It’s time for my weekly study about Women in the Bible, and I’m not ready because life got in the way. I am a home school mom of a young lady who wants to graduate this year but hasn’t quite finish all her eleventh grade studies, and I’m trying hard to see if we can make it happen. I can do the planning, but most of the execution is going to be on her. On the bright side, if she can keep up with the pace, she’ll be all the more prepared for college come September 2018. Wow! Did I just say that? It’s hard to believe that I’m almost finished home schooling. This last year, with only one student, is definitely proving to be the hardest.
So while you wait for my study on Rebekah to be ready, I thought I’d share a memory from exactly three years ago today. My number 2 son, Bobby, was off to a rough start for the new school year, and he clearly needed a break for a couple days. Part of the beauty of home schooling is spontaneity. So he and I took a spur-of-the-moment trip to the Shenandoah mountains, just a 3-hour drive from our house, for a long-weekend getaway. Actually, it did us both a world of good.
From October 3, 2014
Heading to the mountains at last!
We started our getaway with a stop in Williamsburg at the Salt Spa (a little something for me), and then the Waller Mill Park for a game of Disk Golf and a picnic lunch (a little something for Bobby).
Bobby beat me by a landslide. I tied with him for par at the first hole, then it went downhill from there.
One of the beautiful views at the park
Which lunch do you want? You may choose “one” or “the other.”
He wasn’t expecting this…. 😀
We were greeted at the KOA be this quiet cat that seems to enjoy sleeping, mousing, and shedding.
Our cabin has heat, a small refrigerator, and a microwave. Yay! Hot coffee! (I need a cup warmer for the minivan.) It is also the closest cabin to the bathhouse.
Our first night we had corn on the cob with grilled bacon and cheddar sandwiches.
Dessert was banana boats stuffed with peanut butter chips, chocolate chips, mini marshmallows, and chopped pecans, then heated on the grill… and finally, topped with whipped topping.
I won’t go into as much detail with the rest of our trip, but here are a few highlights….
We toured the Endless Caverns and got some frozen custard afterward.
We hiked the Massanutten Storybook Trail. In all honesty, I think Bobby spent as much time off the trail as he did on it, but he enjoyed himself, and we both returned safe and sound, so all is well.
We tried some interesting camping recipes, like omelets boiled in a bag and orange rolls grilled inside orange peels, but we also ordered pizza one night and had it delivered to our cabin, then watched the empty box go up in flames. It gave a whole new meaning to “fresh hot pizza.”
Bobby taught me how to fish, and I taught him how to shoot pool. He got good at billiards. I caught a leaf.
Bobby did not care to rise early enough to see the sunrise, so he missed out on a few interesting sights, like this veteran’s memorial, Batman’s tombstone, and a cluster of does. Granted, he would rather see a cluster of bucks—through the scope of his shotgun!
On Sunday we drove north a ways to attend church with some friends. Afterward, we moseyed down Skyline Drive to see the sunset before returning to the cabin.
Monday dawned in due time. The fresh air, relaxing activities, and evening Bible studies together had done their work, and now it was time for us to return to ours. But that was okay because both Bobby and I were refreshed and ready to resume our home school lessons. Even Jesus came apart from time to time, sometimes with His disciples, and sometimes alone with just Himself and the Father. We need these moments to refresh our spirits, minds, souls, and bodies. Otherwise, stress would kill us. That is why I chose to take a couple hours this morning to go through my photos and share a few memories with you instead of stressing about a Bible study that hasn’t been completed yet. After all, it won’t be a blessing if I don’t take time to let my Lord speak to me first. And now that my spirit has been refreshed, I am ready to look at Rebekah.
Have a wonderful day. And when you need to take a break, do it.
The Abundant Heart 