day thus missing our workout. It was fun.

* The fact that I now live close enough to my family that I can go home this weekend to celebrate my niece's princess-themed 4th birthday party. Do I love Jasmine more? Cinderella? Maybe Giselle.... the Birthday Girl will let me know who is best.

* The entire week was a BEAUT. Bright blue sky, crisp spring air, mid-50s. Spring is coming, my friends. Spring is coming.

* My servant-hearted husband who just walked up to me with a grin on his face bringing me a cup of coffee that he had just made and doctored up for me just right.

* My discovery of this project. I haven't crafted much since our move to Colorado, but was re-inspired after seeing this amazing room. She uses it as a nursery (which is amazingly adorable) but until the need of a nursery enters my life, I just imagine it as a cute & cozy reading nook in our house. Maybe a spring break project? I'm on the hunt for supplies.

* Friday Follow! I am just LOVING these Fridays.

Happy Friday!

I am about to eat my words. Remember my longings of warm weather and spring? Remember my loathing of snow, freezing temperatures, and all things cold?


Well. This morning L and I are packing clothes, boots, food, hats, gloves, the kitchen sink, and our dog to go up to the mountains for the weekend. They have gotten snow this week. It will be beautiful.


I will love it.


I will let L and friends go to the ski resort and do their extreme sports thing in the cold. I will drink coffee, do me some yoga, write, read, nap, go on walks.... yes, it will be a great weekend.


For now though, I just discovered something fun. It's called the Friday Follow. Check it out! Yay for new friends!