Nature Hikes

Ah, the silly hats we subject our daughter to...oh well, she loves it!

The past few weeks we've been trying to spend more time outdoors as a family, and Vi loves it. Last night we took a little after-dinner stroll, partly for exercise, and partly because the evening air is good for Vi's breathing because she's getting over a bout with croup. It was the perfect evening. Everyone on High St. was out walking, shopping, and eating. We went up to a local ice cream place that carries tons of unique flavors. Nick actually had ice cream that was bourbon-flavored, and I got cheesecake/brownie/blondie ( I didn't get anything too weird since I was sharing with Viola!) We had such a sweet time hanging out. When we got back, Viola wanted to be outside longer so she scampered around the yard until it got too dark to be out. She usually really protests coming inside, but she actually came in without a fight.

It's sort of ironic that now that we're in the most urban setting we've ever been in, we can spend time outside more easily, especially with Viola. Our first house in Louisville was on a busy street with no sidewalks, and we had a great yard, but it wasn't fenced in. Then when we moved to the farmhouse and Vi was of crawling/early walking age, the property had a slight snake infestation (copperheads and rat snakes) due to construction, so we didn't hang outside too much, and again, no sidewalks. After that we moved in with friends with a great yard but who decided to raise some urban chickens who pooed on everything, rendering the yard unfit for Viola to play in. So here we are now, with a quaint little fenced yard, in a neighborhood with sidewalks and just blocks from the park. We love it!

Being outside more has made me think of my love for the plant and growth imagery in the Bible. Scripture that describes our spiritual lives using plants or trees always resonates with me because it simply makes sense. I've been studying John 15, and I love how it begins with the "vine" imagery. Christ in the true vine, and the Father is the vinedresser. We are the branches, by nature barren and dry, and we need to be grafted into Christ to draw from His power and life. The more we abide in Christ, the more we bear fruit and bring glory to God. We essentially feed off of Christ and receive nourishment from Him--He's our sunlight, our water, our soil, our everything. When we don't abide in Him we become limp and wither. Ah, John 15 is such an accurate and easy-to-understand picture of the Christian life.

What's also interesting is how being married to Nick has increased my love for the outdoors. He is the ultimate backpacking and outdoor adventurer who stoops down to my level of adventure to go on walks in the neighborhood :) It's funny how I grew up on a farm but had little appreciation for the outdoors, and now I live in the city and love to be outside. It makes absolutely no sense.