Adventures In the Snow

These pictures were taken all the way back in January, I think, of this year. We're kinda die-hard hikers, you see, (well, at least my brother is, and he gets us all to go along) and we took a hike in the snow!!! It was so fun, and I hope to do it again this winter. We bundled up in our winter jackets and set off...

Where we took our hike was really pretty covered in white. We even got to cross a bridge over rushing water (pictured below)! I only got a few pictures during the start, though. Nonetheless, it was lots of fun - we even broke off icesicles and ate them! Hahaaha! Yeah, we did. ;)

Standing in the cold before we begin...

The bridge! Beautiful, isn't it?

My brother at the top of a snowy hill.

Jeremiah and my nephew, Nathaniel, heading back down!

The bridge.

Heading...down?

Me! :)

Boulders! :)

Heading across...

On the bridge! From left to right: My older brother, Jesse, our dog, Azaliah, my younger brother, Jeremiah, and my older sister, Ashley.

Looking out at the waters.

My brother and his wife (Stephanie, their daughter, is in the baby backpack!).

Looking back!

On the other side - Ashley and Jeremiah.

The forest!

A steep, rocky hill covered in snow. On the way back this is where we found the icesicles. :)

More water on the way!

That hike sure was fun! I hope you enjoyed that journey through...our journey? Haha! Never mind. ;)

I'll be back soon with another post, so be on the lookout for that!

-Micaiah-

One Summer's Desire (Book Review)

One Summer's Desire
By: Abigail Prigge
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Ages: Probably pre-teens

When the author of One Summer's Desire, Abigail Prigge, offered her book to me in exchange for an honest review, I have to admit I was hesitant when I found out it was contemporary fiction - a genre I rarely ever read. But I accepted! I also felt rather honored to be asked! :)

This story is simple and short. It has some fun moments and some relatable happenings. I liked that it was staged in a summer camp, and the main character, Hadassah (cool name, by the way!), faced trials that I can see myself facing - wanting a friend was something that I was not too long ago struggling with. I liked the message of finding true satisfaction and joy in God - because, honestly, that's the only place where we can be satisfied: resting in His love and the knowledge that He is good and He has great plans in store for us.

I do think I would've liked more of an ending. It seemed too abrupt for me, somewhat making me ask: Is there going to be a sequel? I think the main thing was probably Espen. I know that the book ended with the main character putting her relationship with Espen - or her want of one - in God's hands, but there wasn't resolution to the prank that the campers played on Dassah, and I was kind of disappointed in that. I wanted to see them get together, kinda, but it's actually, come to think of it, good that they didn't, because that was one of the main points of the book: being satisfied in God. Plus, Hadassah is only 16, so that would've been slightly un-relatable or unrealistic in a sense. However, maybe if they would've talked again and smoothed things over I would've been happier! :)

I think the message and the writing were a bit too forced. Also, in the beginning especially, it was rather randomly placed together...one moment the characters are in one place and then all of a sudden you find out they've moved somewhere else, or it just completely switched to something new. That got better as the book progressed, however.

Overall, it had a good message and a diverse cast of characters, but the writing needed to be smoother and maybe not so forced.

*Thanks to the author for letting me review her book!*

View all my reviews

Quote of the Week

"They did not believe that a strong mind means a mind strong enough to exercise its own powers to the ascertainment and reception of truth and the rejection of falsehood and fallacy; strong enough, under the the influence of God's love, to perceive the paths of duty in all their ramifications, and to resolve to follow them. They did not believe that a high spirit, in the true sense of the word, meant a spirit broken down altogether and brought into subjection to it's owner's, not another's, will."

- R.M. Ballantyne, Fighting the Flames