All starts with first spending time with God ❤️
Goals
Tag: Goals
Skamania Lodge Review
The husband and I were able to getaway for a few days to @skamanialodge for a romantic getaway right before Christmas which at first I thought was terrible timing but turned out to be just what we needed❤️
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Skamania Lodge has so many things to offer not just for the two of us but for the whole family. There are two restaurants on property , coffee and tea service that is complimentary, Spa , game room set up with games ,adventures like zip lining , on property trails and their Holiday Walk during our stay.
We were able to hike on our way to the lodge and then enjoy the hot tub once we checked in , which was so nice! There is an indoor and outdoor one .. the outdoor was our favorite!
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While we waited for our dinner reservations , we headed to the game room to play a game of chess. After dinner, we grabbed a complimentary umbrella and headed out for the Holiday Light Walk. It was an added treat and we enjoyed it . The best part was hearing an owl throughout the walk …so cool!
It’s no secret we love the Columbia Gorge area and Skamania Lodge is located in a great location to access so many different adventures . There are so many trails in this area to hike , so much history to immerse yourself in , and gorgeous views every where you look!
Have you ever visited the Columbia Gorge area? If so , what’s your favorite thing to do there?
Columbia Gorge Hiking ~Shepperd’s Dell
Shepperd’s Dell was one of the little stops on the Columbia Gorge that we literally could have driven right past and missed out on all this beauty!
I’m so thankful a friend told us about the trail from the road and that we stopped. It is a very short short hike down a beautiful path to the waterfall❤️ A bonus looking back up at the bridge and path .. I felt like we were in a whole different world
Check out our reel below and follow us for more adventures ❤️
Prayer Journal
One of my favorite gifts this year ❤️
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It has several things that I love . Prayer prompts for every day of each month, list of those I’m praying for , things I’ve learned this month , a place to record favorite passages, spiritual and personal goals ,answered prayers and what I’ve learned this month. It’s a great way to document my prayer life and see how God is moving over the year .
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One of my favorite things to do is to look back and see how God has answered prayer request that sometimes are months or years in the making.
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Do you use a prayer journal? I would love to hear what you use .. and If so, what’s your favorite thing about it?Drop a comment below ⬇️
White Pass Airbnb Review
Check out this cute Airbnb we stayed at on our recent trip to White Pass. It was the perfect spot to stay to refuel, rest and play games before heading back to the Mountain. The hot tub was amazing and we loved the fire and the cabin feel.
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Comment “Getaway “ below and I’ll send you the info on this Airbnb for your next getaway 🎿
Check out our reel below ⬇️
Thirsty Coffee Bar Review
Check out this hidden gem @thirsty_coffeebar in the Cascade locks area. It was such a sweet reward of coffee after we finished hiking the Colombia Gorge area.
We loved so much about this adorable coffee shop ,like the puzzle that was set out to build , chess boards throughout, photo ops with the joy wall and seating areas ,the adorable water station ,and ofcourse the coffee ❤️ We could have spent our whole day here.
One of the other special touches that we really loved was the Bible verse on the floor, such a sweet touch❤️
Psalm 94:19 ESV
They also have a punchcard to get a free drink ..yay! More coffee❤️
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If you are in the Colombia Gorge area, stop by and support this small business❤️❤️
Check out our reel below ⬇️
But First Coffee ☕️
Randonnee Coffee Co @randonneecoffee was a great place to stop and grab coffee on our way back home from our hiking trip. It was super cute and the baristas were so nice! They even tried to help us plan lunch by recommending a stop ❤️
They offered a great selection of drinks including matcha tea , cappuccinos ,Cortado and so many flavors of lattes …yum! And the food smelled amazing! We could smell bacon just going in the store ❤️
Add this to your list of stops on your next adventure when you are in the Columbia River Gorge area…it’s a must see and offers great coffee❤️
Hello 2025 🎆
Happy New Year!! I can hardly believe today is the first day of a brand New Year, can you? With it comes fresh new opportunities to do things differently then we have done, make goals and take chances , dream big and try again .
We love New Years Resolutions and getting to create new ones while we also reflect on the ones from the past year . Our family loves to take the time on New Years Eve or New Years Day to review our resolutions from the previous year and mark through what we accomplished or completed. We also love to make our resolutions for the New Year . We take time to think through trips we want to take , character traits we are working on , adventures , a new skill we want to learn or projects we want to complete.
We always do the following categories when we make resolutions ⬇️
Each Family Member has their own space for resolutions
Home
Family
Marriage
Now that we have been doing this since our kids were little, they look forward to it each year . It’s fun to see the resolutions they come up with for themselves and a fun opportunity to cheer when they mark through them .
Here is a breakdown of each of the categories ⬇️
The family ones are things we would like to do as a family this coming year . They include serving together , trips we want to take and family adventures or connection times .
The marriage one is good to put yearly goals we want to do for our marriage. For example, an intentional study together or getaways for the year ahead. Putting those goals on the calender has been such a blessing the past few years in us actually doing them.
The Home one is great for projects that we are planning on for the next year. We put things like completing our yard, selling a car or new windows.
Your turn❤️ Do you make resolutions for the New Years? If so , what are some of yours? Do you have a special way of doing them ? I would love to hear all about what works for you and your family .
Franklin Falls Winter Hike
The beauty of the Northwest in early spring 🏔️
Snow + Sunshine ☀️
The winter trail for Franklin Falls is so beautiful! From the drive to the beautiful snow covered path . We had planned to snowshoe the trail but we didn’t end up needing the snowshoes and were able to use our micro spikes . The trail is typically 2 miles but with the road closure in the winter it takes on another 5 mi so we did just over 7 miles with the winter route .
The cabins along the trail with the creek was probably one of my favorite areas of the hike and so peaceful. I wanted to grab my hot cocoa from my pack and read a book right there .. it was such a beautiful spot!
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Before you come to the falls, you descend stairs and then the whole beautiful area just captivates you as you climb down and see the awe of the rushing falls! It was so cool!!
Anyone else amazed that you can drive right over this beautiful area and never know it was there until you hike it ? I am learning to look beyond the trees and roads as we travel . There are so many beautiful adventures when we take the time to explore 🌲
Have you ever hiked this trail? What were your favs?
I also did a fun reel of our day .. check it out here ⬇️
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C41k3Y8PYCC/?igsh=N3VpbGtpODB3a3Jz
Gather 🍁
Having an inviting table doesn’t have to be super fancy . You can take a few things to make a beautiful setting that is practical and inviting.
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The memories , conversations , plans, school work and sharing of life that happens around a table is immeasurable. It is essentially the hub of a home. A place to gather , cry , work out life and laugh ❤️
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I do wonder if every grain in the wood of this table could contain all of it. Would the grain lines of the wood be darker when there were years scorched by fire or hardships ,would the grain have lines wider in years being well watered and flourishing in love or have thinner lines in years of drought ? Interesting to think about what it would hold.
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What ever season you are in , remember it’s just that a season. Take time to enjoy your family or a friend around your table. Invite them to linger and stay a little bit longer. Savor the grain lines that are forming 🍁
“she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest.”
Proverbs 6:8 ESV
