Boerne

For a little R&R with nature, and in honor of Storey Mae’s three-months, Josh and I loaded up the family (me, Josh, baby, and dog, of course) and decided to head out to the country on Friday for the night. We were both long-overdue for some time with just the three of us without the house and other obligations to busy ourselves.

The trip was off to a good start. I had successfully packed us all up and gotten on the road at the time we wanted to be. This was huge.

Our first bump in the road came when we were halfway out from our home and realized we had forgotten the key to the cabin. I tried to be positive by responding that at least we had realized this then and not when we were standing in front of the gate in Boerne. Josh was not so positive and reacted with an explicative (enter your choice here J). Luckily, our parents did have a key as well, but this would involve a slight detour (or so we thought). Our plan was to run in and out for the key, but just as we pulled up to the Alder home, Storey relieves a very audible poop from the back-seat. Josh and I knew this could not be ignored. It had the potential to be disastrous if left untouched. So we planned to just do a quick change of the diaper, and we would be back on the road in no time.. until Storey breaks into her bloody-murder cry, and we are nursing for the next 45 minutes. Meanwhile, Nya leaps out of the back of our car through the front passenger window and proceeds to take a swim in the pool. Over an hour later, we are finally back on the road, wet, smelly dog et al.

It took the stillness and solitude of the country to center us again.

That night Josh grilled up a delicious meal and we followed that up with some roasted smores.
The next day Josh and I took Storey on a hike.

She was bound to Josh’s chest in her sling, while we dug up plants to bring home to our garden and trekked a-long the creek side.

At times the hike got a little rough- jumping across stones to cross the creek, climbing up rocks, and clearing through brush, and I couldn't help but worry if Storey would be okay. 

But then I imagined that this as a way of life for peoples; that this is the way many cultures live life. They don’t have paved sidewalks and strollers with seat-belts. From then on, I trusted that this was the way we were created to be anyway, and I was okay.