A Walk in the Park

When Mark and I first moved to Raleigh, our apartment complex bordered a huge state park where we used to spend a lot of time. It's where we first learned that we can't go running with Bowden (she thinks we're chasing her and gets scared out of her mind); it's where we learned neither Bowden nor Simon likes to walk across bridges or logs (Mark has been known to pick Simon up and carry him across the riverbed - such a big baby!); it's where we spent many an afternoon escaping for some family time. It's such a great park... thousands and thousands of acres of forest and wilderness and tranquility. Hard to believe something like that can even exist in the triangle.

But since we moved to this side of town a few years ago, we don't get over there much anymore -- not as a family, anyway. (Mark still takes Simon for get-back-to-nature bonding every once in a while.)




Last week, when the weather was so nice, we decided to go take a hike one morning. It was wonderful! I was in such a good mood for the rest of the day. Not very Lenten of me, but whatever. God shouldn't have made the weather so nice on Ash Wednesday if he wanted me to be somber.
It's the first time we've braved the canine and human babies together more than 50 yards from a house or car, but it went well. One of us strapped Nathan on, and the other managed the leashes. We switched off halfway through, since the way I figure it, I carried Nathan for more than nine months and Mark has a lot of catching up to do to make up for that kind of back pain!

I've decided to count this as Reason 4615-D I am glad to be only working part-time.