Sunday, July 29, 2012

Summer Road Trip

We're tired. Our muscles are sore. We ate too much. We stayed up late. We drove for hours and hours. Would we do it all again? Absolutely - in a heartbeat!

My brother and I just returned from our first ever road trip together. Our journey took us through the green flat-lands of Florida into the beautiful cloud-covered mountains of North Carolina. Here's the rundown of our adventures together along with a few pictures and the tiny traveler who joined us.

DAY ONE
7.22.12

Christopher's brand new big red truck
Drive to Jacksonville
Breakfast with Amber and Austin
A tour of their wonderful little apartment
Downtown Jacksonville
Chamblin's Book Store
So many books, so little time!
Drive, drive, drive, talk, talk, talk
Potty stop, drink, eat, drive, potty stop, drive, drink, potty stop
(You get the idea)
Arrive at Mom and Dad's adorable rental cabin
Quaint town of Waynesville, North Carolina
Deep green woods, lovely back deck, tiny babbling stream
A small slice of heaven

ME AND CHRISTOPHER
SO MANY BOOKS, SO LITTLE TIME
A BOOK LOVER'S DELIGHT
MOM & DAD'S CABIN IN THE WOODS
OUR TINY GUEST
DAY TWO
7.23.12

Egg's Jim for breakfast
Daddy's original concoction
Drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway
Green leafy canopy with gorgeous skies above
I can feel my heart singing aloud
Mile marker #419
Graveyard Fields trail hike
Boulders, clear cold river, waterfalls, happy hikers
Green woodlands full of flitting butterflies
Strolling through open sunny mountain fields
Narrow hiking trails studded with tree roots and smooth stones
Mud sticks to my flip flops; muscles strain uphill
A beautiful morning spent in God's great outdoors
Lunch at the Pisgah Inn
Unbelievable views
Walmart pit stop for camping supplies for Daddy and Chris
A new pair of sunglasses, pink t-shirt and water shoes for me
Dinner on the deck at the cabin
Fireflies appear like tiny points of light against the darkening woods
Ibuprofen all around at bedtime

HIKING HEFFRONS
WATERFALL
GORGEOUS SUNNY FLOWER
BUSY BEES
CHRIS CLIMBS THE FALLS
DAY THREE
7.24.12


Daddy and Christopher meet up with Randy and Alex Blackwood
Lake Watauga, Tennessee, boating, fishing, camping
A guy's outdoor extravaganza of fun, or in other words
Island, tenting, grilling, campfire, burping, beer, farting, steak, fish stories
In the meantime.....
Mom and I have our own girlie adventure
A tour of beautiful Lake Junaluska
The Shelton House Museum
Downtown Waynesville
Lunch, shopping, driving winding back country roads
Farmlands, red barns, cows, corn fields, overgrown junk cars
Peeling whitewashed houses that remember better days
Grocery store run
Movie night

LAKE JUNALUSKA UNDER BLUE SKIES
A GAGGLE OF GEESE
QUAINT DOWNTOWN WAYNESVILLE
ANTIQUE COUNTRY QUILT
SHELTON HOUSE MUSEUM

DAY FOUR
7.25.12

Breakfast on the deck at the cabin under beautiful skies
Hot cream-laced vanilla coffee and good conversation
The Balsam Antique Mall
Hunting for treasures among the aisles of forgotten and faded memories
Vintage linens with delicate handmade lace trim
Scrolling designs on creamy white china
My love for gorgeous pieces of our past
Lunch and more mother-daughter conversation
Appointment to look at a house for sale
In the neighborhood where Mom and Dad own property
Quiet time reading a good book on the front porch
A walk through Brannon Forest to feed Doc and Daisy carrots
The boys return from their epic camping trip
Dinner and stories of their adventures
Camping in a terrible thunder-lightening-wind storm on a mountain lake
Chris figures there's nothing he can do so he rolls over and goes back to sleep
Dad lays awake in the early morning hours listening to the thunder booming
And watching the lightening strikes through the thin veneer of the tent
All is soaked and the camp is a bit scattered but they survive the perilous night
Though they didn't catch one fish, they'd do it again
Mom and I were glad to enjoy the comforts of home

DAISIES NEAR THE CABIN
DOC AND DAISY - NEIGHBORHOOD RESIDENTS

DAY FIVE
7.26.12

White water rafting on the Nantahala River, much to Daddy's chagrin
Category three rapids (really no big deal but Mom and Dad don't know that)
Chris and I paddle in the front and the water is freezing
Mom and Dad share the middle of the raft with another traveler
Two more boaters in the back with the guide
Mom is designated as the trip's official screamer
We ride the rapids, laugh, talk, and enjoy the amazing scenery
Mom does her job well at every rapid; Dad goes along for the ride
And survives his first ever white water rafting trip
I have a feeling it's not his last, especially if Mom has her say
Lunch at the Nantahala Outdoor Center overlooking the river
Lots of families, kids in the water, ducks bobbing for a meal
More rafters and kayaks take to the cold clear river
Under blue skies and blazing temperatures
Shopping and ice cream in Cherokee
Dinner at Nick and Nate's in downtown Waynesville
A three hour stretch at the movie theater for the new Batman flick
Mom promises not to ask questions during the movie
But decides instead to file her nails during the shoot-em-up action scenes
She goes along for the ride because Daddy has his say so
Ah, family -  love, love, love them!

NANTAHALA OUTDOOR CENTER
COLORFUL KAYAKS
CHRIS DREAMS OF FISH AND HIKING
GOOFING OFF AT LUNCH
DAY SIX
7.27.12

Sleeping in this morning, snuggling into the quilt
Breakfast together
A beautiful drive into the lush recesses of the Catalochee valley
On gravel strewn switchback roads with steep drops
Historic homesteads, fishing in the streams, watching the treeline for elk
Turkeys in the mountain fields, bobbing, then disappearing into the long grasses
Sightings of two baby black bears, much to our delight and surprise
Deer, deep in the green woods, wary of strangers, ears tuned to the slightest noise
A huge male elk with velvet covered antlers; a small female with a radio collar
Resting in the heat of the day under the gentle green leaves of a huge tree
Masses of brilliant blue and lemon yellow butterflies
Looking for salt along the muddy creek banks
Floating through the air to land on the swaying stalks of tall purple flowers
The Caldwell and Palmer homes
One sheltering a family with eleven children
Work-worn faces, simple homespun clothes, barefoot smiling children
Peer from the old black and white photos that chronicle the valley's history

Rustic wooden barns with rusty handcrafted hardware
Life lived in the most remarkable place, fraught with the most terrible hardships
A trek straight uphill to the quiet Palmer cemetery
Where generations of valley pioneers
Leave their legacy to the moldering headstones
Dinner at a restaurant filled with conversation about our life together
Creeping gratefully back into bed for a good night's sleep



LEMON COLORED BUTTERFLY
THE CALDWELL HOUSE
RUSTIC BARN DOOR
THE PALMER HOMESTEAD
BRILLIANT BLUE BUTTERFLY
THE PALMER CEMETERY
A MALE ELK WITH VELVET COVERED ANTLERS
FISH, FISH, FISH
PICNIC LUNCH BY THE STREAM

DAY SEVEN
7.28.12

Packing up the truck
Drive to Clarkesville, Georgia
Breakfast with Aunt Sandy and Uncle Pat at Natalie Jane's on the square
Ham and vegetable omelet with southern grits
Catching up on family news
Goodbye hugs and promises to visit soon
Climb back into Christopher's big red truck for the trip home to Florida
Summer road trip with my brother - priceless

HOMEWARD BOUND


Saturday, July 21, 2012

Road Tripping

A big red pickup truck, some great tunes, the green of summer scenery whizzing by, the long winding road ahead, and my little brother - what do all these things have in common? The first brother-sister road trip for Christopher and I!

He asked me several months ago to take a trip to North Carolina to see our parents. Thankfully my new boss has given me this time and Kendall is sending me with his blessing. We leave bright and early tomorrow morning, compass pointed north toward Jacksonville to have breakfast with Amber and Austin, then on to the glorious mountains around Maggie Valley.

I'm sure we'll have some great stories, especially since Mom has arranged a white water rafting trip for the four of us, much to Daddy's dismay. We'll explore the picturesque town of Waynesville, do some antiquing, a little fishing (actually Mom and I will watch the boys fish), and maybe we'll head for the beauty of the Smoky Mountain National Park. I know whatever we do will be an adventure so stayed tuned for Road Tripping, part two. Who knows, Chris and I may even pick up a surprise guest along the way - a hitchhiker of sorts. 


Sunday, July 15, 2012

Before the Prayer

Last week Reformed Theological Seminary contacted me unexpectedly. It's the wonderful place I worked last year for several months. I was surprised, intrigued, excited, and strangely terrified all at once. They informed me about some recent changes and let me know about a new employment opportunity. One of the sweet young ladies I worked with is relocating with her husband to Tallahassee so he can pursue a position working in his field of expertise. It's a bittersweet situation. The answer to their prayers for a job provides an opportunity for the Lord to answer my prayer for a job. I was offered a full time position as the Student Life/Accounts Payable Coordinator, which I gratefully accepted. The only downside is that my lovely friend, Heather, will be leaving. My heart wishes she could stay.

It's funny how God works things on our behalf. Though I was disappointed a permanent position didn't open up last year, I look back now and I'm glad. In the midst of Amber and Austin's wedding and move to Jacksonville, my brother purchased and remodeled his first home, and my parents sold of their long-time home in Clermont and moved to North Carolina. These events all happened at the same time. I could have been a complete basket case if I'd been working full time at that point. I'm grateful God's ways are far above my own. He's so good like that. 

His plan and timetable are always perfect. He always knows what's best for His children, even if we don't see our way clearly. It's also amazing that He graciously answers our prayers in such wonderfully detailed ways and gives us the desire of our hearts. He's at work before the prayer is even on our lips and He's already working out circumstances on our behalf. That's how much our kind Heavenly Father loves us. 

Please enjoy a few photos from the beautiful Seminary campus and if you'd like to know more about their mission and offerings, please click the following link to their website.


CAMPUS CLOCK TOWER
BOOKSTORE + COFFEE SHOP =  A GREAT HANG OUT
FRONT ENTRANCE
SARAH VACCA & HEATHER DEFRANCISO
GOD'S TIMING IS ALWAYS PERFECT




     




Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Creative Space

It's just a small four foot table under the window in our home office. For me it's a space filled with creative ideas and inspiration drawn from the beauty of simple objects from the past: cream colored buttons, calling cards, children's wooden blocks, antique keys, Victorian advertisements and postcards, vintage lace, an old combination lock, sheet music from the 1800s, and crystal doorknobs rescued from a house scheduled for demolition. Each of these little items has it's own story. If they only they had a voice.

"So, what are you going to do with all that old stuff?" you ask. Honestly, I'm not sure yet but I do know they'll turn into beautifully interesting pieces, each with their own character and tale to tell. 

The antique markets are full of forgotten objects from lives long gone, faded gently-worn memories waiting for someone to love them again. I've always believed that people are remembered when their names are spoken aloud, their lives remembered when the things they loved are loved by someone else. It makes me sad to see old photographs and tin-types for sale in antique shops. I wonder who they once belonged to and what happened to their families. Some of my favorite possessions are the old sepia photos that hang in our home. My grandparents and great-grandparents smile down on us forever frozen in time. I love their beautiful faces and I see so much of our family in them. Perhaps someday when I'm gone someone will speak my name and love the things I loved.

VICTORIAN ADVERTISEMENTS
HANDMADE JOURNALS


INSPIRATION FROM THE PAST

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Happy Dependence Day



Red, white and blue flags, barbecue, fireworks, ice cream sundaes, swimming, boccie ball, friends and family - these are the wonderful ways we celebrated the Fourth of July. With gratefulness in our hearts we remembered the humble beginnings of America and the great legacy of the Founding Fathers.

America's independence from England two hundred and thirty-six years ago forever changed our destiny. A group of men, filled with radical ideas and a deep longing for justice and freedom, defied the odds and certain death, pledged their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor to some of the most elegant words ever penned. The Declaration of Independence is filled with beautiful ideas; lines and phrases that would birth a new nation. Generations of Americans, no longer subservient to the monarchy, were deemed equal and given certain unalienable rights by the Creator - the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Yet, at the end of this incredible document declaring independence from the tyranny of the unjust, there is a small group of wonderful words - with a firm reliance on ... divine Providence. How could these men declare independence yet call for dependence on divine Providence? They understood the need for dependence on the Almighty as the centerpiece of their endeavors.

  
PATRIOTIC DOUG 
WHAT JUST HAPPENED?
KENDALL + ICE CREAM













With each passing year I endeavor to understand and appreciate all the more my need for the Savior and my dependence on His kindness and mercy. I want to think of each day as my own personal Dependence Day. 

I want to know that God holds my life and times and that nothing touches me without having passed through the hand of my loving Heavenly Father first. There's great comfort in relinquishing my plans, my agenda, my will, bowing my knee in utter dependence to the God of the universe. I can't think of a better way to celebrate than to remind myself of that fact each July fourth holiday. It just seem appropriate somehow. So, here's wishing you all a very happy Dependence Day!

CRAIG, JAKE, SARAH
& LOGAN'S WATERMELON SMILE

BOCCIE BALL WITH ATTITUDE
LOGAN, CHRIS, HEATHER & JASON