Another one!

I can't believe the series of beautiful sunsets we've had lately.  The clouds were amazing also tonight, so the boy and I hiked to the end of the street and got another picture.  It's so neat to see him getting excited about taking pictures, the sunsets, and nature.  He is always telling me about how Jesus made us, and made everything.  I can't believe how grown up he is getting.

Another gorgeous evening

I am loving the amazing sunsets we are having lately.  Every night the boy and I check outside to see if we want to go take some more pictures.  The colors are breath taking, and it's neat to see the boy get as excited about it as I do.

Room with a view

I took this picture from our living room window. A. MAZ. ING.  This is completely untouched, those are the real colors.  I love fall sunsets, and fall is rapidly approaching.  "I'm glad that I live in this beautiful world.... Heavenly Father created for me!" 

Is there anything prettier than cherry blossoms?

One of my favorite things about spring in the PNW is all of the cherry blossoms. They are so pretty and delicate looking. I love the color, the fluffiness of them, the way the petals fall off in the wind like a cotton candy shower....EVERYTHING! I wish they lasted longer, but the fact that they don't is part of what makes them so special.

Lovely View

I can't ever get over how beautiful our little hometown is. Every day I see something that makes me take pause. This was taken from the end of our street, with my cell phone!

More snow!

We have had a white winter! This is the most snow we've ever had in a winter. The snow is so pretty, it makes everything look so clean and pure. It's a great equalizer. No matter how ugly your house, yard, car may be...when there is a snowfall, it all looks beautiful and soft. Kind of a metaphor for repentance...no matter how ugly your sins may be, when you have asked the Lord for forgiveness, the sin looses it's shape and becomes a beautiful and soft part of a bigger landscape.

Nature Walk

The boy wanted to take Stanley on a nature walk today, so we just went out and about. It is amazing how beautiful the area surrounding our home is!

Sunny Days...blowing the clouds away!

It was a beautiful clear day today. It's amazing that it is still winter, though the air was cold (34 degrees!) Had to take the kids and go outside for some pictures today! I love the Pacific Northwest!

Our new perspective

This is taken from our yard at our new house. We have gorgeous mountains on 2 sides, and the sun setting today just made us stand and stare.

Room with a view

This was taken from a friend of mine's living room. Gorgeous. I am jealous of her view every day, but so happy to live in such a beautiful place! In the background you can see the sand spit and lighthouse. How lucky we are to have such a view (even if we have to borrow it!)

Feeling frosty

We've been having a cold month! There is frost almost every morning, and we've had several snowy days since Thanksgiving. We like the cold, and the boy especially likes the snow. It makes him very happy to go out and play in the snow, no matter how little there actually is.

Twilight time

It was a very beautiful evening. We were out for a "nature walk" as the boy likes to call them. We didn't have a camera except our cell phones, so it isn't a great picture, but the colors were beautiful. The boy told us all about how Jesus painted the sky with a paintbrush to make us all happy.

Winter is SNOW much fun

We got another dusting of snow. No where near the dumping we got last time, but enough to play in and make everything look soft and pretty. The boy kept insisting it was Christmas day, because the snow was falling. Baby girl still is not impressed.

Winter solstice/Lunar eclipse

The moon was amaz- ingly bright last night, and as time progr- essed it got darker and darker. I went outside to get pict- ures several times, and it was amaz- ing how much darker it was each time. Kind of a meta- phor for sin, eh? I was too much of a chicken to stay outside and contemplate it too much. (It was stinkin' dark!) I did, however, make up a haiku about it.
Winter Solstice Night
Full moon eclipsed by shadow
Light turns into dark

The journey...

I've always heard that life is not about the destination, it's about the journey. Today that was definitely true. We were headed to meet some friends, and I got lost on the way to their house. I ended up going down this road several times, frustrated, in a hurry, and looking frantically for the street sign (it had blown down...) when I finally looked around at the view...amazing! Totally worth being a few minutes late.

All the leaves are brown...and the sky is grey.

I went for a walk, on a winter's day...and I saw this tree. I love this tree. Every time I pass this tree, I think to myself "I want to take a picture of that tree." So today I did. I just think it is beautiful and peaceful. I think all the branches are very dramatic. I love the snowy wintery landscape...even if it was a bit too early this year!

This is where I live

I can't believe how beautiful our little town is. We can drive 10 minutes in any direction and have a beautiful view. Driving most directions, we can find a beach, or we can go the other way and head up a mountain. It's amazing. I'm lucky to live here with my children and husband whom I adore. (The white spot in the middle is a flock of seagulls.)

Rare beauty

I would estimate that I have actually seen in person about 3 dragonflies in my entire lifetime. So to me, a dragonfly sighting is rare. Normally I hate flying bugs (well, to be honest, all bugs!) but dragonflies fascinate me for some reason. This one let me get practically right on top of it before it flew away. "I'm glad that I live in this beautiful world...Heavenly Father created for me!"

Pretty view from the parking lot

I was leaving Costco when I saw these cool clouds. The picture doesn't really do it justice, but I was again reminded why I love my little town. I am thankful to my Heavenly Father for this beautiful reminder of all the blessings in my life.

Some edited photos of our trip

1. Boats and dock, Ketchikan
2. Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau
3. Sunrise over Alaska, inside passage between Ketchikan and Juneau
4. Bear in Juneau
5. The northern lights over Skagway

I took and edited all of these! We loved Alaska, and I love that we got such beautiful pictures!