This year marks our 5th Spring Break to head to south Georgia. We make this trip with a family that is very dear to us and enjoy the "nothingness" as much as we relish it. This year may have been our best trip yet. The kids are getting a little older and seem to not need our immediate attention as much as in times past. But God lavished us with gorgeous weather. In previous trips we have dealt with pouring rain or cold temperatures. Spring met us with a gentle handshake and a sweet hello. The days were beautiful with sunshine and breezes that kept mosquitoes away. Other than meals and bedtime....we soaked up as many moments as possible outside. Time is slow in this place and space is vast. It is the perfect place for one's soul to rest.
I love that Shep captured this picture of me and Zeke. He almost always had this bow in his hand. We were walking down the runway to retrieve his arrows. Can you see the butterfly it the top of the picture? Butterflies were everywhere!
My heart gushes when my Caroline can find an activity that makes her happy and settled. This particular day it was lying on the edge of a blanket with me and play in the grass...
Ava was drawn to this log. She was determined to master the art of running and rolling on the log...
She was actually better at it than the rest of us....
Zeke and his buddy chasing their arrows....
Caroline in the sunshine full of smiles....
Zeke and Ava taking a break from playing and smiling for a picture.
We rode around everyday in the back of the truck. I loved it as a kid and still love it as an adult.
Ava and her sweet friend were just as fierce as the boys with their bows.
All the kids posing with Shep on a log at Factory Branch. Such a terrific day!
Hello glamor queen. Isn't she gorgeous? The girl can rock my sunglasses...
Me and Zeke posing. This was rare because the boy stayed on full throttle the entire trip.
Shep and Caroline went down stream a ways to capture the rest of us in front of the waterfall.
Shep talked the kids into having a stick race. They loved it! No electronics involved!
Me and my squeeze. I am crazy about him.
Shep gave me some pointers about shooting the bow. It was oddly more fun than I imagined it would be. There was something almost therapeutic about aiming, shooting, and retrieving....
Ava and her daddy searching the ground for arrowheads....
Zeke and Shep killing time...with Zeke's bow...of course.
The first morning turkey hunt. Zeke loved it. Pretty sure he is hooked.
Ava's search paid off. She found this beautiful arrowhead and she couldn't have been more pleased with herself.
One of the dearest people in the whole world to me. My friend that I call "D". She is such a sport. Her effort on these trips spoil us all. She brings her homemade bread and rolls. AND enough junk food to feed an army. We somehow manage to suffer through eating most of it...
Remember Caroline's blanket fun? This is what her face looked like after playing in the grass. She wasn't bothered one little bit...
The kids looking for more arrowheads...
Me and him.
Caroline enjoyed the wide open spaces too....she especially loves putting her teeth into my shoulders when she is in the snuggli. Little stinker.
Lots and lots of moments just like this.....smiling.
Zeke, Ava and their friend waiting for their turn on the vine swing...
Ava taking her thrill ride....
Zeke swinging high in the woods too.
Shep was not going to be left out of this fun....you can't tell it but they were a good 30 feet or more in the air!
Me and Ava riding in the bed of the truck...
More smiles from Caroline.
Zeke again with the bow.
Caroline got to enjoy walks in the wood too. She got the royal treatment of being carried by daddy and Mr. Derrick.
Ava and R.
Our family on the runway.
I prayed and asked God to refresh me on this trip. The trip was not without difficulty. Caroline doesn't sleep well and she had several tough nights that were hard on Shep and I. But God did answer my prayer. This entire trip was His gift to me. It was like 3 days of solid sanctuary for my soul. He led us away from our hectic lives to a place where His beautiful creation both thrilled and stilled our anxious hearts. Only God. He IS GOOD.
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