The Quack-Quacks

Madison, Hayes, and I went for a walk on Sunday along the canal near my parent's house. When we walk we have to stop and look at the horses, look for ducks swimming in the canal, meet any dogs that are also out for a walk and listen to the birds in the trees. Before I had kids I rarely noticed animals, and now in the car I excitedly point out any cows I see because they love it! Kids really do help you notice and appreciate the little things in your surrounding environment. We try to take every opportunity now to be outside and look around!

Bicycle

I never thought that I would enjoy mountain biking, or any other kind of biking, but my younger sister Emily got me started on biking this summer. I actually really like to go out biking now. We head for the foothills just north of our house, following a trail beside a canal. At the end of the trail we ascend up into the foothills, and I am surprised every time I make it to the top without tumbling off the narrow trail into the sagebrush. I never thought that I would take up this hobby, but I love it!

Foothills

I have been trying to walk for the sake of being outside a couple of times a week. One of my favorite spots to visit are the foothills near my parent's house. I hike to the top usually around sunset (I have to get the kids to bed so that I can have some peace and quiet). I love the smell of the sagebrush, especially last night while it was raining. You can see the sky which looks endless, and all of Boise. Everytime I get to the top I wonder why I don't do it more often.

The StoryCorps Project

Sunday afternoon I read Listening is an Act of Love by Dave Isay. I absolutely loved it. The book is filled with excerpts from the recordings of the StoryCorps project. It is amazing to read about the everyday lives of Americans and see that everyone has a story to tell. It is also refreshing to see that although bad things happen all the time, humans are basically good at heart, and want to do the right thing. Because of my love for history, I was fascinated to get the prospectives of various Americans from different decades. If you have not read this book, definitely do. It is an inspiration that every life matters and has value in its own right.