Luke's sister and her husband, Dana & Victor, are home visiting from Bolivia for a few months. She came up with the idea to take a couples trip to Blue Ridge, that included all four of the cousins (Dana, Luke, Tara, & Tory) along with their significant others (Victor, myself, Mitchell, & Alisha). The plans were set in motion before Dana and Victor arrived in the states, thanks to Tara and Mitchell who found and booked a gorgeous cabin, in Mineral Bluff for us to stay in. The dates were set for late October, just as the leaves were changed into vibrant hues of Autumn brilliancy. And oh, those colors, y'all! They made this Fall loving girl all kinds of happy! This vacation would be the first time the cousins have traveled together, in twenty years, as a group. I'm thankful to have been a part of such an occasion. What a blessing!
Our four night stay in the mountain retreat dubbed "Three Bears" gifted us with scenic views of the Blue Ridge Mountains a'plenty, s'mores making, bundles of laughter, meaningful getting-to-know-you-better conversations, prayers said before every meal eaten together, coffee drinking, a group shopping trip in Blue Ridge, hiking, a swinging bridge over the Toccoa River, Amicalola Falls, a tail-featherless chicken on the loose, Burt's Pumpkin Farm, apple orchards, fried pies, and Sasquatches!
Here are some photos from our trip (photo credits to everyone who partook in said trip):
Notice Mitchell, in the ball cap beside me, taking a photo of Victor and Dana as Victor was taking a photo of all of us. Ha.
The owners of the retreat had this adorably thoughtful gift on the counter upon our arrival. We took full advantage of that treat all four nights we were there! FYI, if you've never tried a "Grasshopper S'more" you most definitely should! Nom, nom!
Late night coffee drinking, by the fire, also became a nightly ritual.
The room Luke and I stayed in.
I thoroughly enjoyed waking up to the sun shining into that window. "Well good morning,again, my precious Father! You sure do bless me so!", is what I said to God upon opening my eyes to the view of that cozy room each morning.
The word "retreat" is an understatement.
Having coffee with the morning sun and the happy chirping birds, on that back porch, blessed my soul incredibly well.
Let's just take us a lil moment, here, to appreciate that fella's snazzy t-shirt. :)
The group split into two, that day. Luke, Tory, Alisha, and I enjoyed this trip to the swinging bridge while the other two couples ventured to Mercier Orchards where they returned blessing us well with a box full of fried pies to share with the whole group. YUM! This is the only photo I've seen from that visit. If any of you four would like to share more, for this post, feel free to send them my way! I'd be glad to share them! :)
While we may have done separate activities during the day, at times, there was consistency in our evening/nightly routine. We had dinner out together, every night, before getting cozy around the fireplace for coffee and s'mores. Those nights were my absolute favorite part of the trip!
Not photo'd was my sheer joy as I congregated with each of these people. Being immersed in cool mountain air, an abundance of laughter, roasted marshmallow goo, and the indulgence of meaningful conversations.
Mornings were equally peaceful, joyous, and splendid spent together.
A gorgeous day in Blue Ridge :)
While I've been with Luke for a year and a half and I've spent time with all of these people before, this trip gave me something far more than I could have hoped for. It granted time and opportunity to get to know each of them without any expectations or schedules. It was authentic and genuine time spent with one another relishing in what God has blessed us with in each other. I'm incredibly thankful for it all.
The others have some really fantastic photos of the trip, and if given the permission and photos I'd be happy to share them here, as well!
While we were away, Gabriel was gracious enough to take his two younger siblings to our church's Harvest Festival before taking them to get ice cream. He blessed my Mama heart with these photos of them:
Relishing in HIS goodness...
Christy
IStndAmzd79@gmail.com
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