Girls gone wild!!!

Well, no, not really, but for us four gals, it was about as close as it gets!!

God is so good to me! He allowed me to take a few days and go to the mountains with my four best gals. We would like to thank Greg, Chad, Troy and John for allowing us to be gone, for taking care of the kids (thank you especially, Chad - even IF Savannah was run over by a 4-wheeler!!!!), for making sure you all were fed, and keeping our homes standing while we were gone. We appreciate that you made the sacrifice for us.

But we know why you did. See we know, that you know, that if you allow us our little trips like this, we always come back better than ever. Refreshed and recharged to take better care of all of those things we left in your hands. So thank you again. And while we're at it, we would also like to thank Joel, Julia, Christian, Savannah, Hunter and Easton for allowing their mommies to have a few days off from mommy duty (well, not really, but physically).

We had such a great time! Holly and Tasha had never been to Gatlinburg - I couldn't believe that, but then I discovered during our little trip that Tasha has not been to a lot of places. She experienced her very first time to Cracker Barrel as well. Can you imagine living in the south and not having been to a Cracker Barrel?? Well, we took care of that right off the bat!

We have a wonderful chalet up above Gatlinburg almost to the Ober Gatlinburg Ski resort. The hill to get to our cabin was so steep, that I had to drive the Expedition up the STEEP mountain, pull into another cabin's driveway and turn around so I could get going in the right direction to get up our hill because I could not turn the big ol' vehicle up the driveway!! That was not so fun in the dark, let me tell you. The name of our Chalet was Quiet Times, and we loved it. Here's a picture of it sitting up on the side of the mountain.

It was so comforting to see evidence that the owner of the Chalet loved the Lord when we got there. Through a book on the table and pictures on the wall, we knew we were in the right place.

We got some shopping done, drank some mocha's, watched a few movies, enjoyed the hot tub, went to the very top of the mountains, ate at some great places (see Holly's chicken pot pie? it was the biggest one I had ever seen in my life!), conquered some fears, got to know each other so much better, laughed like crazy, and spent some awesome time with the King of Kings.

It was such a sweet, sweet time, and I am so thankful that the Lord brought such special friends in my life. They are one of those gifts that you always want, but never really expect to get. I have a lot of friends, but I began praying for God to send some really special people my way -- and boy did he answer that one way beyond my expectations!

We're already talking about when we get to go back -- and how we need to stay just a little bit longer. We decided we wanted at least one day where we never left the cabin. There is much going on in each of our lives...beyond our everyday responsibilities...Melodie and I are both taking classes, Holly is going to have another baby, and Tasha is not waiting for, but preparing and anticipating a beautiful baby girl from China who will be named Emma Grace (we just can't wait until she gets here!!).

So dear Father, we thank you most of all. For your protection, for your provision, and for the love you have for us, your daughters, to give us such a special time with you and each other.

Proverbs 27:9 in the Message Bible says this: Just as lotions and fragrance gives sensual delight, a sweet friendship refreshes the soul.

Thank you guys, for the refreshing!

Blessings!
Joy