Joining Amanda for This Moment, something from the week worth remembering...
I really wanted to put up Joy Pockets this week, and maybe I'll still find time before we board the plane tomorrow. It's been an amazing 10 days, and I can't wait to share the highlights with you as well as giveaway some souvenirs I picked up along the way.
For me, the pacific northwest is one of the most wonderous places I have ever traveled. Aside from the richness it provides in activity, the delectable food culture, the progressive attitudes, it's the breathtaking and emotionally moving landscape that strikes us the most. To be able to see the Puget Sound, Mt. Rainer, the Olympic mountain range AND the Cascades all from one place, is like a spiritual awakening--we become silent and paralyzed as we try to memorize nature's masterpiece. We are all sunshine and heat in Florida, palm trees and oceans, and I do not believe I have taken it for granted. But the access to the woods and hidden trails, the majestic tall pines, the blackberry bushes along the paths, the soothing sound of a wayward creek, the whispering quiet of the canopy that lay overhead...these things unlock something primal in me, in all of us. Away from the video games, the computers, the television, and the intrusiveness of modern living, the children come alive by watching their leaves flutter then float down the stream. We watch them beg to climb the moss covered rocks and get lost in the grandfathers of all trees...and with yet the civility of adulthood taking hold, they become wild and alive, they become nature's children once more...
much love to you all and have a weekend full of wonder
xx oo
Isn't it amazing how beautiful and different the Northwest is from the coastal South? I can not wait to hear about all your adventures. Have a save trip home MJ and hurry and tell us where you all decided to call home! xx
ReplyDeletei couldn't agree more! i loved my visit to portland, seattle, and puget sound (where i stayed for a week loving the woods and fairy trails and the flowers!!!) i am really over this heat here and wishing we could play outside. soccer practice is always too hot for ez and we stay inside most of the day. it's not how i want him to grow up.
ReplyDeletesounds like this was a wonderful trip for your entire family!
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed yourselves and had a slurry of adventures. I'm with you - the PNW is amazing. I look forward to more and more images of mossy, deep green adventures.
ReplyDeleteI'm so very happy that this place has captured your heart and soul, and that your family is smitten as well. Our forests, mountains and sound are open wide with welcome for you! Come on over!!!
ReplyDeleteAh, MJ, you make it just come alive with your words. I know that area so well, and yet I'm not sure I ever looked at it with your eyes, your wonder, your appreciation. It reminds me just how magical a space it was, and I'm so grateful for that.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful holiday you've had. I can't wait to see more photos and hear more adventures! Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful life and thoughts. I feel blessed.
Oh, so wonderfully put. I remember a similar experience when i was in Hawaii on a yoga retreat. I felt so connected to the earth, nature... it felt like how you described... primal and deeply spiritual. Mmmmm, i am moved by your words. thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteIt is indeed a wonderful place that I hope to visit soon. Love old forests! Thanks for sharing bits of your trip along the way.
ReplyDeletexo,
Ang
It was fun to meet you and your family -- I would love to be neighbors with you!! :)
ReplyDeleteBest,
Stacy
Sounds like the Pacific Northwest is really speaking to you, your heart and soul. I absolutely love this!!! Have a safe trip back.
ReplyDeletexoxo
It sounds like you may have found the place you'll soon call home then? I love that part of the country as well, and had plans of moving there before my life took a different turn (which turned out to be best for me anyway ;) I can understand the draw. It's truly magical! I hope your trip home is safe and easy and your planning and preparing for the house sale go smoothly, too!
ReplyDeletei can not wait to hear more about your trip. we too try to appreciate the florida environment - but i feel the call to the north east and north west - somewhere north and by the sea. i want soft leaves and seasons and easier gardening.
ReplyDeleteOh MJ can't wait to read posts on this fantastic trip!
ReplyDeleteSounds like you have had a magical time away. Nothing like nature to renew oneself. Have a safe trip back to Florida. Looking forward to seeing what wonderful adventures come your way in the next few months. Jacinta x
ReplyDeleteI think you just about covered everything I love about the woods and why I would spend my whole day hitting trails if it was at all possible. So fun to hear you describe all that is filling you with joy!
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