A Spring Evening on Lake Michigan

We absolutely love living right by Lake Michigan and we walk down to the water as often as we possibly can. Now that things are thawing out a bit, we are more willing and able to brave the cold (though when it is cold, it still is really cool to go see the water).

Watching the sun do it's setting across the lake is a magical thing, and we feel so blessed to be able to have that pretty much at our door. I thought I might give you readers a little tiny taste of what we get on a Spring (okay, more like Winter) evening.

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What do you love about where you live?

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An Evening in Athens

We were fortunate enough to spend an evening in Athens before leaving Greece! It was a short but sweet time, even if we were melting. 

Even though a silly shot, I just had to share. We try to get a picture of our feet wherever we go and have been doing it for years! We even use a hashtag, hehe #WhereOurFeetHaveTrodJA

Climbing up to Mars Hill was so cool. Just knowing the amazing things that have happened in history there was so humbling. J, of course, had to pose while "preaching."

Even though we were not there long, we enjoyed every minute! 

Visiting Zeus on Olympus

We had the incredible experience of climbing Mount Olympus this last summer. We mostly agreed so that we could have the bragging rights, but it was so worth every sore muscle and every stone we tripped up and down. 

We started out finding some pools. It was really hot out and they looked so inviting, but as I neared the water, I saw.....A SNAKE!! If you know me, you know that I am TERRIFIED of snakes and right then and there I decided to not go into the water. By this time, it had swum away (probably because I was screaming so loud), but I was extremely paranoid. 

Eventually, the water called to me - that, and the sun was beating down quite warm on my back. I shed my garments and jumped in. I, of course, got right back out - just in case. We enjoyed a few hours jumping off edges into the pools. We did see another snake later, so I ended my swimming time. My husband did say he was really proud of me for overcoming that fear - but I had a few more fears to conquer before this adventure was over!

We continued on our way up but on our way, our car....well, we ran out of gas :) That set us back quite a bit, but help eventually came and we were off!

When we finally got started, it was getting pretty late already, but we still had some energy left. We climbed and climbed and climbed - our step count was pretty impressive.

We climbed until we got to the place we slept that night. It was really strange sleeping covered in sweat and grime from the mountain, but trying to shower in ice-cold water in the dark was not an alternative we decided to opt for. 

The sunrise the next morning was amazing though - my eyes were barely open during the whole thing, but I did manage to snap a quick photo.

And then we were off to conquer the rest of the mountain! We had no idea what was waiting for us.

It was steep and scary, and I'm (or was after this!) afraid of heights! It was about to get even steeper and scarier! By the way, I should mention that my husband is a total gentleman champ! He carried all of my stuff so I could be free of all burdens! He's the sweetest :)

See those helmets? Yeah, we needed those. 

Both arms and legs were definitely needed for this stretch. I don't think I've ever been more scared - though getting down was way worse than the ascent. J made it to the top first and was able to snap this. It was so steep...incredible! It didn't help that there were markers along the way where people were remembering those who died doing this....God is good and protected us! We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into! Adventure indeed!

The views at the top were worth it, and we even found a treasure box filled with goodies people had left.

After hanging out a bit, signing the guest book and having a snack, it was time to descend the mountain. It. Was. Hard. And I wanted to give up so many times. But the thought of jumping into the ocean at the end (and a hot shower!) kept me going. 

Oh hey, I discovered my FIRST EVER sunburn on the way down! 

Would I climb Mount Olympus again? Maybe. But next time, I'll be sure to wear more sunscreen and maybe train my legs - walking, and any movement really, was painful for a few days afterward!

Meteora // Greece

Our adventure to the Meteora monasteries was probably Instagram's fault. Seeing sites on Instagram makes you want to see it in person, so that's what we determined to do. Fun fact: Meteora is a UNESCO World Heritage site that is actually under two categories: nature and art and apparently, it's the second most important site in Greece. I didn't know about it until we got there, embarrassingly enough. 

Monks went to Meteora in the 14th century because they wanted a safe place to be. The only way to access the monasteries was by rock climbing or being pulled up in a basket. There aren't as many monks there now due to tourism, but those who visit are welcomed with Greek hospitality.

We didn't want to spend much time there outside - it was so crazy hot out! It was dreadful because I do not like sweating without earning it. 

The views, however, were incredible. 

Turns out that Meteora means "suspended in the air," which I would say is a very fitting name. 

A Trip Through Some Tulips // Holland, Michigan

Every Spring, there is an amazing tulip festival in Holland, Michigan. I was cleaning up some files on my computer and came across some pictures we took on our very first trip there, and thought I'd share a few. 

Unfortunately, we were a little short on time, so we didn't get to explore to the full extent we could have, but we did make sure to watch the traditional dances!

We, of course, had to end our time by going to the State Park. Even though it was pretty chilly, we had fun. We brought a picnic basket and enjoyed the sunshine. 

Sometimes just driving a few hours or even just 30 minutes helps create that going-away feeling that we all need sometimes. And I don't know about you, but there's not much better than taking a nap on the beach...even if it is a little chilly.

Living near the lake, I feel, has truly changed our standard of living! I always wanted to live near a body of water. I'm already sad to move away, and we don't know when that will happen. For now, we will count our blessings and enjoy every second of it.