lakeside trail | hike it baby.

It had been a month since we hit the trails with our Hike it Baby friends, so we joined them for a two-mile adventure at Table Rock. It was a chilly morning in general, but the weather was so nice for the middle of December. We were all just thankful to be outside after so many rainy days! The lake had been drained, and it made the large hole in the ground look post-apocalyptic (as our hike leader so accurately described it). There was a gorgeous view of Table Rock about halfway through the hike, and even with no leaves on the trees + no water in the lake it was still breath-taking. I hadn't explored this trail since I was a little girl, and I had forgotten what an easy-but-worth-it one this is (especially when you're with friends).

Braxton talked up a storm the whole time we walked, and his sweet little voice in my ears prompted me to lift countless "thank you"s to our Creator for how good He is to us. I've said it before, but it really is so powerful + exhilarating to disconnect from the world and simply get back to the basics. This particular trail on this particular day was used to remind me that no matter how muddy or bare the circumstances at hand may be, beauty can still be found if I just choose to look up and trust that the big picture is exponentially greater than my bird's eye view.

I hope B is always mesmerized by trees and leaves and streams, and that he doesn't get so caught up in the next thing so much so that he overlooks the beauty of the present moment. I can't wait for the day when he uses his sweet little voice to say, "Hey mama, can we go hiking today?", and I pray that I never get too busy or over-scheduled to be able to smile + proudly say "Yes!"

When is the last time you got some fresh air?