Church Mountain

We have been enjoying these past crispy clear Autumn days by spending some time hiking around Mt. Baker! John and I absolutely dislike spending time at a gym, but we love to be outside enjoying the Pacific Northwest beauty that surrounds us.

We were excited to hike Church Mountain with some friends and like always, we got our stuff ready to go the night before so we could get out the door a bit faster the day of the hike. Unfortunately, we managed to leave Sariah's carrier by the door and didn't realize it until we were almost at the trail.

Did I mention that Church Mountain is 8.5+ miles roundtrip with an elevation gain of 3750 ft?

Lets just say that we are NEVER going to forget to bring Sariah's carrier again! I was thankful that we were able to pass Sariah around from person to person, but that was still rough.

We improvised by attaching two tourniquets and using it as a sling to help hold Sariah's weight...and I thanked God Sariah is a light-weight baby!

This was a hard hike and the circumstances made it even harder, but the view was spectacular! We will definitely be coming back in the future with a carrier.

Hiking with Sariah

Long before we had kids, John and I talked about how we wanted to some day go hiking with our little ones. We were hiking Mount Angeles a couple of years ago, when we saw a 3 year old boy hiking miles and miles and we were impressed.

We took Sariah on her first hike when she was 6 months old and she was fascinated by the tall trees. Since then, Sariah has been on quite a few hikes, but now that she is a bit more mobile, she has a lot of fun exploring.

We recently hiked Table Mountain (Near Mt. Baker) and let Sariah venture out on her own for the first time!

Sariah went to sleep a few minutes into the hike. 

Picking wild blueberries!

Sariah was not a fan of having her toes dipped in cold water.

We saw a bunch of these birds. 

Off-road Roving!

Who likes to go hiking? Sariah says: "ME!"

Picture Lake - gorgeous!

Darkness

I am afraid of a lot of things, but I am terrified of snakes. It doesn't matter if the snake is small and skinny. It doesn't matter if it is poisonous or not. I am terrified of all snakes. 

While I have been aware of my Ophidiophobia, I recently discovered that I am also not a fan of darkness. I am not talking about the normal darkness one encounters at night time. I am talking about complete darkness. Blackness everywhere.

I went on a hike with family and friends a few weeks ago to the Ape Caves, also known as Mt. St. Helens lava tube. I had never been inside a cave before and I had no idea we were going to be hiking inside the caves. John had told me to wear warm clothes and we all had a flashlight, but I thought we were hiking to some cave and exploring it for a bit. 

We parked outside of the Ape Caves, I situated Sariah in the Ergo, made sure I had my flashlight and walked toward the cave. I went down the metal stairs and turned on my flashlight because I already couldn't see much down there. I took a few steps forward and wanted to turn around, walk up the stairs and be done with the experience. I fought my feelings and told myself that I needed to give my eyes a bit of time to adjust to the dark and everything was going to be fine. I continued to walk forward, climbing rocks while my body felt cold and hot at the same time. 

It didn't take much time for me to come to the conclusion that my eyes were not going to adjust to the present darkness...because there was truly no light in the cave to adjust to. I was tense and cold and hot and I kelp talking about how much I was hating every minute in the cave. Sariah started crying, not because she was bothered by the darkness and she was well bundled, so I knew she was warm enough, but she could feel my stress. In the middle of a cave, I unstrapped the carrier and handed it and Sariah to John - baby girl hardly made a sound when she was close to her daddy. 

I decided that since natural light was most likely not going to magically appear inside the cave, I had to get to the other side as fast as I could. I didn't take the time to look around and I didn't want to experience any more darkness, but as we moved more into the cave and got ahead of another group of hikers, John told us to turn off our flashlights. We all did and I stood in one of the darkest places on earth. It felt like there was no light in the universe. It felt lonely and cold. It felt empty and scary. It felt lifeless. 

I remembered the story of creation in the Bible and thought about the moment God created light. "And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day." Genesis 1:3-5

I also remembered that God calls his children to be light in the world. "You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:14-16

Hiking the Ape Caves was not one of my favorite life experiences, but it sure taught me about the importance and beauty of light in an unforgettable way.

***John took all the photos - I was too focused on getting to the other side of the caves to see anything noteworthy.

Pregnancy #1: Third Trimester

The third trimester was filled with excitement and anticipation to finally get to meet little Sariah!

• I experienced a lot of hip and pelvis pain. I guess that is just what happens when ligaments and joints are loosening up for birth.
• John and I attended a great birth class, learned lots of practical information and got to meet other soon-to-be mommies and daddies.
• Chocolate became a bit too yummy!
• I started a TO DO list for after I have Sariah. I wanted to make sure I have some small goals to work on even when I am tired and sleep deprived.
• We finally made a decision to use the Flip cloth diapers.
•  I had to focus to not pass out after fasting for more than 12 hours for a glucose test. While the needle poking and sugary drink were not pleasant, that worst part was not eating for so long.
• None of my bras or underwear fit anymore. 
• We were still able to enjoy the outdoors and to my surprise, I managed to hike a few mountains.
• John and I celebrated our 4^th anniversary at the coast and I loved the fresh sea food.
• We were abundantly blessed at two baby showers. Sariah’s wardrobe is not lacking anything!
• Everyone says I look tiny for being in the third trimester, but I feel a little bit like a whale at times and definitely miss my old body.
• We started planning for birth and postpartum. I am so glad John will be able to take some days off to stay home with us!
• I started feeling a bit more tired, especially during Sariah’s growth spurts.
• Very few clothes still fit me.
• The nursery is done and all the baby clothes are washed and put away.
• John helped me cross off things from my TO DO list.
• I do not want to cook anymore...it's too much work.

One Step at a Time

I went on a real hike for the first time 6 summers ago while in Alaska. I didn’t know what to expect and was not prepared physically or mentally for what was ahead. At the time, I thought we (a group of friends) were going on an easy 30 minute stroll…so I thought I would definitely be able to make it.

Well, 30 minutes turned into an hour and then two hours and then I decided I couldn’t handle it anymore since I couldn’t even see the top of this mountain.

I sat down on a rock and announced to the group of friends that I was just going to sit there and enjoy the view from where I was. My plan was to wait for the group to come back down and hike down together. In my mind that was a perfect plan…but the group didn’t feel the same way. To tell you the truth, I don’t remember much more other than the fact that one of the guys present told me to get on his back (as if I was his backpack) and he carried me to the top of Mount Ripinsky. To this day – more than six years later – I still cannot believe that happened. Someone carried me up a mountain.

The good news is that in the past six years, I have become a bit more used to hiking! My legs know what to expect when I put on my wool socks and hiking boots. My lungs no longer struggle the way they used to only 20 minutes after leaving the trailhead. My brain is more prepared to push through when my legs are tired. I can now focus on the goal without panicking that I may not be able to take another upward step.

This past weekend, John and I went on a hike that gave me the opportunity to really focus in order to make it. The hike was not very hard, but it had some pretty steep parts with lots of tree roots and rocks. It was a warm day and I am 7 months pregnant. Before starting the hike I told John that I was afraid of not being able to do it. I was afraid of being tired 20 minutes into it. I was afraid of sitting on the side of the trail ready to give up like I have done before.

John was very encouraging and told me we could go slow, focusing on one step at a time. That is just how I did this whole hike: focusing on one step at a time, allowing myself to become aware of my surroundings - the sounds, the landscape, my breathing and posture.

John led the way at a pace I could follow (he leads because I am terrified of snakes…so he gets the snakes out of the way before I arrive) and up I went; one step at a time.

I was definitely tired by the time we got to the top and I also REALLY needed to pee! We rested for a little bit, ate a snack and headed back down. By the time we got back to our car, I felt like my legs were going to detach from my body, but I felt like I had accomplished a milestone. I didn’t panic and I was never really tempted to sit on the side of the trail (especially knowing there were snakes around). I was able to focus on one step at a time and follow John’s lead. I did something I didn’t think I could do and I was so happy to experience this accomplishment with John!

During the hike, we talked about how hiking seems to be somewhat similar to the process of giving birth. As we prepare ourselves to the day when we get to welcome our little girl, we are exploring ways to work as a team when it is time to focus on one step at a time. While I have no idea what Sariah’s birth will be like, I am looking forward to working as a team with John and feeling like we accomplished a great milestone together!

Spring Hike

John and I have been taking advantage of every sunny day to be outside, exploring new hiking areas and praising God for his creativity. A week ago we got to hike with a few friends who were visiting! Oh, I have to also tell you that these friends (Chad and Anna) brought me a perfect burrito bowl from Chipotle!!! I had already eaten dinner when they arrived, but I could not go to bed before eating up every single bit of that yummy burrito. Maybe it's a good thing we don' have a Chipotle in town...

Photos by John Nobile



Snowshoeing at Mt. Baker

I have wanted to give snowshoeing a try for a long time and I finally got to do it this past weekend! Since snow sports and I don't get along very well (mostly snowboarding), I wanted to try doing something that would not be so painful, but would still allow me to be at the mountains, enjoying the breathtaking view of nothing but snow and sharp peeks.

The weather this past Saturday was beyond perfect, and I was so excited to go to Mt. Baker and enjoy the sun and the snow!

Here are a few photos taken by John:

So Thankful!

I wrote here that I was going to share a little bit about how the Lord has been our provider this past year.  Well, the more I think about it, the more thankful I become. Are you ready to be thankful with me?

·         I am thankful for another year of life: 25 happened to come and go really fast…26, here I come in a few weeks!

·         I am thankful for John’s new job which he loves and has lots of opportunities to grow.

·         I am thankful for the friends who housed John for a few months before we moved to a new city.

·         I am thankful for a patient husband who loves me despite my many breakdowns this past year.

·         I am thankful for three years of marriage: this was a hard year full of changes and challenges yet it was wonderful to stand with the one I love in the hard moments.

·         I am thankful for the photography opportunities that have just landed on my lap (or in my inbox).

·         I am thankful for the opportunities to see dear friends get married.

·         I am thankful for friends who were willing to help us pack all our belongings and magically make it all fit in a UHaul.

·         I am thankful for the friends who helped us unpack the UHaul.

·         I am thankful for beautiful waterfalls and many amazing hiking trails in the Pacific Northwest.

·         I am thankful for the opportunity to photograph my first wedding with my lovely husband. We are a great team!

·         I am thankful for the time John and I have had to read together.

·         I am thankful for Gluten-Free recipes.

·         I am thankful for friends who have reached out to us during our lonely days in a new city.

·         I am thankful for skype and the way I can chat with friends who are far away geographically but very close to my heart!

·         I am thankful for the way God has provided financially so that John and I could pay off all our debt. Praise God for a debt free time of life!

·         I am thankful for a husband that spent hours after work helping me create a new photography website.

·         I am thankful for my new photography website. Go check it out and feel free to leave some love: daniellynobile.com

·         I am thankful for family and wish we lived closer to all our relatives.

·         I am thankful for sermons that speak to my heart!

Above all,  I am thankful for a loving and compassionate God who calls me his own! He continues to shower me with gifts and love when I do not deserve it and I will forever be thankful for His faithfulness.

Click here to see my thanksgiving list from last year!

Lake 22

Yay for birthday hikes!

My family finally got a chance to get away and enjoy God's beautiful creation.

 Happy Birthday dear sister!