Last Day Out of the City

Little did we know that February 2nd would be our last day out of the city until we left for America at the end of June. 

Lockdown would be coming soon, and even when restrictions were lifted, travel between districts was still prohibited. 

For this reason (and many others), I'm glad E (Karis' friend) came to visit us so that we had an excuse to make one more trip to the mountains.\

The drive up was beautiful!

And two miles before we got to the base of the mountain, we stopped at these waterfalls because it's a tradition for our family to get out and take pictures here. 

After the teleferik ride, we reached our room at the top in time for sunset.

February 2, 2020

And the next morning, we awoke to a clear blue skies again!

Caleb and E would roll down the mountain, then climb up, and do it again. 

I don't know who had more fun - 

them rolling or us laughing.

We only stayed one night because we didn't want Keira to miss more than one day of school, and also because Kylie had stayed behind by herself in the city to work on school.

February 3, 2020

 

The New Year...2020...Dream Big!

 Oh the excitement of 2020!  

We had a small party on New Year's Eve, and after hanging out a little while, my two older girls joined a group of three other young ladies that were there who decided to go check out the fireworks in a certain area of town.

Long story short, they never made it because the traffic was so intense on the roads, but they got to see a lot of "interesting" people while they sat in traffic.

We like to start off the year with a two-day trip to the mountains before the kids go back to school.

It's nice to be up so high and out of the city.

The clouds rolling in in the morning are a beautiful sight, and by the time I've finished my coffee, the sun is shining and the clouds have moved on.

Sometimes it's crystal clear. 

And sometimes, you can't even see that your are on a mountain.

There isn't a ton to do while we are up on the mountain so time outside, playing games, resting, reading, and drinking coffee make it an ideal place to get rejuvenated.

January 3, 2020

Caleb was inside and missed out on our time in the snow one day, but he made up for it when the sun went down. 

He decided he would run in the snow barefoot with only his shorts on "just for fun." Keira joined in with the barefoot part while the rest of us just watched (and laughed).

The video of this "race" still makes me laugh.

Never would I ever...

And since these two sleep in the living room, we could all see in the morning that they were still worn out.

Happy birthday, Mom!

Sharing the Mountains

Sir Edmund Hillary is credited with being the first person to summit Mount Everest.  He said, “Human life is far more important than just getting to the top of a mountain.”

Well-spoken.

So…we went to the top of the mountain with friends, and we happened to run into more friends when we got there, so we shared the mountains together.

This also led to a friendly game of paintball.  The dads and the kids played, and Keira and I peered through the chain-link fence.

Kylie, Karis, and Caleb suited up.  

Quite the battlefield.

 

All good things must come to an end. 

So after roasting marshmallows, playing late-night games, making funny videos, rolling down snow-covered hills, and eating a lot of junk food, it was time to head down the mountain.

At least I think that's where we are heading???

Is there civilization down below?

Oh my goodness, yes!
All of these people were waiting in line to come up on the teleferic on their day off (Friday).

No time to leave like the present.

Plus, it happened to be my birthday.

My family surprised me by meeting up with some friends at the same restaurant where we had Thanksgiving and ordering milkshakes.

I think Keira liked the look of hers.

My friend told the chef I liked cheesecake, and he made this presentation for me.

 Yes, we all love the mountains, and sometimes coming back down is hard.

But...

“There are far better things ahead than the ones we leave behind.” – C.S. Lewis

And this is why we come down. 

There is more work to be done.

Onward and Upward.

Spiritually, mountaintops are a great place to see the might and glory of God and feel His presence, but as we all know...it's in the valleys where we stretch and grow and begin to look more like Him.

“Everybody wants to reach the peak, but there is no growth on the top of a mountain. It is in the valley that we slog through the lush grass and rich soil, learning and becoming what enables us to summit life’s next peak.” -Andy Andrews

January 3, 2019

The Mountains are calling, and I must go

John Muir, a mountaineer in the 1800's known as the "Father of National Parks" said, "The mountains are calling, and I must go."

This is how my family feels every year after Christmas.  Usually, we have spent an entire year in the city, and when we see the mountains in the distance with the snow on top, we feel a calling to go.

Plus we were about to finalize our move in the next week, and we were all tired of packing.

We took all of our clothes and food for meals and snacks up the teleferic to the top of the mountain.

No cars are allowed.

Each morning, I would get up to see what beauty God was creating for me to enjoy.

Being above the clouds and watching them circle around the tops of the mountains does not get old.

In this panorama view, you can see the clouds in circling motion around the top of the mountain below us.

Sunsets were also worth stopping dead in our tracks to see God's handiwork.

Snow is always a delight for my raised-in-Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, and Africa children.

John Muir is also credited with saying, "In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks."

I concur.