Five Ways to Have the Ultimate Family Night

Hello friends,

How are you all doing on this lovely Wednesday? Today I'm here to bring you the ultimate list of how to have an awesome family night without spending all your dough. Now I've been very fortune to grow up in a wonderful home with a family that supports me, and it's really important for me to spend time with them. But sometimes, it's hard to come up with something new to do. If you have that issue too, don't fear because Liz is here! I have a decent amount of experience so hopefully I can help a friend out.

1. explore the outdoors// Okay so if you don't already take advantage of this beautiful world God has created, then grab your family and start doing so! Living in the PNW, I am surrounded by beautiful scenery and easily accessible hikes, but I know a whole lot of other places are too. So find an interesting hike or park you and your family are interested in exploring, grab the camera, and go find a new favorite spot. Trust me, you'll be so glad you did.

2. have a movie night// This awesome idea is just a classic, and it never fails to be a lot of fun. Make a run to the supermarket, or just your pantry, grab you classic movie snacks, and pick out a movie the entire family will (hopefully) all enjoy. Personally, my family and I take forever to pick a perfect movie, but we normally find something for everyone. And don't forget about movie dialogue, unless your family forbids talking while watching a movie, in that case we really can't be friends.

So recently Pureflix.com was brought to my attention and I was asked if I'd like to make my readers aware of their free trial. If you don't know about Pureflix, it's kind of like Netflix, but provides family friendly movies about love, faith, and friendship. It's an awesome resource for families, so if you'd like to check out their free trial, click here for more information. (Seriously go check it out because it's awesome).

The Prince of Egypt. An animated classic and a childhood favorite, you cannot go wrong with this awesome movie and its amazing soundtrack. But warning: the movie will leave you with "Through Heaven's Eyes" stuck in your head for days.

October Baby. Now a completely different feel from the Prince of Egypt, this movie is an emotional heart breaker. Honestly I have cried so many times while watching this movie. The story itself is so raw, but really important. Definitely recommend. 

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Another childhood classic, you can't not enjoy this beautiful tale. Fans of the book will definitely love this movie, and it's done wonderfully. The acting is amazing and the film itself is so beautiful. It's hard to believe someone hasn't seen this movie, but if you haven't, go now and do yourself a favor. 

I'm Not Ashamed. Another heavy story, it's about Rachel Joy Scott, the first student to be killed in the shooting at Columbine High School. The movie focuses on her life and events that lead up to her death, but also share the inspiring message of remembering to put our trust in God and sharing kindness to those around us.
The Secret Life of Pets. A super funny imagination of what a pet's life might be like when the owner isn't around. Totally worth the watch, even if your entire family "claims" to be too old for animated movies.

3. play backyard sports// If you have a big enough family, go outside and get some exercise. My brother's and I especially love starting a game of baseball or football in our yard. But any sport will do! The nice thing about just chilling with you family, is that it doesn't have to get too formal, you don't even have to have a super large yard, just some energy and maybe some sports equipment.

4. pull out the board games// Now this is a risky choice, because if you pick the wrong board game (cough cough, monopoly), you might be there for awhile. But there are a lot of fun board games and card games that don't take years to finish, but can still create a fun atmosphere for you and your family.

Life. This game is a lot of fun, as it's really interactive and entertaining, without taking hours to finish the game. You start off the game fresh out of high school, and through a series of events you must chose, or land on, you end the game with retirement. Basically, whoever wins with the most assets, wins. Is it the best representation of life? No, but it's still a ton of fun. 

Clue. The classic, whose done it? This is great for the competitive family, because you get to suspect each other and figure out clues. Basically, you're trying to figure out the murderer and the weapon of choice before anyone else.

Apples to Apples. Now if you have a larger family, this game is perfect for you! Bound to create lots of laughter and "friendly" debate, this will for sure entertain you for quite a bit. Plus, if you get sick of playing Apples to Apples the traditional way, the directions includes all sorts of ways to mix it up so you're really playing a game with multiple possibilities. 

5. try a new recipe// If your family is anything like mine, you probably have a cupboard dedicated to unused cookbooks just waiting for flour to be spilt on them. Plan an evening with your family to sort through those books and find a recipe you want to experiment with! Not only is it fun, but it's practical and might cause you to find a new favorite meal.

What kind of activities do you enjoy doing with your family? Did I leave anything obvious out? As always, leave me a comment down below and talk about what your ultimate family night is. I'd have to say mine is anything that means ice cream is involved, let's be real.

Have a wonderful week,

Elizabeth

Travel Diary: Multnomah Falls and Beacon Rock

Hello friends,

On our way home from Portland (see travel diary here), my mom and I stopped at Multnomah Falls and Beacon Rock to explore and take some cool photos. We thought that after all the Thai food, hashbrowns, and doughnuts we ate that we better get a couple hikes in to balance it all out. I'm glad we made that decision, because we saw some really beautiful sights and got a couple awesome pictures. Plus Beacon Rock was a workout, so let's keep our fingers crossed that the balancing out thing really worked. ;)

Multnomah Falls is a really popular place and I've seen so many pictures of it on my instagram feed, but I haven't gotten the opportunity to see it in person until this trip. It was really beautiful! Sadly, it was kind of cold and pretty busy, but we were able to get a few good pictures, and afterwards picked up some coffee from their overpriced but amazing coffee stand. I also got one of those collection pennies, which always makes me happy. I've been collecting those pennies for years now and I never fail to buy one if I see a machine.

Beacon Rock was so beautiful! Granted, it was very steep and took the breath out of me (it was...breathtaking. hah hah hah), but the views were amazing and the trail itself was really cool. I'm kind of afraid of heights, so for portions of the trail I was sort of shaking, but for the most part it felt pretty safe and it was just really cool to observe how it had been constructed. My mom and I took a lot of breaks on the trek up, which led to a lot more pictures and another selfie. It was a lot of fun and I'm glad my mom and I took the opportunity to hike it.

What kind of trips and cool adventures have you been on lately? Are there any interesting landmarks or secret hiking trails around where you live? Impromptu adventures are often the best kind, so leave me a comment down below about yours!

Have a wonderful week,

Elizabeth

Hey There May

Hello friends,

How are you on this beautiful May day? Currently it's about 60 degrees and sunny here in lovely Washington. Yes I complain about the weather here a lot, but at the end of the day, I do love where I live and how green and clear spring days can be. But enough with the weather, April has been a crazy month and it's time to talk about it. And yes, I come to you with another monthly wrap up post a week late, it's just a pattern I'm sticking to apparently. I feel like every post ever on my blog this year has been talking about how busy I am, but guys it's just that it's senior year and I really am SO busy. It feels so good to be writing again, though, I'm glad to be back.

Currently// Job searching because I need to afford college, preparing to graduate from high school, collecting a giant sweet n sour stash, reading more PNW literature than I ever imagined, listening to Jim Dale's Harry Potter audio books, celebrating my puppy's first birthday, writing excessively for school and then writing some more, and preparing for college because GUYS I GOT ACCEPTED INTO MY DREAM SCHOOL. *shoots off all the confetti*

Reading// The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight In Heaven by Sherman Alexie. I'm not going to lie, I was a bit skeptical when going into this short story collection. First off, I had no idea what it was about, but mostly I just don't really enjoy short stories. I'm reading this for my lit class, and I've ended up really enjoying it. All our discussions are fantastic and Alexie's stories have so much to unpack. I'm also reading Dizzy In Your Eyes: Poems About Love by Pat Mora. I just recently read a poetry collection and was super unsatisfied with it, but this collection I'm enjoying quite a bit more.

Listening// Thanks to Miss Elissa, I've now been obsessed with listening to the Broadway soundtrack of the Little Mermaid because wow, it's so amazing. Elissa was involved in a local theater program that was redoing the show, so after watching the performance I just become obsessed with the music and characters. Definitely worth taking a listen.

Enjoying// Sophia's post, Lonely Friday Braids (because the pictures but also everything she says is just like yup, i get it). Clara's post, I Never Really Knew If You Were My Lighthouse or My Storm (because so much emotion and beauty). Lindsey's post, 4.28.17 (because i can so relate and yes he is so so good). Sami's post, Fireproof (because she's an amazing writer and the imagery is just so perfect). And Julia's post, The Crutch (because wow i love her and she's always challenging me).

Loving// The beautiful days Washington has been getting, drinking iced lattes, learning new skills, belting out to awesome musicals in the car, Tuesday morning breakfasts with my grandpa, kind strangers, awesome finds from the thrifstore, a dress that makes me feel like Tinker Bell, and evenings full of laughter, friends, breadsticks, and dancing.

Disliking// Awkward interview happenings, being a klutz and spilling water on my desk three times in one week, having another cold and having to sniffle 1000 times while in class, having a super awesome person live all the way across the country from me, and giving up one great thing in exchange for another.

Blogging// Hey There April, where I talk about my March happenings and April goals, and Travel Diary: Portland, Oregon, where I discuss how my trip to Portland went and share some pictures.

Hoping// To find a job with enough hours, spend less money on food, do well on my upcoming midterms, procrastinate less and have more time to sleep, figure out college registration, deep clean my room, and find more time to read outside of school assignments.

How was your April? Any exciting news to share? I'd love to hear it! Guys I'm so excited to be accepted into my dream school, but preparing to leave has been so crazy, so I apologize for being so absent recently. Hopefully all is going well in the blogging world and I'll be jumping back in soon.

Have a wonderful weekend,

Elizabeth