Forest Bathing

I read an article Take Two Hours Of Pine Forest and Call Me In the Morning and wanted to share some of the things that it said.  It is common knowledge that outdoors boosts our heath, mood, and other things but sometimes we all need a reminder so that is what I am doing.  The following quotes are excerpts from this article.

Since the age of the internet, North Americans have become more aggressive, more narcissistic, more distracted, more depressed and less cognitively nimble.  Oh yeah, and fatter. 

And don't t hink you're off the hook if you exercise outdoors.  You are quite likely still tethered to civilization. Perhaps you're strapped to a heart monitor or headset.  Admit it: Have you brought your phone?

Build outdoor moments into your schedule.  Don't neglect prolonged, uninterrupted nature excursions.

Don't just use the outdoors like a gym; you need to purposefully engage with the natural world.  It's amazing what you can find and things you can hear when you start seeking them out.

Try harder to quit checking text messages and instead watch for rock bass jumping in the C&O Canal.   Scratch and sniff some pinecones.  Run my hands through the moss.  Maybe even a little bark tea.

I was interested in this because I tried to go out on a nature walk in the backyard the other day and no one was interested in coming with me.  Didn't they know that the trees were playing peekaboo through the fog, the smell of decaying leaves was fresh, and the deer and squirrels were just creeping around the bend?  We sit on the couch and spend so much time flipping through our tv shows or toggling between facebook and email  but we could really go outside and find something that truly amazing.  All we have to do is look, leave our phone behind, go outside and look.  Listening helps too, and thinking about it you should probably use all five senses.  If you sit there for long enough you will find something unique that no one has seen before except for you.  Because honestly, what's life without the little things? It's there and we are wasting it.

p.s. just so you know I am not writing this b/c of my husband.  He goes outside with me sometimes.

Family Pics

Lindsay Dixon took our family pictures this year.  I love them all but decided it would take up too much room if I did it so here are a few highlights!  Thank you Lindsay!  

and Sharon, that ombre hair dye that you did in Idaho looks really too, thanks!

Why animals eat their young

Cuz their so stinkin cute! nom nom nom nom!

I don't want to forget

  The other day when I got her out of the bathtub I looked at her rasin-y feet and laughed. I completely forgot that this happens.  so cute!

 Ellie is growing so fast it seems like she is already a toddler. She does lots of funny things.  haha.



Tarpon Springs

The last adventure that we went to was Tarpon Springs.  The town 99% inhabited by Greeks.  There were signs for gyros on every corner, that's my kind of town! On the rest of the corners were sponge boats and sponge novelties.  I guess this is like one of the best places to get natural sponge in the US.  

 abandoned church

 tugboat

The Gulf

The gulf was beautiful, sunny and warm.  I don't remember which beach we went to but it was a state park, clean, and didn't have anyone there.  I think I even got a micro tan from being out there. :)  I found a butterfly bush with a couple of Monarchs fluttering around it, I have never got so close to a Monarch before.

Alfred Hichcock moment...

 Papa and Uncle Steve were doing a bottle washed up on the beach photo shoot.  I don't know what came out but I'm sure it was good.  Ellie and I were just chillin on the walkway.

The picture of all the tubular looking things are at the base of palm trees... very interesting.

This last photo i'm not proud of artistically but I think personifies the word

segregation

 also interesting

Heaven

One of my favorite things that I did was spending Ellie's morning naps was laying out by the pool/lanai (whatever you want to call it)  with a really good book (thanks Sharon and Ruth!)  I'm seriously, the happiest girl in the world right here.

Homosassa Springs

Ellie hates to travel, especially after being on a plane but our perseverance paid off when we reached this place.  A boat took us up the river to the animal preserve & animal hospital.  Lots of manatees like to hang out in these crystal clear waters because of it's consistent temperature due to the spring at the end of it.  We saw a few and they are weird and cool at the same time, a little like me i guess. haha.  

So we were walking down this path and we saw this Blue Heron and I was like "whooooa! picture moment."  I don't know why blogger is making all my vertical images a tad blurry and it bothers me.  If you click on it though you can see it unblurried.

And then we saw some otters and I was like "duuuude, need to take another picture"  It came out a little crazy but those guys move so quickly it was almost impossible to get a picture.  They had a little observation boat that you could go into to see the fish/manatees from underneath.  That was cool, Ellie was a little skeptical though.

This little owl has a lot of personality.  Yeah, he do it for fun.  He can even do it slow. Shake your tail feather.  :)

Watching these flamingos was like watching a soap opera.

 Christmas lights and music in 75 degree weather was interesting, it really screwed with my instincts.  And here's the best animal in the whole place, sweet little Ellie.

Window cleaning at Grammy & Papa's

Hanging out at Grammy and Papa's was really fun.  I love their new house, I have listed it as a mansion in my book.  My favorite part is the 3 hinged sliding lanai door that opens up to the pool.  That way you can leave the door open to your house and get warm fresh air for as long as you want.  The pool is screened in too so no bugs can come and get you.  That is SO cool!

I enjoyed being catered to and so did Ellie.  She loved getting to know her great grandparents and exploring her new environment.

One of her more hilarious discoveries was the glass door.  Oh man, so entertaining.