Keep Calm and Hike On

Keep calm and hike on... unless of course, you are in danger. And then you should channel your inner Survivorman or Bear Grylls and find a way to safety. If there is one thing I love, it is being outdoors. I wouldn't say that I'm so hardcore I would possibly find myself in a Bear Grylls moment, but if it happened, I would whip out my Gerber and find a way to make shelter. Gerber is a type of knife, for those that don't know. And I really do have one, two actually. For real, my Dad gave me them last year at Christmas. 

Seriously though, I love being outside. When I was little and living in the suburbs, I was always outside. I played outside until the sun went down. Hopscotch, drawing with chalk, hiding in the bushes, riding bikes all around the neighborhood, and flipping off my bike in the neighborhood. My parents used to take me and my sisters camping when we were younger too. Either we would go to the river or to my aunt's farm in Mississippi and just sleep out in the pasture with a bonfire outside our tent and the horses roaming around. Then, when we moved to Alabama, Dad took me fishing and even got me interested in archery. It's why I feel such a connection to Katniss in the Hunger Games, Merida in Brave, and Kiera Knightley as Gwyn in Princess of Thieves (props if you have seen this one!) and then as Guinevere in King Arthur. When I moved to college, I spent a lot of alone time along the river that ran through town, Saturdays on the Quad celebrating football, I discovered the lakes, and great places to hang my hammock on the bright, summer days. The day I bought my hammock was one of the best days ever. I'm not even kidding you guys. I have my best friend to thank for that one! And I love the moments that we get to "hang" together. 

Then came the pinnacle! I got to move out West for a short period of time. And I got to see and experience the outdoors in whole new ways! When people say, "west is best," they aren't just bragging for any ole reason. They have a reason to say that. It is absolutely stunning! There are beautiful places everywhere, don't get me wrong, and I love the rolling hills of the South, but the west definitely captured my heart with it's views. I got to hike and kayak in some of the most beautiful, and most visited, areas of California. I got to visit Yosemite, you guys! I touched Redwoods and saw massive Sequoias! These were all things that I only dreamed about, nothing I thought I would ever actually get to do! 

So, whether I'm outside hanging in between two trees, burying my feet in sand, reading a book, kayaking on the bluest water, or just sitting on my back porch, being outdoors is my happy place. It's my favorite summer activity, because the colors are beautiful, the sky is bright blue, and the breeze comes at the most perfect time. Throw in the birds chirping, dogs running around, lightening bugs glowing in the orange sun set, and it's just the setting for a beautiful day. And it's my favorite. 

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What is your favorite outdoor activity? 
Or would you rather stay indoors?

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Linking up with Mrs. K and Paige for the May Blog Challenge!

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Welcome to SUMMER WEEK here at Polished Arrow! Seeing as Memorial Day was the unofficial start to summer, I thought it would be fun to have all posts this week summer related. Who doesn't love summer? It's the time for vacations, bright sunshine, the great outdoors, July 4th, adventures, cookouts, and more! So get ready, because we are about to kick it into full on summertime mode here. Join me and let me know if you are having any fun summer related posts this week! I would love to read them!

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