Tag Archives: metro park

May25

Spring Hiking Spree Success

Posted on May 25, 2025 by lifewithlilred

Hello!! My neck of the woods is gifted with countless beautiful Metro Parks to hike, bike, and explore and I love visiting them with my brother. We got extremely into hiking about a year ago and even completed the Fall Hiking Spree together for the first time. The hiking sprees are exactly what they sound like – hike at X amount of parks in a certain amount of time and get rewarded with a new shield for your hiking stick. We had so much fun achieving this goal and were most excited when a Spring Hiking Spree was announced. I am pleased to report that we finished this challenge this past week and I think we saved the best hiking trail for last!

^^^ Giving ALL the Shrek vibes

our final hike for the Spring Hiking Spree, we visited a Metro Park called Sand Run for a trail we have never been on before. This was no ordinary trail, however, but a Parcours! As we hiked through the scenic woods, we shortly came across a numbered wooden sign that walked us through a work out for arm circles. Rather than bypass it, we completed the advised reps and decided to do so for every sign we encountered. The work outs started out easily enough: Leg lifts, toe touches, torso twists, and balance exercises and it was honestly really fun to see what we were going to have to do next. It almost turned the hike into a game and it was so different than any other trail we have done before.

As we made our way through the lengthy woods and exercises, we began to notice a huge increase in difficulty. The trail was winding and the work outs were getting intense. We’re no longer talking toe touches but push ups, chin ups, hand walks, and vault jumps. I am not sorry in the slightest to say that we bypassed those lol! Eventually, we got out of the woods and the end of the hike was upon us. Or so we thought! We ended up on a bike trail that took us past a huge swamp that was serving so much Shrek and then we were back into the woods for another good twenty minutes to complete the trail. We were exhausted by the time we finished our work out within a work out but both agreed that we would love to do the Parcours again!

My brother and I finished our Spring Hiking Spree right in the nick of time because it has rained every day since. We can’t wait to get back on the trails once they dry out!

Have you gone on any good hikes recently? Where did you go? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec12

Surprise Christmas Trees

Posted on December 12, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Howdy!!! This past Wednesday, I went on a wonderful walk with my brother at the Overlook hiking trail. At this particular trail, you can stay on a paved loop that takes you to an overlook area that looks down on the Cuyahoga River or you can go rogue on a dirt path that takes you all the way down to the river. We opted to do a few rounds on the half mile loop and I am so glad that we did! During our walk, we saw two Surprise Christmas Trees and I thought it was such a cool and fun idea that I had to share it with all of you. Check it out:

The Overlook trail is completely laden with deer and it is nothing out of the ordinary to see them running through the woods or grazing in a clearing. I always say that I am on “deer patrol” on this trail and keep a vigilant eye on the wooded areas for my four legged friends. You can only imagine my surprise when we rounded a curve and it wasn’t a deer I saw, but the littlest Christmas tree (second image) tucked back behind the bigger trees. I was simply enamored with this discovery and loved the fact that someone went out of their way so creatively to spark a bit of holiday spirit for their fellow hikers.

I thought that this tiny taste of holiday magic was a one off until we found another tree (first image) with Christmas ornaments on it. I found myself wondering if it was the original tree decorator or someone else who was inspired by it and decided to do more of the same. Either way, it inspired me and my brother and we both agreed that we should bring some ornaments of our own the next time we hit the Overlook trail. Something tells me that we will be seeing a lot more ornaments upon our return because I think a lot of people will be sharing our sentiments too!

These Surprise Christmas Trees really made me smile and I hope they did the same for you. This was such a unique and special idea and maybe you’ll feel the urge to decorate on your favorite hiking trail too!

Do you like decorating for the holidays? What is your favorite holiday decoration (I love the twelve foot skeletons dressed as Santa!)? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jun24

Eye Spy In Nature

Posted on June 24, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!! In Ohio, it is currently hot AF and is a drastic change from the cool to moderate temps we experienced last week. That is my preferred style of summer weather, so it made for perfect days to go on hikes with my clients. During our walks, we were seeing wildlife left and right – Oriels, frogs, and turtles too! In total, I saw two Oriels, six turtles, and six frogs and I truly felt like the nature whisperer lol. It was a blast and it felt like a real life version of Eye Spy! Check it out:

On my first walk of the day, my client and I saw a HUGE turtle in the middle of the path. From far away, it looked like a rock or a bundle of dead leaves. You could have knocked me over with a feather when I realized what it actually was! I was a bit worried about my turtle friend because of how little movement I saw and the fact that the water he was trying to get to was a bit of a trek away. Thankfully, after snapping a few safely distanced pics and walking away, the turtle was back on the move. I guess he just needed a little break. Also, when you see a turtle in the road (or path, in my case) it is said to be good luck and something great happened on Monday so maybe I have the turtle to thank for it! 😀

On my next walk with a different client, we went to a local Metro Park that has lots of ponds and not quite lake size bodies of water. We were determined to find frogs and on the first trip around a pond, I didn’t see jack. Then, I decided to take a closer look and realized the error of my ways. They were all around us, but camouflaged and I just wasn’t looking hard enough! It was so cool to see the frogs hiding in plain sight and they did a great job – if I didn’t inspect further, I definitely wouldn’t have seen them. We also saw five turtles lounging on logs from afar that also did a very nice job of blending into the scenery. It was a hoot. 🙂

Nature walks are always fun, but they’re even better when you can see the local wildlife. I am still delighting over the pictures of my froggy and turtle friends!

What kind of wildlife is in your neck of the woods? What is your favorite summer activity? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct18

Fall Craft Morning

Posted on October 18, 2022 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!! I work as an Independent Provider for people with special needs and it is the best job ever! This past Friday, I spent a fantastic morning getting crafty with one of my clients and we had a blast. Even better, part of our supplies for the projects we completed came from going on a fall hike. We gathered leaves to do some crayon stenciling and also purchased small pumpkins to paint. These crafts were simple to make but so much fun and will be a great way to spend a chilly fall afternoon with nothing to do:

My neck of the woods boasts so many different Metro Parks that it’s impossible to keep track of them all. I have been looking forward to fall hikes with my client since the summertime and the trail we went on was glorious with all of the leaves changing colors. It also was a unique twist to turn it into a scavenger hunt of sorts while we scoured the ground for perfect leaves to stencil.

After the hike was done and our hoodie pockets were filled with leaves, we bought pumpkins and headed home to get our craft on. The leaf stenciling was a huge hit and, although the directions are self explanatory, here they are:

Acquire leaves
Place the leaf vein side up underneath a piece of paper
Rub over the leaf gently with the side of a crayon
Rinse and repeat

While our leaf craft was very successful, the piece de resistance was definitely painting the pumpkins! I have never carved a pumpkin before and, honestly, don’t trust myself enough to lol so painting a pumpkin is my compromise. This is a craft that I have done with many a client and it’s an ideal way to get into the fall spirit without the messiness of pumpkin carving. I opted for a pumpkin with the lifewithlilred initials and my client painted a super colorful pumpkin that turned out amazing. Now, I have to figure out some more crafts for next week! 😀

Not only is fall my favorite season but it is also my favorite time of year to spend with the people I serve. Enjoying the beautiful nature, cooler temps, and all of the activities and crafts that come with autumn never makes for a dull moment! ❤

Have you made any fall crafts? How did they turn out? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep9

Autumn Awesome OOTD Pt. 3

Posted on September 9, 2022 by lifewithlilred

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Hello everyone and welcome to the last set of photos from my Autumn Awesome OOTD before we move on to the blooper reel! I had a ball styling this look and exploring a new to me metro park with Johnny. I definitely want to go back in proper hiking attire to enjoy the trails because this outfit had me sweating bullets in the fifteen minutes it took to take all of my pictures! My OOTD was, admittedly, not the best for hiking but it was the best for a fabulous fall look:

^^^ The mural was painted by Matt Miller @mtmilo .

I have many favorite things about blogging but high in the ranks is doing OOTD posts. The process is just so satisfying to me and I love seeing something that I had in my head come to life. Planning the outfit, finding the perfect location, taking pictures with my husband, and seeing the results is all such a blast. It also makes it difficult to select only a handful of pictures, which is why several of my recent OOTDs have been a series!

I very much enjoy taking pictures of others and, obviously, having my picture taken too. I consider it to be an excellent practice in self confidence and I can tell how much mine has improved in terms of my OOTD shoots over the years. I’d be a liar if I said that I didn’t use to feel silly having pictures taken of me. Now, I feel like a model when I’m being photographed and try to do photo shoots for the blog with Johnny as often as I can. 😀

Blogging can be hard work but nine times out of ten it feels like play. I appreciate everyone who tunes in to share in the fun with me ❤ . Keep it posted for bloopers from my Autumn Awesome OOTD after a brand new edition of Lil Red’s Book Club!

Do you prefer to be behind or in front of the camera? What helps you improve your self confidence? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep7

Autumn Awesome OOTD

Posted on September 7, 2022 by lifewithlilred

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Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new OOTD here on lifewithlilred! As far as I’m concerned, it becomes fall as soon as it turns September and it is my favorite time of the year. Crisp weather, all of the autumn activities, Halloween, and, of course, the clothes! Nothing pleases me more than the arrival of cozy sweaters, cardigans, and coats in stores and I have a recent haul from TJMaxx to show for it. This Autumn Awesome OOTD features one of my new purchases:

^^^ The mural was painted by Lizzi Aronhalt.

Who? What? Wear?

Sweater: Rachel Zoe, TJMaxx
Distressed Jeans: American Eagle Outfitters
Hat: Peter Grimm, TJMaxx
Heeled Boots: Olivia Miller, TJMaxx
The rings are from Target

When trying on my new Rachel Zoe sweater at TJMaxx, my mind was swarming with OOTD possibilities and this look is the first one that flashed before my eyes. It just feels like the perfect fall outfit and I love it oh so much. I can definitely picture myself at the pumpkin patch, apple picking, or on a hay ride while wearing this OOTD and that means I accomplished my goal of an ideal fall fit!

It’s easy when we think of fall to associate it with deep burgundy and jewel tone colors and that’s fine. However, I think people often forget about the softer tones that look stunning come autumn too. The dove grey, camel, and periwinkle palette of my sweater is a unique take on fall colors and I like that it’s not your typical oxblood or plum.

When I first purchased my sweater, I thought that the diamond patterned stitching throughout it was black. It’s actually a chocolate brown, which would make it so cute with some brown velvet skinny jeans. But, I didn’t have any so I just went with my favorite AEO black skinnies. You would really have to look closely to notice the small color difference so it was good enough for me.

With the base of the outfit settled, it was time for accessories and I knew exactly what I needed thanks to my fitting room vision. There is nothing better than a cool pair of boots in the fall and I chose my Olivia Millers with the chunky chain embellishment. I love clothes and accessories with a little extra something to it and these boots added some flare to a relatively simple outfit. They were also a steal at only twenty dollars and you can’t beat that!

Of course, no fall outfit is complete without a cute hat and my camel one by Peter Grimm was the winner. It matched perfectly with the sweater and I am obsessed with the toggle strap, allowing you to wear the hat on your head or on your back when you tighten it (You can see pics featuring the latter option tomorrow!). Hats are, easily, one of my favorite accessories and are also the easiest fix when you need your hair done – which I do desperately lol.

I wrapped up my accessorizing with some rings from Target to add some extra bling. They are, honestly, old as dirt but I still love them! I didn’t want to add a necklace as the hat strap acted as a pseudo one. I also didn’t want anything to take away from the pattern on the sweater. Always remember that less is more when it comes to finishing touches on an outfit!

With an Autumn Awesome OOTD ready to go, Johnny and I headed to a nearby metro park to snap some shots. It was a beautiful location and you can see more of it all of this week in some bonus pics and bloopers. I also just want to say that I changed into a shorts and T-shirt immediately after taking these pictures because it was hot AF out lol. Mentally, I was feeling very fall, though! 😀

What is your favorite cold weather accessory? What is fall weather like in your neck of the woods? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

	lifewithlilred on Spirit Christmas Haul
	oliveunicorn on Spirit Christmas Haul
	Simon on Thxgiving OOTD Bloopers
	lifewithlilred on Thxgiving OOTD Bloopers
	Simon on Thxgiving OOTD Bloopers