The Great Outdoors

I grew up in the mountains of Western North Carolina, and when I say mountains, I mean right in the middle of them! If you've never experienced the beauty of Shelton Laurel, I highly recommend that you take a day (or two, depending on where you live) and drive back in "our" holler. Yes, we play banjo music, but no, it's not like "Deliverance"! If you do show up, just plan on staying a while because my Papaw is going to want to show you his blueberry bushes, garden and probably take you for a little walk up the creek! Anyway, the mountains will always be home to me.

I guess it's because of where I grew up that I have such a love for being outside. We didn't have video games, an IPAD, cell phones or satellite TV - heck we didn't even have antenna TV - but we did have a big yard, a pond, a creek and an awesome playhouse! My sister and I would spend every minute we could outside. We built "secret" forts on the creek bank, we fished for crawdads, made mud pies, helped set tobacco, climbed trees, rode bikes and had mud clot wars. The worst part of my day was trying to get my bike on the porch in the evenings...so as you can see, it was a pretty great childhood!

Now that I'm adult, I still love to be outside. I enjoy hiking in the mountains and camping, I love to spend time at the beach and soak up the sun, I am perfectly happy with a weekend at the lake and I can sit on the patio and just watch the sun go down. There's something about sunshine and fresh air that makes for a great day and (usually) a good night's sleep. I'm thankful that I live in a country where I have clean air to breathe and I have the right to be outside, enjoying nature.

Now that I'm a Mom, I am getting to witness my child's love for the great outdoors. Yes, my kid is only 15 weeks old (today actually) but I can already feel the excitement from him when he gets to be outside. Monday and Tuesday were beautiful days here, and Colton and I were able to spend the majority of both days outside. He would watch the dogs play and squeal at them when they come running towards him. I notice that he likes to watch the wind blow the trees and I'm pretty sure he likes to hear the birds chirping (this could be because the bouncy seat that he spent his first couple of months in stayed on "bird chirp mode"). I can actually get a lot more done (inside and outside) with him outside. On Monday, I pulled the picnic table over to the kitchen window on the patio, put him in his bouncy seat and came in to wash dishes/bottles. It was great - he was getting fresh air and loving life outside, and Mommy was able to get some stuff done - win, win!

I hope that Colton continues to have a love for the outdoors. I am totally supportive of technology (computers, IPADs, TV, etc...) but I definitely want him to explore his creativity and stay active and engaged. There's nothing better than getting your hands - and face - a little dirty. I'm very much looking forward to hearing his stories and adventures, and who knows, maybe he'll teach this mountain gal something new.