Hollee and I created Get Out There Girl to help empower women to feel alive and fully embrace life. We do this through adventure. Our motto is You only get one life. Live it. I talk about my moment of awakening in this previous post . Each and every time we take women on one of these adventure we get to watch as they each recharge and embrace life fully. As women it is in our nature to put others first and sacrifice ourselves to benefit others. We often believe that being a martyr elevates us and makes us a better person. I personally thought that being a young mother was supposed to be miserable. I was supposed to be on the brink of insanity every single day. I was supposed to say no to myself if I thought it somehow was benefiting my family. I was wrong.
What if I told you that taking some time for yourself is actually a way to bless your family? By giving yourself permission to embrace your life and live it fully you have more to give your family. These adventures are a great way to put more into yourself so there is more to give others.
This past month we carried out our biggest adventure yet. We planned a retreat to Island Park, Idaho, complete with 16 of the coolest women you could meet. We planned outside adventure alongside indoor relaxation in a snow covered cabin. It was perfection!
The first day we went snowshoeing in Harriman State Park. For many of us it was our first experience with snowshoes. We hiked a few miles before the sun went down. The scenery was surreal and gorgeous. We had snow covered trees, a lake, and hundreds of swans to gaze at. (I have never seen so many swans in my life.) It was one of those experiences you wish you could bottle. Of course we took lots of photos but we also just breathed deeply and drank it all in. We were in one of the most beautiful places on earth and this was just the beginning of our retreat.
That night we ate our Olive Garden soup, salad, and bread sticks together as a big group. As a bonus we finished the meal with chocolate fondue and strawberries for dessert. Not too shabby! The cabin had a great space for all 16 of us to gather and hang out together. It was perfect. One of my favorite things about these adventures is seeing connections and new friends made. These 16 women didn’t know each other before the trip but they were all good friends when we went home. We spent the night sharing, discussing and laughing. These amazing women made a safe environment for everyone to share deeply. They connected in vulnerability and it was beautiful.
Day two we woke up early and headed to Montana just outside West Yellowstone. It was only a 30 minute drive from the cabin and we blasted our favorite tunes on the way. After meeting our guide and renting our snowmobiles and gear we were off for 8 hours and 150 miles of snowmobiling.
After several hours of snowmobiling we made it to a little lodge on Elk Lake. A man named Jake and his wife own and operate this little cabin. I’m telling you those hamburgers, homemade fries, and hot chocolate hit the spot. Plus the bathrooms were a site for sore eyes. We were all in heaven and enjoyed our hour of eating and socializing.
After lunch it was time to head back. Of course this included hours more of gorgeous scenery. We even saw four moose along the trails and stopped to take it all in. Words can not describe the experience we enjoyed or the beauty we took in that day. We were all speechless and felt like we were in another world. God really created the most vibrant earth for us to enjoy.
I am forever grateful for fabulous women who take time for themselves and live life fully. This trip was an adventure of a lifetime. This weekend was why we created “Get Out There Girl”. We all went home a little better than we came. We got out in nature, used our body to adventure and made connections with other women who can add value to our life.
Don’t just survive life, thrive in it.
Until next time, Adventurettes.
