Kristin Hill Taylor

Seeking God as the Author of Every Story

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Breathing easier in the mountains

August 20, 2019 by Kristin 3 Comments

I’ve been unpacked for a couple of weeks, but I’m still thinking about Colorado.

For my 40th birthday in May, Greg planned a trip for us to go to Colorado. We postponed the original June plan a couple of months because the beginning of summer was hard for me. But we flew out three days exactly after I turned 40 on what was also our 17th anniversary to see some friends and some mountains. I’m grateful for the way Greg knows me and knew I needed this trip at this time.

While I love planning trips, part of the joy of this gift is Greg mapped out our route and planned the general itinerary. We sat down together one night to book flights, hotels, and some activities for our four days in Colorado. I’d never been and was happy to go this way!

Monument / Colorado Springs

After breakfast at Snooze in Denver, we headed to Monument, just north of Colorado Springs, where my high school friend Dustin & Shelley (well, Dustin and I have been friends since middle school …) live. They fed us at a delicious, local Mexican restaurant called La Casa Fiesta, where I learned about calabacitas, before giving us a tour of Garden of the Gods.

Pikes Peak

Greg drove up to the summit at Pikes Peak, which is 14,115 feet high. The drive between mile markers 13 and 16 was particularly tense, but we parked at the last shuttle lot at mile marker 16 and took a shuttle to the top, where there was construction happening for a new visitors center. Even so, the views were amazing. We were at the top around noon and it was 50 degrees, compared to 80 degrees at the same time in Colorado Springs.

Breckenridge

The drive from Pikes Peak to Breckenridge might have been my favorite stretch of highway. The meadows and little towns between the mountains were lovely. I kept taking pictures of this drive (and all the others) and the images just don’t do the reality justice.

(But you can see all my attempts at capturing this lovely state here.)

We stayed at the River Mountain Lodge in downtown Breckenridge and really loved the hotel. The location was perfect and the room was spacious yet cozy. We didn’t get to explore downtown Breck as much as we had hoped because it was raining by the time we got there. We did eat a delicious meal at Blue River Bistro.

The next morning we had breakfast at Columbine Cafe and then rode the gondola up a mountain to where there were summer activities on what would otherwise be a ski slope. We took a chairlift up farther and an alpine slide down.

Idaho Springs

We didn’t get much time in Breckenridge because we had an early afternoon whitewater rafting reservation with Colorado Adventure Center in Idaho Springs. We did the beginner trip and really enjoyed the trip in the creek that’s fed by snow runoff and was still 38 degrees.

Estes Park

After rafting, we headed toward Estes Park, mostly on the Peak to Peak Highway, which was a gorgeous drive through and around and up and down mountains. We got there in time for dinner at The Grubsteak and dessert on the strip of downtown shops. Greg had ice cream in a homemade chocolate chip cone from the Danish Cone Factory and I had the best taffy I’ve ever tasted from Purple Mountain Taffy.

We stayed at a quaint hotel called Nicky’s Resort at which I wish we’d had more time to eat and relax. In the morning, we ate cinnamon rolls at a Cinnamon’s Bakery and then headed into Rocky National Park. Greg drove us along Trail Ridge Road, which is the highest continuously paved road. The highest point of this road that meanders right through mountain tundra is 12,183 feet. Once again, the temperatures on top of the mountain were about 30 degrees colder and prompted us to put on sweatshirts.

We spent some more time walking around downtown Estes Park. We lunched at Bob and Tony’s Pizza before I discovered Cliffhanger Used Books, where I could have spent even more time than I did. We drove around Estes Park taking in some more lovely views before we headed back to Denver, where we visited with our college friend Sarah before heading to the airport to fly home.

Conclusion

The road trip really worked for us, giving us time to take in views, listen to music, and talk about whatever came to mind. I really loved Colorado and already hope to take my kids back someday, perhaps even spending more time in each location.

I’m a details person, but the great big mountains and views of all these different places in just four days were good for my soul. I felt like I could breathe easier (figuratively, hello, altitude) and remember my place in this great big world while enjoying the adventure with my husband.

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Adventuring together

July 25, 2018 by Kristin 7 Comments


Vacation with my parents and siblings has usually meant the beach, specifically Perdido Key, Florida, when I was younger and Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, in more recent years. Greg and I have gone on vacation about every two years since we’ve been married.

This year we decided to go to Lake Placid, NY, which is more in the vicinity of where my sister and her family live than our southern beach tradition. Technically, there was still a beach, but this time the location involved fresh water instead of salt water and was in the mountains instead of at sea level. We hiked, toured winter Olympic sites, ate well, walked more steps than usual, and took a ferry to Burlington, Vermont.

I really loved it.

I don’t say that because I’m surprised; I’m pretty much game for any trip. I just wasn’t sure what to expect and was pleasantly surprised by just how beautiful and fun this vacation spot among the Adirondack Mountains is. While we were there, I learned a couple of hard things about people who I care about in my everyday life.

The freedom and adventure of vacation in a beautiful place were momentarily interrupted by the overwhelming feelings of this world’s brokenness. I remembered then how Christ followers are called to a different kind of life.

When we step into adventures with God, we witness
surprises and beauty – even when stories are hard.

{Tweet that.}

We know God is kind and faithful, yet we manage to be surprised when He shows up and provides what we didn’t know we needed. We know God has a plan, but we sometimes seem overwhelmed when He reveals it to us.

But there’s glory right around the corner, y’all. (See 1 Peter 4:12-13)

Back to vacation, I enjoyed Lake Placid in a way I didn’t expect. I am grateful for the adventure and our time as a family there. (Plus I went down the bottom of a ski jump hill on a tube!)

We had three two-year-old kids with us, so of course it was an adventure! But I really loved being with my sister and sharing this season of parenting toddlers. I learned hiking — even about six miles round trip to and from a waterfall that was about half the size of what we were expecting — is Rachel’s happy place. Ben learned he likes Shirley Temple sodas and lake water in the north is colder than here in Kentucky. Cate was helpful with the many small children and had a wonderful attitude about it. Greg and I got to enjoy our time with each other, our kids, and extended family.

Now we’re home with three weeks until my big kids go back to school as third- and sixth-graders and my baby goes to Mothers’ Day Out two days a week. We’re cramming a few more adventures into summer because that seems to be our love language. (Feel free to follow along here or here.)

*****

What kind of adventures have you loved lately? How have they reminded you of a faith journey? If this post had a soundtrack, it would definitely include “Keep Your Eyes Open” by Needtobreathe: “… ’cause if you never leave home, never let go / you’ll never make it to the great unknown til you / keep your eyes open, my love …”

*****

Kristin Hill Taylor - Porch Stories
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Six Things I Learned in April

April 29, 2016 by Kristin Leave a Comment

Ah, April, what an adventure you’ve been. You’re the introduction to my favorite month, so I like you. You’ve come and gone so quickly, but we’ve had fun. Before May arrives, let’s remember this month.

(AND if you haven’t signed up for my newsletter, you should do that before May 2, when my next one goes out. There’s a fun, free printable included with a quote I’ve been loving. Really, I welcome new email friends anytime, though! I’ve started updating my ebook and email subscribers will get peeks into that process.)

So, anyway, here are six things I’ve learned in April …

1. The Nashville Flea Market is great. Maybe all flea markets are great, I don’t know. My first flea market experience is in the books. And I hope I get to go back.

(The flea market was only one part of our recent Nashville road trip. We also saw Rend Collective in concert!)

2. Kayaks are good lake entertainment, even if getting them home from Walmart is an adventure.

Let me tell you about that adventure: I’d been thinking kayaks would be a good addition to our lake house. (It’s available for vacation rentals. Did you know that?) And then there they were, on display and on sale at Walmart. So we bought two. And then we realized they wouldn’t both fit in our mini van with two adults, two kids, and a baby … and a stroller, and all the other randomness in my van. So I took on kayak and the girls home, cleaned out the van, and the girls and I went back to Walmart to pick up the husband, son, and second kayak.

(Here are some pictures, if you’re interested.)

Both kayaks now happily reside at Shelter Point Retreat. And my daughter, niece, and nephew were happy to break them in.

3. I can be intrigued enough by a story to keep reading even when I don’t really like the book that much. 

“Everything You Ever Wanted” by Jillian Lauren was that for me. It’s an adoption story, and there were parts that were fascinating and interesting. But other parts I ended up skimming. Regardless, it’s brave to tell your story, especially when it has many hard parts, so I’m glad I read it, but I’m not sure I’d recommend it. Does that make sense?

4. A new strawberry patch opened just down the road. 

I love picking berries and now it’s even more convenient. If you live in Murray, be sure to check it out the next few weeks while the strawberries are in season. Maybe you’ll have an impromptu adventure like I did.

5. Adventure would be my word for 2016, if I had chosen a word. It’s all around me, as you can tell with my multiple references to it in this post alone!

6. I’m a communication nag. 

If I email you about an event or project, send you an invitation for a party, or ask for feedback … and I don’t hear back, then just wait, I will solicit a response in follow up emails, Facebook messages and texts. I’d say I’m sorry, but, really, there’s usually a reason I asked or invited or emailed in the first place, and the reason usually involves a response.

Perhaps you can blame the journalism degree with an organizational communications minor.

So, how was your April? Did you have any adventures?

_____________________

I’m linking up with Emily Freeman, who inspired this way of documenting life. It’s become one of my favorite practices. {Read previous Things I Learned posts here.}

Subscribe to get new posts and/or a monthly newsletter with content not available on the blog in your inbox. When you subscribe, I’ll send you a FREE #choosingJOY printable.

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About Me

Telling stories is my therapy and I love sharing them with friends on my porch.

The main characters in my stories are my entrepreneur husband, our high school girl who never forgets, our middle school boy who has no fear, and our joy-filled first-grade girl. As we live out our stories, we seek God as the author of them all.

Learn more about my story here.

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I needed this weekend. The UK Wildcats didn’t I needed this weekend. 

The UK Wildcats didn’t win this afternoon like I had hoped. But following our house full of people on Friday night, I’ve spent a lot of time on my couch, under a soft blanket, with a book, while I watch #MarchMadness. 

Yesterday I pulled “When We Left Cuba” by @chanelcleeton from my to-be-read stack and then realized it was the second in a series about the Perez family. Thanks to @libby.app, I was able to get “Next Year in Havana” immediately. 

I finished it today during commercials and timeouts. And now I’m going to start “When We Left Cuba” as another basketball game also gets going. 

#KHTreads #basketballseason #weekending #bookstagram #reallife #booklover #librarybooks #KindleOasis #Kindlebooks #favoritethings
What a fun night! Basketball is best with friends What a fun night! Basketball is best with friends and food. So thankful for all these provisions and others in my life. Oh and a Cats win is icing on the cake. 

#MarchMadness #weekending #basketballseason #bettertogether #choosingJOY #BigBlueNation
You know it’s #MarchMadness when Greg Taylor pos You know it’s #MarchMadness when Greg Taylor posts on Facebook — and a picture at that! — and puts his radio/TV degree to work figuring out how to improve the viewing setup. 

#reallife #basketballseason #wifelife #choosingJOY
I had no idea just how deeply I would be affected I had no idea just how deeply I would be affected while studying Genesis 1-2. Going back to the beginning and seeing how God created, ordered, and filled the earth has been exactly what I didn’t know I needed, especially as a mom. 

For quite a while now, I feel like I’ve been living a day at a time. I used to be able to see my life in larger chunks of time and anticipate and prepare accordingly. Now, I slap things on the calendar and then deal with them as they come. Navigating life with two teenagers and a first-grader is the best and hardest thing I’ve ever done.

Honestly, this moment-to-moment living has been good for me and helped me rely on the God who created the stars and rivers that still exist in our world. Focusing on where I am helps me take slower steps, trust God to provide, and remember I’m not in control. I’ve felt an internal shift with my relationships — with my husband, kids, and friends. I’ve felt behind on laundry and dishes and piles of papers. But I’ve also felt a refreshed nearness to God. 

I’m going to rest here while believing God created life and light when there was only darkness and continues to order my days. 

#livingfaithfully #choosingJOY #momlife #faithlife #preceptstudy #genesisstudy #genesis #beginnings #reallife #PorchStories
My friend @ashleelyoung told me about this memoir, My friend @ashleelyoung told me about this memoir, but I knew nothing about Sutton Foster or her story beforehand. She’s a TV actress and Broadway singer and dancer who processes her life — complicated family life, love, loss, spotlight, infertility, adoption, motherhood — by creating. She creates in the kitchen, on stages, with yarn, with paint, with her hands, and with her mind. But her story really is all the experiences and emotions that inspire her creative work. I enjoyed this one. 

#KHTreads #memoirs #bookstagram #booklover #audiobooks #audible #bookreview
Also from the weekend: Shout out to @lifehousemurr Also from the weekend: Shout out to @lifehousemurray for putting on the fabulous @beautiful.you.conference with @meggpam from @shelivespurposefully. My girl and her friends had a great time together and my momma heart is thankful this is how they chose to spend a Saturday morning. 

#momlife #girlmom #teenagers #weekending #livingfaithfully #choosingJOY #latergram
Yesterday was one of my favorite kids of days with Yesterday was one of my favorite kids of days with some of my favorite friends. Kids played inside and out, the TV was never on, and new memories were made with old friends. Plus we ended the night with our ninth year of Little Hands Trivia Night. It was our worst finish ever, but we still had such a fun time! 

#bettertogether #weekending #livingfaithfully #choosingJOY
I’ve told you about Cate’s basketball season, I’ve told you about Cate’s basketball season, but we celebrated it (and the other middle and high school players) last night. What a joy, truly! She was surprise with the Lions Award for her overall approach to the game and her teammates. 

This context is basketball, but the bigger community and broader learning that happens are ultimately even more important. And, hey, middle school boys, you were also so much fun to watch! I’m so thankful Ben was part of that team. 

Shout out to the Schroeders for Tim being the coach of four teams and all the family time sacrificed as well as the other coaches and families who made it all possible. 

Give me a little break, and then I will be ready for more Lions and Lady Lions basketball to come! Scheduling for the fall and winter will start soon. 

I’m so proud to be part of New Covenant Christian Academy! 💛 @ncca.lions #momlife #girlmom #boymom #basketballseason #livingfaithfully #choosingJOY
Once again, I stayed up too late finishing a book. Once again, I stayed up too late finishing a book. 

“Half Way to You” by @jennifergoldauthor was my #FirstReads choice from Amazon this month and I dived right in. I loved it! This is a multi-generational story full of love, heartbreak, friendships that span decades, and travel. The story is told as a reclusive author shares her real story with a young podcaster who has personal and professional interest. The way the lives is woven together is brutal and beautiful. 

#KHTreads #AmazonFirstReads #bookstagram #booklover #KindleOasis #kindlebooks #readersofinstagram
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