Birthday Hike

There's something wonderful, even magical, about exploring the "area" in which you live. The only time it wouldn't be magical (in my opinion) is if you lived in the desert. Maybe there's something exciting about the desert, maybe I've watched too many movies, but it seems like the sand and cactus get to ya' after awhile.

Yesterday was my birthday and I wanted some hiking shoes and to go on a hike for my birthday. My husband's so good! He gave me exactly what I wanted and Mackenzie came with us. We hiked at a local conservation area and it was a teeny tiny one, only 1/2 mile with an observation deck to climb at the top. The view was GORGEOUS and hiking always preserves a memory in my brain. I started hiking when I was very very young on the ranch in Texas and then I hiked in college (Pike's peak, girls' wasn't that fun!), and then I hiked in California when I lived there. Now, we're in Branson, MO and whenever I see the little brown signs on the side of the highway for state parks or conservation areas....I want to go see and explore. Right now, it's snowy on the ground, but the temperature gets up to 39 degrees, so it melts a lot during the day. The hike yesterday was paved, which is nice for strollers...and the like. There were two hikes at this park. One was the 1/2 mile and one was three miles. The three miler said it takes 3 hours to complete. I'm hoping it's paved as well so that the kids could maybe bring bikes or something. My favorite hikes are those that are just a little worn dirt path winding through rockes and caverns and trees. You're not sure what's around the next corner...then they open up into a vista view....but how to carry three of the 5 kids??? Maybe we'll stick to the 1/2 milers for now, and work our way up to the 6 mile vista views. I like sharing my life with our kids. Nothing has been more rewarding or more fulfilling than teaching, exploring, and living life with and through the eyes of our children. What a blessing. What a great birthday.