Beautiful Weekend

We had the most beautiful weather this weekend. It's so strange to see daffodils and trees blooming and then realize it's still February. The guy across the street even mowed his lawn!

Saturday we went to a class a church to share our "story" of what God is doing in our lives. We got to meet some more people and get even more connected in the community. Then in the afternoon, we headed to Rooster Rock State Park along the Columbia River. Kevin and the girls played and I ran (and ran and ran...10 miles!)

Sunday we went back to church for, well, church. We are really enjoying this community of believers and are excited to see what God is doing through Mosaic. Then we headed west to Tillamook State Forest.

Our destination was the King Mountain trailhead. The hiking book description labeled this hike as difficult...wow! It was the most difficult hike we have attempted with the girls. It was very, very steep and Kevin and I carried kids most of the way. Sydney did hike quite a bit of it, but there were times Kevin had to carry her. I am the only one who made it to the top... 3,226 feet. It was a beautiful view...one of the most beautiful I have ever seen. You could see Mt. Hood, Mt. St. Helens and so much more. I was told you could see to the coast, but later found out it was just fog.

Kevin and the girls stopped at 3,000 feet and it was a smart decision...the last half mile was the steepest part. Enjoy the pictures.





Can you see Mt. Hood in the background? I wish you could see it in person because it is so beautiful...it's so cool how it seems to stick up out of nowhere. There are many mountains in the Cascades, yet you can't really see any but this one from Portland, so it seems to be out of place!




It's really hard to see in this picture, but if you look between the evergreen trees, you can see Mt. St. Helens. We also got some great views of Mt. St. Helens on the drive home and it's amazing just how big this mountain is, also.







A beautiful view of Mt. Hood on the way home...I don't get tired of seeing this mountain. I still get excited every day it's clear enough to see it...it is just so magnificent!