First Hike of the Year // Goals for 2017

Last week (1/1/17), we started our year off on the right foot by going snowshoeing! We are learning that with long work schedules and unpredictable weather, it’s always good to take advantage of days off when it’s also over 30º, and New Year’s Day happened to be one of those perfect days! We headed up to Berry Pond Preserve near Lake George and hiked 5 miles on the snowy trails. It was the ideal temperature and snow consistency for snowshoeing, and we also discovered the benefits of winter friendly letterboxes (read: ones that Curtis doesn’t have to dig through snow to find, and maybe even find to be frozen underground…). Berry Pond Preserve was an excellent place for beginner-snowshoers like ourselves to practice walking and feeling comfortable in our shoes. It started completely flat with a well-padded down trail (there were many other snowshoers out that day) but as soon as we started heading on a trail with a steep incline, we found that we were the first to trek here, at least since the most recent snow that had fallen the night before. We walked until we made it to a peak and had a great view of Lake George (despite some trees standing in the way), then hurried back to beat the sunset. We realized it had been a long time since we had been out past dark, so we enjoyed the sunset before driving back home.

By the way, don’t let the pictures below concern you — Charlotte LOVED every minute of this and didn’t have to walk through deep snow unless she wanted to. When we came to the fresh, untouched snow, she would walk behind whichever of us was in front so we could make a path for her. However, she does need to learn how to not step on the backs of our snowshoes while we’re walking. She’s a bit of a tailgater, that’s why we don’t let her drive. 😉

It’s been pretty quiet around here lately. This stage of life feels so different compared to all that we’ve gone through in the past 3 ½ years of marriage. Back in AZ and even in SC, Curtis’ schedule was much lighter, and allowed more time for being together and doing fun things. Now, we’re lucky if we have a break that coincides with a good day for adventuring. This winter weather just makes me just want to stay inside and be warm rather than taking advantage of what opportunities we do have. We find ourselves looking ahead and wishing for warmer weather and more time to enjoy life far more than we should.

However, when I really stop and consider it, this season of life has had some great benefits. While we may have less time to spend with each other, I feel like our time together is much more meaningful. We stay warm by cuddling up together on the couch. We pass the time by doing things together such as reading, puzzles, cooking, and discussing goals and dreams for the future, both near and far. Where we are right now isn’t bad at all, when I really think about it: Curtis may be gone 12 hours a day, but he is home with me for the other 12 hours. That isn’t always going to be the case, and when I think of it that way, I want to cherish every waking hour we have together even more. That’s honestly my main goal for this season: to cherish every day, no matter how uneventful. There’s a time for everything, and this is the time to slow down and enjoy each other! (And, in Curtis’ case, become qualified in his career. Haha.)

Aside from that, we’ve set many goals for ourselves as individuals and as a couple. The biggest goal that we’re constantly thinking about and moving toward is the potential of buying a house, maybe this year?? At some point in the next year, we will be stationed in one place for 3 years (Lord willing) which would be the longest we’ve ever lived in one place during our marriage. After having rented for so long, we’re starting to wrap our minds around the idea of actually owning and personalizing and investing in a place. The real big-picture dream is to be homesteaders someday, and this would be like a practice round on a much smaller scale. We feel ready for the challenge and are doing the best we can to prepare for that right now. I’m doing so much research and — the “fun part” — looking at houses! If anyone has any helpful advice on the topic of home buying for first-time buyers, and especially house buying in another state, please send it our way!

One of the main goals I’ve set for myself is to get caught up on printing pictures and creating scrapbooks and photo albums of all these memories we’ve made. To be honest, I’ve done a terrible job at this and am currently 3 ½ years behind. Almost all the adventures from our marriage have been thoroughly documented here and journaled about, but I’ve done nothing about the thousands of pictures I have stored on my laptop. Oh, digital photography…blessing or a curse? Haha! I remember when I was a kid and was so fascinated by the big photo albums my parents had filled with memories from before they had kids. I liked seeing their happiness and love for each other through those pictures. I want our kids to be able to do the same…and maybe plant a little interest in them for traveling to all these pretty places as well. 😉

That’s all I have for today — but we actually did something last weekend, so come back soon to read about it! I miss writing just as much as I miss having weekly adventures! 😉