Top Ten Things I Heart About Hiking

The aroma of the earth dense with green

Inhaling bona fide oxygen 

looking up

rediscovering the connectedness of all living things

watching the children see it as well

Gabi finding her woodland legs

 water breaks and pushing on

walking with the Mr.

the views

and making it to the top, all together.

#11.  Seeing someone we know at the top.  I am finding more and more that Vermont, well...

it makes ya famous!

The Beginning of a New England Summer...

Well yesterday was just lovely.  

My arms actually saw the light of day.   

The sun beams actually reached the surface of my skin.

I actually felt...warmth.  

It was yummy.  

I smiled all the way home.

To celebrate this glorious day; Mexican food!  My Favorite.

 This is a favorite dish dating back to 1985.  When mom said we were having dip my brother and I literally jumped for joy.  Organic re fried beans, taco seasoned sour cream (Vermont brand of course), and fresh ingredients to pile high!

 I also discovered local tortilla chips and they are delicious!  The house on the package is clearly in Arizona.  I know this because  Saguaro's are indigenous to Arizona and I am pretty sure I have passed that house once or twice on my way to California; somewhere right outside Gila Bend.  Good Grief that drive is terrible.  Thank goodness for Dairy Queen blizzards to take the edge off!  I never did have one of those weird Date Shakes.

 We had some pretty delicious pineapple smoothie shakes last night with our dip though!  Just fresh pineapple,  some ice, and a squeeze of Agave Nectar.   This is the most, all time, refreshing drink on hot summer days.

So there you have it.  Thursday night dinner, outside, in the warmth of a New England summer,  

enjoyed by all...

After dinner we engaged in some warm weather activities...

 Noah got in some much needed time with a ball.

Gabrielle got artistic with some chalk. 

It is refreshing to see a color besides white dress that tired old walk way...

Mr. Witt and I enjoyed the pure beauty that surrounds.  What a dream we are living these days.  So much change, so much excitement.  So wonderful to see the Earth come bursting out of its hibernating state.  I can feel the pulsation of life all around me.  The plants are growing, the wind is blowing, the bugs are crawling, the sun is shining...  Not to mention the birds are chirping, the clouds are moving, and the rivers are running.  I do not feel alone here.  I definitely feel my place within it.  And I know that the Mr. does too...

Opening day...

1,  Numero Uno, The Proverbial Number One

Shelburne Vermont sure puts on a lovely opening day to the baseball season.  The players gather in the center of town to participate in march down main street.  Moms, dads, sisters, and brothers are there to cheer on their players!  Grams and Papas and friends came too.  It was great.

Apparently Shelburne loves its baseball and trained a winning team last season who lead this year's parade. Go Team!

Noah Chats it up with a fellow player.  He is on the younger side in this age group and all of the boys are super friendly and  so helpful. 

The parade ended at the field for the opening ceremony and the first pitch!  Have you ever seen such green grass and big blue sky?  I swear, Vermont is something special.  The air here is crisp and clean. The grass is as soft as feathers.  The clouds are painted in the sky.  Despite the chilly April wind the morning was energetic with new life; the spring buds are working so hard to burst open and display their colorful brilliance.  This particular field is about a one minute walk from our front door. 

First a little batting practice with coach before the big game!

 

Snacks and face painting for siblings to get ready to watch!

Sitting on the bleachers waiting for Noah to come up to bat was nerve wracking.  Poor guy has never been up to bat in his nine short years.  Though he admitted to some nerves on our way to the field he kept his cool in a big way.  His arms were a bit loosey goosey and there was no big home run hit, but the experience was that of being alive and I am so proud of him.

 It is so fun to sit on those bleachers under a glorious sky.  I enjoy all the aspects of watching the game, smelling the snack bar, seeing the dogs hooked to the railings, watching Gabi run around with her friends, and sitting with Mr. Witt routing for #1!  It is all around fun!

I am so pleased with the coaches and his teammates.  The focus of the season is learning the love of the game.  No score keeping, no competition, just good old fashioned play.  This is a season for the Witt family!  I have not once graced a sports field with my presence. Competition makes me nauseous.  My palms sweat and I get dizzy just entering a sports arena.  Typically I prefer to ride my bike cruiser and lay around in the grass... But we are in Vermont now, where there are no big sports teams and they don't keep score.  Bliss.