Unplugged. For a week. And it was simply fantabulous. No pull to the computer. No media distractions. No cartoons for the boys. No phone at my fingertips. No laundry. ;) No man-made noise; just the handmade noise (and breathtaking beauty) of our Creator surrounding us from all sides.
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| heading up into the mountains! |
The ironic thing is that now here I sit. Plugged back in. The phone charging next to me. KTIS playing in the background via the internet. The boys watching a movie to 'unwind' and relax. Fingers typing away. Scrolling through the photos of our week away from all the "noise."
Just like you, I get suckered back into the everyday electronic luxuries available. We may not have all the latest and greatest gadgets, but we have enough. More than most people worldwide. There are times when a step back must be taken. A re-evaluation of my time spent here verses over there. I wouldn't say that my time is necessarily wasted, but there is always room for improvement. Stepping away
completely allows for the jump-start to scale back immediately. It's good for everyone to "unplug" now and then. Try it! Seriously. It's amazing what it does for the mind and heart. :)
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| All my handsome gents! |
The week away was needed. The quiet was welcomed and embraced. We weathered the weather, in every sense of the word. I discovered pretty quickly that I'm more of a summer camper, not a winter camper. Not that we had winter on the mountain top, but it was more like falinter (yes...another made up word for a cross between fall/winter) for the first day and a half. We started out bundled in winter gear and came back sweatin' in our summer gear. But even in the falling snow and those slaps of thunder that collided with the flashes of lightening, beauty was in it's clearest form. God is simply amazing. To sit in wonderment at His power and grace amidst those storms....there is simply not one without the other.
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| excited to be camping! |
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| Mmmm....love him. :) |
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| if you look close enough, you can see the drifting snowflakes...or snow hail more like it. ;) |
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| nighty-night! |
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| yes...that would be snow on our tent in the morning. :) |
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| goofiness with my boys :) |
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| love my CJ! |
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| the boys playing hide and seek...Mason not peeking ;) |
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| ...and Austin hiding |
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| Carson hiding... |
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| drive and hike to a nearby meadow...good lunch spot! (in the truck...because it snowed...) |
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| Ginger sliding down the snowbank...she's crazy! |
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| storm coming over the mountain |
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| there's power and majesty in watching something like this! God is just so awesome!! |
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| looking over the valley--the winding dirt road is the one we traveled on. |
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| Carson scoping out the scenery |
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| daddy and Mason! |
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| Anderson fam!! |
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| the hole-in-the-rock :) |
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| daddy and Austin looking for flat rocks |
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| cowboy cabin :) |
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| keeping warm by the fire! |
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| playing games--a camping necessity |
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| my 3 sons! |
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| Austin Alan |
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| Carson Jeffrey |
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| and Mason Roger...pouting after falling in the water. Naturally. |
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| making cord bracelets! |
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| mama and sons...notice we're in shorts now! |
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| coyote spotting! |
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| to the top of the summit we go! |
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| our hike to the snow.... |
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| ...and we have some good hikers! |
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| made it! |
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| Man down!!!! |
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| daddy with Austin and Carson |
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| ski-sledding...sorta :) (Carson) |
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| Austin's turn |
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| Mason just taste-tested the snow :) |
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| I heart him. :) |
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| looking out at the awesome view...and trying to spot our truck... |
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| ...can you spy it?! |
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| hiking down... |
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| that hole in the rock view from the road--yes, we were up there! |
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| heading back down.... |
The unpacking from camping has ceased...but the packing will begin again!!! :) Another fun and memorable MN summer lies ahead...ready or not, here we come!!
