Since Tilden and I have been trying to use up our vacation days before the end of the year, we decided to take a few days off and go to the Outerbanks. Well, apparently some crazy weather pattern lovingly called the "Nor'easter" formed and was threatening to flood parts of the coast, so reluctantly we canceled our plans and opted for a trip to the other side of the state to enjoy God's artwork in the mountains. I really wanted to go to a pumpkin patch, so we found one online, and using his GPS navigation software, Tilden mapped out the directions to our journey to the pumpkin patch, then to Linville Gorge and Table Rock to do some hiking. His GPS software is on his laptop, so he put his laptop in the back seat of the car so the computer voice could call out directions to him as we were driving. The computer voice lady bugs me... she always interrupts me when I am in the middle of talking to say, "turn right in 1.2 miles" or "continue for 23.9 miles." I jokingly kept telling "her" to be quiet while we were driving, but of course she didn't listen to me because she only recognizes Tilden's voice and only does what he tells her to do. But then, when we were deep into the country roads on our way to the pumpkin farm, Tilden looks in the rearview mirror to check the map on the computer screen, and it is blank. His computer had died, right in the middle of nowhere. And not even the best IT guy in the world could fix it at that moment (I know because he tried). So we had no idea how to get to the pumpkin patch, and had to just find our way back onto some state road that dropped us off on the Blue Ridge Parkway. At least that "woman" in the back seat finally stopped talking! But the drive through the back roads was perfect, and we listened and danced to music as we drove up the mountain.

We ended up finding an apple orchard off the Parkway that I had taken the Club kids to a few times, so we went and picked apples instead of pumpkins. I still laugh when I think about Tilden jumping up to grab an apple on a top limb, only to have it fall down and hit him directly in the eye. He thought he had a black eye for sure, but luckily it was just a little bruised. The way fruits and flowers grow on trees is always amazing to me... God is one creative guy.

After we were full of apples, and Tilden had thoroughly acted out how Sir Isaac Newton discovered the concept of gravity, we headed to Linville Falls to do some hiking. With the leaves changing colors, the views were breathtaking. The whole day was filled with me just soaking up the beauty God has blessed us with in this life. I felt one with God, the Earth, and my husband. It was pretty amazing. At one point, the view of the endless spectrum of colors coming from the sun setting through the mountains that were speckled with rich reds, oranges, browns, and purples literally took my breath away. I was reminded of a quote my mother recently told me by Max Lucado:

"Next time a sunrise steals your breath or a meadow of flowers leaves you speechless, remain that way. Say nothing, and listen as heaven whispers, "Do you like it? I did it just for you."

Yes, God made this Earth for us to enjoy, cherish, and protect...

We finished the day by staying in a surreal mountain lodge in Little Switzerland off the parkway and enjoying the cold mountain night by playing cards and people-watching in the restaurant. I had a great weekend laughing and sharing life together with my husband... and we made some great memories in the process!

We returned from the mountains in time to go to Sarah and Jeff's wedding, and it too was beautiful. We were able to spend time late into the night with friends as we celebrated the joining of Sarah and Jeff's lives. Vacation days are great!