mohaus

Wednesday, January 03, 2018

Outdoor Adventures | 2017 edition

Between family hikes, bike rides, and chances to paddle, we had a great year outdoors in 2017. In addition to time as a family spent outside, Daniel also was able to make several excursions to ride dirt bikes with friends in Prentice Cooper Forest this year. The kids and I enjoyed our almost weekly Friend Friday's –– which included many outdoor adventures. Jack and Daniel also did several father-son activities, sometimes just the two of them, and sometimes with friends. When homeschool kicked off for us, Jack and I started doing almost weekly hikes as part of our school week. I'm so grateful we have been able to continue to carve out time for the things we love and to do them with a family, and also with friends. May 2018 be just as adventurous!

January
First Hike of the New Year: Old Stone Fort | Manchester, TN
Mabbit Springs | Signal Mountain, TN

February
Long Weekend at the Beach | Saint Augustine, FL
Biking the Tennessee Riverpark's Newest Section | Chattanooga, TN
Girl's Weekend and WaveRunner Snorkel Safari | Grand Cayman Islands

March
Rainbow Lake | Signal Mountain, TN
Gulf Specimen Aquarium and Alligator Point | Tallahassee, FL (area)
Spring Break Outside | various places
Greenway Farms with Friends | Hixson, TN

April
Coolidge Park with Friends | Chattanooga, TN
Friends for Life (Rainbow Lake with friends) | Signal Mountain, TN
Friend Friday: Picnic at Greenway Farms | Hixson, TN
Friend Friday: Aquarium Fountains | Chattanooga, TN

May
Family Date: Paddling at Chester Frost | Hixson, TN
Mother's Day Mountain Biking Excursion | Springer's Ridge in Chattanooga, TN
Memorial Day (soggy) Bike Ride | Signal Mountain, TN
Summer Kickoff 2017: Mushroom Rock | Signal Mountain, TN

July
Voyles Cousin's Week | Greers Ferry, AR
Paddling with Kids on North Chick | Hixson, TN
Cummins Falls | Cookeville, TN
Rock City | Lookout Mountain, TN

August
2017 Canadian Vacation in Cottage Country | Orillia, Ontario, Canada
Father-Son TKO | Prentice Cooper, TN
Solar Eclipse (Totality) | Cotton Port Wildlife Management Area outside of Dayton, TN
Five Senses Nature Hike in Green Gorge | Signal Mountain, TN

September
Injury while hiking to Mushroom Rock | Signal Mountain, TN
Seed Pod Nature Day | Signal Mountain, TN
Friend Friday: Greenway Farms Picnic | Hixson, TN
Hurricane Irma Cousin Weekend: Hike to Rainbow Lake | Signal Mountain, TN
Mini Beast Nature Hike at Mabbit Springs | Signal Mountain, TN
Friend Friday: Big Soddy Gulf Picnic | Soddy Daisy, TN

October
Reflection Riding Center (Monday Nature Day with friends) | Lookout Mountain, TN
Joyce Kilmer Wilderness Among Trees (family hike), Cherohala Skyway, NC
Greenway Farms Nature Day (family archery lesson and hike) | Hixson, TN
Father-Son Hike to Mushroom Rock | Signal Mountain, TN

November
Glen Falls (Nature Day) | Lookout Mountain, TN
Mushroom Rock (Nature Day with Mommy and Daddy) | Signal Mountain, TN
Dirt Bike Date_Prentice Cooper | Suck Mountain, TN
Raccoon Mountain (Nature Day) | Raccoon Mountain, TN

December
Winter Birds Nature Day at The Boulders (Nature Day) | Lookout Mountain, TN
Toccoa River Swinging Bridge | North Georgia Mountains
Amicalola Falls | North Georgia Mountains
New Years Eve Hike at Green Gorge | Signal Mountain, TN

Monday, January 01, 2018

New Years Day 2018 Recap

We normally try to do a First Hike of the Year, but we had too much going on to make that happen this year (we did get a last hike of 2017 though, so we aren't feeling too bad about the missed hike).

Instead the kids had fun playing with new toys, including Magic Tracks from their Nana.

We drove across town to have lunch with Grandpa and Abuela.

Then we came home and sold our crib, so that chapter seems to be officially closing in our lives. I am feeling nostalgic and not quite sure how I feel, even though we haven’t used it since the summer. 😭

The rest of the afternoon was devoted to hauling and stacking firewood to be ready for any cold spells that might happen in the near future. After all our hard work, we finished up the day with hot chocolate.

All in all it was a busy and full first day of our new year.

Top 10 in 2017

For the first time in forever, we actually sent out Christmas cards! However, it was just a photo card, no traditional Top 10 Recap. So for now, the blog is going to be that space for us. We hope you had a great 2017 and wish you a wonderful 2018!

Every year has its share of ups and downs, and 2017 was no different. I’m thankful for all of the adventures that we made time for, and all of the people that were a part of this year with us. We are looking forward to what 2018 has in store. #2017bestnine #mohaus2017

View this post on Instagram

Every year I make these recap videos and every year I am reminded that the good in life outweighs the bad. #grateful #familyandfriends #alookbackat2017 #mohaus2017

A post shared by Cheree Moore (@mo_haus) on Jan 1, 2018 at 10:09am PST

Here is a look back at 2017 and our Top 10 Experiences:

1) We took our first trip to Saint Augustine, Florida to visit Daniel's dad and his wife. We had a lovely time at the beach. It was really too cold to swim, but that didn't bother Jack. We enjoyed visiting the oldest city in America, seeing local historic sites, and trying some great restaurants.

2) I took my first ever Girl's Trip: I went with one of my oldest friends to the Cayman Islands (we have been friends for 25 years!). Daniel had several work trips, including one to Colorado. While it was for work, he was able to enjoy day trips with a co-worker to hike in the Rockies.

3) The kids and I enjoyed several trips to visit family, one to Florida to see their cousins for spring break, and another trip to Arkansas to spend a week at the lake with my family. Unfortunately Daniel couldn't join us for either of these trips.

4) We had our first experience with stitches, when Jack fell and busted his chin on the playground. Jack was a trooper and did really well with the unfortunate experience. We were also introduced to the Stitches Fairy by our pediatrician.

5) Jack and Daniel went on their first mountain biking excursion, biking 10 miles to Edward's Point with friends. And then we biked 21 miles on the Virginia Creeper as a family to kick off our summer. Daniel and I are thrilled that the kids seem to be embracing our favorite hobbies, even at a young age.

6) We went to Canada for our family vacation again. This meant we were able to attend my family reunion for the second year in a row. We had a wonderful week at the same cottage we rented last year and enjoyed paddling and biking daily. Jack impressed us by proving he could handle his own kayak.

7) In 2017, I saw my workload drop off drastically. Looking back, I believe this was God telling me I needed to slow down and focus on the kids and our plans to homeschool for the 2017-2018 school year. It wasn't how I wanted things to go, but I couldn't really do anything about this shift in any of my clients needs for the year. Meanwhile, Daniel had a really good year working in Dam Safety at TVA. The hours can still long at times, but not nearly as bad as when he worked in Nuclear at Watts Bar.

8) Jack wrapped up his time at preschool last spring, and then we started homeschooling him in the fall for kindergarten. While Jack has been home with me, Isaac started attending preschool two days a week. We have all adjusted to the new schedule and it really seems to fit our family and lifestyle.

9) We purchased a second dirt bike this year, and Daniel convinced me to ride with him in Prentice Cooper. I'm not sure that our family needs more hobbies, but it was fun to spend that time together in the woods.

10) We celebrated our 15th anniversary in December. We spent the weekend as a family in the North Georgia mountains. I had hoped to take a big trip, just the two of us. But that doesn't seem to be in the cards for us for now. We still enjoyed a weekend away as a family spending time doing some of the things we love the most.

Our Top 10 is just a snippet of our year, we were actually quite buys and able to do a lot of adventures together as a family. We are looking forward to all that 2018 has to offer for our family. Hopefully we will be continuing the hobbies we love and maybe trying some new things along the way. We wish you health and happiness in the coming year with all the blessings that are to come!

Top 10 List from Years Past: 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | We skipped 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016

Word for the Year: Healing

In keeping with a tradition I began in 2010, I am using this space to share a word that I hope will hold significance for the coming year. Often the word I choose has to do with something I have gone through, or something that I am in the midst of going through, that I would like to improve on in the coming year. This year is no different.

As I thought about where I am at, the word that kept coming to me was healing.

heal
[heel]
verb (used with object)

1. to make healthy, whole, or sound; restore to health; free from ailment.

2. to bring to an end or conclusion, as conflicts between people or groups, usually with the strong implication of restoring former amity; settle; reconcile:
3. to free from evil; cleanse; purify

In a very physical sense, over the course of the last several months I have been seeking treatment for pain that doesn't seem to have a cause, and won't go away. When you are managing pain for a prolonged period, you begin to notice that it affects all areas of your life. And it is time I stop letting my pain do that.

The only things that seem to be the root of my primary pain are 1) an undiagnosed injury from playing soccer in the spring, and 2) carrying around my toddler for so long. Currently, I can really only pick him up when necessary, and that has been hard for both of us. A secondary pain I'm dealing with is in my foot/shin which never truly healed from a nasty fall I took while hiking back in September.

I have had X-rays, been to physical therapy, stopped exercising, tried deep water aerobics and tai chi and a stationery bike, used a TENs unit, taken herbs like turmeric for the inflammation, started massage, and finally cautiously restarted my exercise program. In the new year I will be meeting with a Sports Medicine practice to try to pinpoint what is going on in an effort to improve my quality of life. Also, I am praying for kids that sleep through the night which will allow me to try to get caught up on rest, and also focusing on things like improving my water intake and the kinds of foods I eat.

Outside of the physical, I think there is always room to heal relationships, meaning making changes in myself that may have driven any wedges between me and others over the years. It means making an effort on my attitude with my kids and Daniel, specially by working to have more patience and grace, and to show kindness regardless of how I am feeling physically.

And finally I think taking stock of where I am at spiritually is never a bad way to start the new year.

So, for this year I am focusing on my personal health and how it affects me and those closest to me, as well as the relationships that are secondary in my life.

A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
Proverbs 17:22

Words from previous years:

Fortitude {2010} │ Adaptation {2011} │ Patience {2012} │Deliberate {2013}

Joy {2014} │ Peace {2015} │ Release {2016} │ Savor {2017}