What I did on my summer vacation...and the past year...

A summer afternoon

I have been traveling all around the mountains. Exploring all the riches that surround me. I am surprised on a daily basis how the mountains change from minute to minute. On one side of a mountain it can be sunny and peaceful , then you get to another side and it is dark and stormy. It is constantly changing. Every view is more breath taking than the last. There is a lot to learn and even more to see. 

Mountain Lake

The last year has really been a learning experience. I have been discovering all sorts of new things. Things about where I live and more important about myself. I have finally made a home for myself. After moving, the tragic loss of my father, the beautiful gifts of Gage, Avery, Fitz, Aubrey and Austin (we have another baby due in February), setting up my household and various family things I can honestly say Whew! What a ride it has been. That is my only explanation for dropping out of the blogosphere.

Taking care of yourself is not something that comes natural for most women. We start off taking care of our baby dolls, babysitting our neighbors and siblings. Then, we become mother's and take care of our children and husbands. Always putting their needs first. It is a hard thing to do to learn to take care of yourself, to put you first. In the last year that is something I have been learning to do. Old habits are hard to break. It is a journey, not a race. All these expressions come in to play. I am stuck on the point that everyday I learn something new about my world, myself, and the ones I care about. That these things fill me up with joy. I catch myself humming or just laughing out loud. 

Mountain creek

Simple pleasures have become my Mantra. Getting up early to watch the mist swirl around the mountain peaks. Watching the stars before I go to bed each night. Reading a book under the covers during a mountain rain storm with the windows wide open. Going to Walmart and sitting in the parking lot admiring the million dollar view. Taking a late night drive up on the Blue Ridge Parkway with the windows down listening to the night sounds while discovering a mother bear and her cub crossing the road. Simple food, simple days & nights. A slow healing of my soul. That is where I have been. That is where I am. This is where I want to be.

The sun setting on the mountains