I have always been a lover of the outdoors! As a child I spent countless hours outside at the farm. I loved cutting grass, pulling weeds, helping Dad fix the farm equipment or riding my bike! It was a treat when Mom and Dad would take us camping and I could sit around the fire on Saturday night and listen to the Old Tyme Dance Party on CJWW 600. I have many fond memories hunting for chickens, deer, and moose as a family and blueberry picking in the Chitek Lake area. One thing for sure my Mom and Dad provided us many opportunities to appreciate the outdoors!

I want to tell you a little more about chicken hunting. This truly was a family affair. When I was a child, Dad would do the shooting and my Mom would clean the chicken. She is incredibly fast at plucking feathers – I should have a video of this! Now days, my sister Tara does most of the shooting but guess what – Mom still does the cleaning. Some things stay the same!

This past fall, Cady got to experience the joy in hunting with her Auntie T (Tara). We don’t get to go often but on this particular afternoon we loaded up two trucks and did what we did as kids – we drove around the countryside dressed in orange! Aunty T shot a moose that afternoon and Cady got to see it all from the window of the truck. This was cool! She had the opportunity to experience what I did as a child.

In my adult life, I have been blessed to marry a man who also loves the outdoors and comes from a family who lives in the outdoors. Snowmobiling, hiking, swimming, roasting wieners, fishing, and flying are some of the great activities we have been lucky to experience at the cabin. We really are very fortunate, to have the farm at Marcelin where Mom and Dad reside and the cabin in Northern Saskatchewan where Logan’s Mom and Dad live, to fill our days with outdoor adventures!

I could go on and on with stories about the outdoors at the farm or the experiences of the cabin but what I really want to share is how the outdoors impact me as an adult. Although the outdoors have always been enjoyable for me and where I have felt most at home, spending time in the outdoors has become a necessity for me to navigate the challenges we have faced the last couple years.

In the hectic life of working and raising children it is difficult to find time for the outdoors but it’s so important! Logan and I have chosen to raise our children through outdoor activities because it has brought so many memories for us and enjoyable moments with family and friends!

When I’m outside either cross country skiing, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, riding my bike, in the boat on the water, sitting by a campfire, gardening, going on a hike, I feel a sense of awe and tranquility. When I can hear my breath, the sounds of the birds, the coyotes, the wind blowing the leaves, and the water running, it is calm and I find it easier to breathe and relax. I don’t know if you reap the same benefits but when you get the opportunity to spend time outdoors take advantage! The outdoors are my therapy, my way to see clearer, the way for me to be at my best!

As the spring season arrives, I encourage you to think about an activity you could try outside this spring, summer and fall. This year I’m thinking about taking up golfing more since we have a beautiful golf course right in Birch Hills. Something else we have learned – do what you can in your backyard because it is easier to fit into the pockets of time you have available. What activity could you find joy in?

Feel free to leave me a thought, question, or comment. We learn best together!