Photo Dump // January 2017

So I got my phone this month and I've been taking cool pictures almost nonstop.

The camera is just way too cool -- and I can finally document my life again!!
So. Instead of my "Month of --" posts, I'm going to be doing a photo dump, and a review of the month all rolled into one.

I appoligize for the number of pictures. *blushes* Man, this is way too many! I'll try not to share as many next month.

The Photo Dump:
*warning: you about to be dumped with 44 pictures* *blushes*

 one of the first pictures I took on my phone - my record player. I seen the set up of putting pictures on it on Pinterest, so I had to do it. *winks*

 Snow in the church parking lot - a sight I have never seen.

 Marita driving her brother's pickup so we can make it over the snow and ice.

 Ice at my grandpa's.

 Just because my camera is really cool...LaKaysha's typewriter. 

 My kitty! Wanting in out of the cold. *winks*

 Writing in my diary... isn't Minnie so cute? 

 Tapes. Wonderful. Awesome. Amazing. Old Tapes. *winks* 

 Louis L'Amours... only "some" of our collection -- most of them are hidden. *winks*

 I really liked this picture... my reading glasses and the book I was reading. 

 Me. "Smelling" the Louis L'Amour. *winks at Marissa* 
So there's what I look like in my reading glasses -- in case any of you were wondering. 

 Smash-booking. The huge pictures of Ricky and Annette (and Hayley Mills and Eddie Hodges are hidden) are from my 16th birthday party.

 *winks* and some of you know why this movie makes me wink. *giggles* 

 A dress that I wish I dared to wear to church... maybe this summer? It's 1970's dress and really long, so I just don't know if I dare. But it's so beautiful! So flowy and stuff. 

Drinking tea while playing a game of Trivial Pursuit. I actually did pretty good that game! 

And after church we went to the ice cream shop down the road. Doesn't it look so good!? I got triple chocolate! Yum! 

And that same day people came over and Roger gave Chancy and Dustin some lessons on the guitar. My brother is the one that's hardly in the picture and who is moving his head. *winks* 

A random picture of Felicity's hair... not sure why, but hey! *winks* 

Baking bread. 

Went for a walk at the nearby park with my mom and sisters. Isn't LaKaysha beautiful!?

Writing my pen pal while drinking coffee... 
I showed this picture to LaKaysha and she said, "Wow. You take your letter writing seriously." 

Smash-booking once again. I thought this page turned out adorable. 

Just to prove to you all that once your favorite show, always your favorite show. 
Watching Father Knows Best is the best way to spend the evening. 

Went window shopping with my mom and sisters one day. 
Isn't that hat adorable? I just had to take a picture with it on. 

Dreaming about all the stuffed animals at Walmart. 

LaKaysha's colored pencils. I thought they made a good picture. 

LaKaysha -- painting her newest "masterpiece". *winks* 

The book I just bought. I can't wait to read it!! Isn't the cover just lovely!? *squeals* 

 And today, we went on a hike up a mountain. And it.Was.Hard. Sorry, but it was. Once you get to the top it's worth it. But now I ache like crazy, and am so tired. 

 Looking at the river from the bridge. 

 Resting our poor lungs. It's really steep at places, and if you don't breath right you'll almost pass out like I did. 

 Here's "The Sleeping Giant". I like to call it "My Mountain". Living in the shadow of it sorta makes it mine, right? 
This isn't at the top, but it's where it was logged and you can actually over look "Y-Ville".(sorry, but I don't want to call it by it's real name) 

 Getting closer. I was sooo tired!!! (but I actually don't look too bad) 

 And here's what we call "The top", but actually the trail keeps going on and on for miles and miles... 

 Snow can be deceiving. Me and Marissa were standing on what we thought was the ground, then we fell through almost to our knees! I guess it was just ferns that had snow on top of them -- tricking us. *winks* 

 Now I look pretty tired. *winks* Mostly it was that cold air. It hurt to breath! 

 You wouldn't want to slip on ice and fall off the mountain... 

 I love all our tall trees. *grins* 

And after that (almost) five mile hike, my dad bought us all coffee (or whatever we wanted) from the local coffee shop! 

Did you enjoy my post? 
Did you actually make it through all the pictures? Cause if you did -- we can be friends. *winks* 

Beauty To Me // There's a Reason

The snow covered my world for as long as I could stand. I began to wish for summer.
For sun to shine down on my world and take away the snow.

Then it started to rain - downpour really. And within one day the snow was gone and the beautiful world I knew came back. And I realized I don't need summer to be happy. I just wanted to be able to get in a car and drive somewhere with no fear of ice. I just wanted to be rid of this cabin fever, and start to live again. And with the rain came my life.

The rain pattering on the roof, the sound of it running down the gutters at night - it's beautiful to me. I grew up with it. It's something I know. Something I love. People think I'm strange for loving such a thing. But I love the rain falling down to water our world - make the flowers grow and keep us from having a drought again in the summer.

Then a rainbow came. God's beautiful promise across the sky. And I loved the rain even more. Rainbows are so beautiful - I could just stare at them forever.

I live in a beautiful place, but most people don't see it that way.

No matter the time of year - I find beauty in it. The snow covered mountains in the distance when we're driving to church, the bare trees in the fog of the morning, the sun shining down on a green field in the summer, and the rain making puddles on the road...

And it's moments like those that I am glad I am alive, God made me, and He put me here in this beautiful land.

We shouldn't wish away the season we're in - weather it's spring, summer, fall, winter, or even a season in life.

God made this moment for a reason.

And I'm talking to myself here, too.