I've known it for a long time, somewhere deep in my soul, joy radiates from within when I am with my family, especially when we are hiking. When we are hiking, we have the opportunity to be surrounded by God's beauty, both in nature and in our family. There are no cell phone or computer interruptions, no requests for snacks. We are just fully engaged family members marveling in our ability to climb mountains, study plant life, appreciate waterfalls and most importantly, each other.
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| Elliana pointing to the sign warning us of bears...AFTER we saw the bear ;) |
We just returned from 5 glorious days in the Smoky Mountain National Park. Years ago, before we were blessed with these amazing children, T.J. and I would hike for hours and hours with nothing but a bottle of water in one hand and each others hand in the other. Fast forward 8 years and we now carry far more, travel half the distance and take twice as long than we used to...but boy, do we have fun.
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| Maya standing in her first waterfall |
We sing, run, twirl and dance up the mountain top, sometimes on paved paths, sometimes on rugged terrain. Elliana ventures off the path wherever possible, preferring the rocky rivers and rugged terrain over the confinement of the marked trail.
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| atop of the highest point, Clingman's Dome |
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| Daddy and Maya, so cute a stranger stopped and snapped a photo of them :) |
We ate lunch out of the SUV, filthy and stinky after climbing in 95 degree weather, truly making it our Sport Utility Vehicle as much as possible with our young family. I snapped photos as quickly as I could of the many adventures, the constant smiles, the abundant happiness. Regardless of how many photos I took, and trust me, I took a lot, I just couldn't capture it all. I couldn't capture the crisp summer breeze that dried the water from the waterfall off of our skin. I couldn't capture the squeals in Elliana's voice, the coos that Maya contributed or the worry of our three year old as the bear came out of the woods and into view. Digital photos might not have captured it all, but my memory and heart sure did.
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| Sisters splashing amongst the Laurel Falls waterfall |
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| Picnic lunch in Daddy's new car |
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| Maya enjoying the hike at almost 4 months |
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| Kisses for Mommy |
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| My little adventurers |
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| The black bear who joined us on our hike |
I've known it for a long time, somewhere deep in my soul, joy radiates from within when I am with my family, especially when we are hiking. When we are hiking, we have the opportunity to be surrounded by God's beauty, both in nature and in our family. There are no cell phone or computer interruptions, no requests for snacks. We are just fully engaged family members marveling in our ability to climb mountains, study plant life, appreciate waterfalls and most importantly, each other.
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