Malham Tarn

For the last weekend of our trip my parents joined us which was good fun. We went for a long walk on a National Trust Estate, Malham Tarn. It was a freezing cold day but the weather stayed dry. We found huge lumps of ice from frozen over puddles and enjoyed smashing them to smithereens then enjoyed a picnic lunch freezing our butts off on a rock! It was all good fun. I'd recommend taking a walk up there one day.

^^ big ice puddles! ^^

Black Sheep brewery

Before we even left for the holiday Sam found a nearby brewery & booked a tour for us. Mr beer brewer in his element! The place was an hour or so away from where we stayed along many long & winding roads but we got there in the end. We ended up on tour with a minibus load of old gents which made the tour all the more interesting. 

It was surprisingly really good but more fun to see Sam's face light up at all the technical talk. He brews his own beer so he was really passionate to hear more about the process and history.

We each got to try thirds of the different beers they make. Having the tour made the tasting more enlightening since we got to try the hops before so it changed the flavour of beer for me. I think I appreciate Sam's 'hobby' a lot more now.

Ingleton Falls

This was one of our all time favourite days. We found this place called Ingleton Falls on the sunniest day of the week, it was a 2 1/2-4hr walk depending on your pace. We took 3 1/2 stopping to take photos & have a picnic lunch. 

Since it was a weekday and not holiday season we pretty much had the whole place to ourselves. Heavenly. The walk was long & it was pretty hard in some places but we passed several waterfalls; not only were there woods to walk through but we had to pass through farmland, across bridges & over fields. We got everything.

^^ We came across this man made money tree. Its filled with coins that have been hammered in and bent over to create a piece of art. We read a plaque that said some people add coins because they believe it brings them luck. ^^

^^ we stopped & had a minced pie snack here. Nothing like the taste of Christmas next to such a gorgeous waterfall ^^

I think you can tell it was our favourite day because we took rather a lot of photos. After this walk we took off home & got dressed up for a date. We headed to the Craven Arms in a place called Giggleswick (yea, we liked that one) where we sat, had a couple of drinks while playing Catan Rivals. That's the two player game - definitely recommend if you're hardcore fans of Catan the boardgame like we are. After the game we sat and had one of the best three course meals we've EVER tasted, seriously!
It was a really really really good day!

Photos taken with SLR Camera & iPhone5

A little bit of Yorkshire

This was one of the first walks we did. It felt so good to breathe in the fresh country air and walk with so much space around us. The weather for the whole week was fantastic. It rained a little but only for a few minutes at a time but generally it was sunny & chilly. Just how I like it.

We stayed in a little village called Rathmell, minutes away from Seattle and not far from Skipton. We had days out in the Lake District & York city so lots of adventures were had! I love how handsome Sam looks in the picture below. He's in need of a good hair cut but oooooh, just look at him!

The best thing about being out in the country on these walks was how quiet the world became when you were up in the hills. It was so peaceful, even the wind was quietly blowing. I've never felt my mind clear up so much. It was the first time in a long time I thought about NOTHING, nothing except how beautiful our surroundings were.

^^ The colours were amazing! ^^

We stopped off at a local pub after our long walk for a much needed pint & we might have even bought a pork pie to share too. Hmmm, so much for 3 hours of walking.

More photos to come on our day trips! More breathtaking scenery!

Give thanks

Happy Thanksgiving to all our American friends! Hope everyone American or not has enjoyed the celebrations for this day. As I've grown older I've definitely become a lot more sensitive to the world & the people surrounding me. I observe, notice & appreciate more and more what is happening around me. Maybe it's my faith, growing up knowing Jesus but I know I am noticeably more thankful for what this life has handed to us. 
I listened to a sermon a few years ago & was challenged to write down/think about 5 things I am thankful for each day, even if it's something as trivial as 'thank you that we have running water', etc. It's really opened my eyes to all the good that we have and how good life is even when everything feels like it's crumbling and crashing down around us.

The above picture was taken on our recent holiday to Yorkshire (more photos to show soon!). Whenever Sam has our camera & I ask him to take a photo of me he starts off quite seriously & then continuously clicks so we end up with a series of me pulling stupid faces or belly laughing! This was a belly laugh! I had to use it for this post because before we went on holiday a friend prayed that the holiday would be full of rest but also fun, that we would laugh continuously with each other and enjoy each other without any of the seriousness of the things we've been through the last couple of months & that's exactly what we did. We laughed SO much together! The week was SO full of joy!

We had gone on a cruise holiday back in June as our summer holiday but also in the hope to escape a lot of emotions we weren't dealing with. We had so much fun, met some firm friends & created some incredible memories but once we returned home all the emotions & 'stuff' was still there. I'd started counselling and God began to really transform our lives so this little getaway was certainly a precious one where we were fuller, happier & more joyful people. God showed us so much of Himself in the scenery & the things we got up to. We both came home feeling fully rested and restored through God. It was a special time...

...and so, I am thankful for a million things.

for belly laughs with my husband, for good coffee & cake shops, for English pubs, for the scenery God painted for us, for the friends & family we have surrounding us with support and unconditional love, for the home we live in, for the time we are living, for the glorious Autumn weather, for knitted mittens and chunky snoods, for our health, for stability, for healing & rest & for God's perfect promises & love.

What are you thankful for this year?

Xx

Currently in November

Thought I'd start a new series of 'currently in...' to share some of the things I've found that I've enjoyed or has inspired me. 
Inspiration for this blog series came from Katie Shelton of Skunkboy

Dreaming up new adventures with Sam for the new year.

Beginning to share my experiences with anxiety when I've been too afraid to in the past.

Appreciating these last few months that have been a huge process of healing and overcoming.

Eating relatively healthy foods before all the 'too-good-to-avoid' food enters my house! 

Watching season 3 of Grey's Anatomy. I recently started watching this series and although it took a while to get into I'm kinda hooked! There are 9 seasons streaming through my lovefilm & the show is still going on tv. Good job I can watch them in the background while I work...

Loving layering up in this cold & frosty weather.

Planning what edible gifts we're going to make this year for friends & family.

Working on possibly redesigning my blog a little.

Enjoying my home. At this period in our life this home we live in feels so God given to us that I can't help looking around each day and thanking God for where we are at the moment.

Ordering a whole lot of Christmas presents. I prefer online shopping over Christmas, the crowds are too much!

Wanting to start a lot of new craft projects.

Drinking a lot of hot chocolate. 

Looking forward to a date tonight with the hubby.

Celebrating life! Life is pretty sweet at the moment.

Wishing you all a jolly good Wednesday!