We Cut Down Our Christmas Tree

There isn't a year I can remember that we haven't cut down our own Christmas tree. It's a tradition that I treasure and look forward to every year. We always get bagels before we head up to the mountains, and we always get a pictures with both Santa and Smokey the Bear before we leave. Sometimes there's snow and we're bundled up in coats and boots and gloves, other years we have jackets and hiking boots. This year it was warmer than I think I remember it ever being, but it was still wonderful and we got one of the most beautiful trees we've had.

Simply Seventeen

Today I'm seventeen.

The past year of my life has been a growing experience. I'm not sure if that is apparent to anyone other than me, but it absolutely was. It was also blessed beyond imagining and I hold sweet memories from it. I have no idea what God has in store for me this year, but He has set the stage and I know it's going to be wonderful.

For me, the odd years seem like the biggest leaps. Sixteen was big for me, but not as big as seventeen. And I can't explain it, it just is. There's the whole "sweet sixteen" mentality. And then the whole thing with eighteen being legal. And seventeen is just scrunched in between those two "big" ages. But to me, seventeen is also special. Each birthday is special. And none need to be celebrated in any over the top manner. To celebrate, I just want to be around the people I love most, I don't want any fluff. I want each and every birthday to be simple and real and full of love. That's all I need.

And so today I am simply seventeen (and so ready for another year of adventures).

{I started the year off with cheesecake at midnight. New tradition? Um, yeah.}

We spent the night in the mountains.

The brisk air we breathed in whispered the coming of fall. In a little cabin we built a fire and roasted marshmallows. Card game after card game was played late into the night. And for that one night we forgot about the digital world and just enjoyed each other. It was refreshing. 

Mountain getaways are good for the soul.

Adventures in Spain

I've been trying to write this post all day so as to convey all of the thoughts I had during my family's recent vacation to Spain (with a short side trip to Lourdes, France). But the truth of it is, these memories are far greater than I will ever be able to share completely in a blog post. Each person, each building with hundreds of years of history, each beautiful view, each city left its impression on me and these are things I will always treasure. Throughout the trip my mom would ask me if I was happy to be there, if I was enjoying it and I suppose that was because I was so quiet. But that's my way of taking things in, silently and slowly. I was almost dazed by the fact that I was actually there. As I've said before, I'm not one that's good with describing my view of things with words and that's why I love photography. As we walked the halls of amazing old castles and explored magnificent cathedrals I took things in, first with my eyes and then with those same eyes through my camera so that I could share them but not miss them. So here is a small glimpse into my trip to Spain, not with words that will only skim the surface of the experiences I had but with photos that show you how I saw things. The trip didn't always go smoothly, it didn't always go as planned, but it went as it was supposed to go and for this adventure I am grateful.

(And, yeah, that snail towards the bottom is legit. Those things were HUGE.)

We're knee high in sand, people, sand. Those holes were weird (spoken like a true land-locked girl and proud of it).