Beautiful mountain weekend

It was Friday morning and Scott and I were off! The girls were laughing and playing with Mimi as we ran out the door. We were so thrilled to have a weekend away.. the purpose: a garden-mountain wedding! We headed to Asheville in a torrential downpour! When we finally arrived, we checked into our B&B..precious! It had the coolest wrap around porch with gazebo and all. Their cat greeted us first and then the Inn owners. This whole concept of a B&B is actually quite fun. I dreamed for a minute of owning one, but Scott quickly put that to rest. :)

The rehearsal was done under umbrellas with our heels sinking deep into the garden, which was quickly becoming mud.. but oh, if it just wouldn't rain, but a beautiful setting this would be for a wedding.

Saturday arrived and it was a lovely mountain day. There was a small breeze and a chill in the air, which was exactly what I was hoping for. Scott and I walked around and shopped the cute town of Waynesville and ate at the yummiest little restaurant called "Sweet Onion". Right up my alley and they even had the MSU football game on, so it was up his as well. We laughed at having "the best of both worlds".

The wedding was at 3:30, officiated by my precious husband, who made it so personal and sweet to them. We have been counseling this sweet couple over the past 6 months as they prepared for their big day. I helped direct the wedding, which has become a very fun little thing for me to do.

The reception was held in the garden of a B&B..beautiful! Mountains in the background, lights hanging down, guests mingling and really not going anywhere, because they had all pledged their love and their weekend to this wedding. It was divine!

Sunday morning was unlike any Sunday morning that we've had in a while! We missed our sweet church and of course prayed for our other teaching pastor first thing and then after a great breakfast at our B&B, we hopped in the car headed to Asheville.. home of the Biltmore Estate. This was George Vanderbilt's claim to fame for those of you who have not visited. This was our first time.. a right of passage to being a true North Carolinian. We had a ball. This property was unbelievable..a winery, an Inn, the house, gardens and much much more! We really enjoyed ourselves.

After all that fun, we hopped back in the car racing towards Raleigh, so that we could kiss our girls before their bedtimes. It was a rejuvenating and sweet time for us. We decided we'd just have to do that again!

updates

Well, I haven't been so great about updating, so here we go!

Ava did well with her frenulectomy last week. She was a real champ that day and then followed it with a cold and lots of cranky, so last week was full with all of that. She's doing great now and has been laughing with her sister and walking all over the house.

Ella has started preschool just one morning a week. We're so excited for her as she learns how to share with others and be in a structured environment. We are learning so much about our "passionate" little Ella, but it has been good for all of us. God is teaching Scott and I a lot about parenting right now. We pray continually for His wisdom.

Yesterday morning I took the girls on a walk and as we walked we talked all about God's creation and "Noah and the ark", because that's what Ella really wanted to talk about. It's been so sweet to hear her tell me the stories that we've told her. She has a real sensitivity to the Word of God and that's encouraging.

Scott and I are keeping busy of course. The last few weeks have been so full of stressful decisions and stressful situations that we're just tired. But, this weekend we'll be in the mountains for a wedding of a sweet couple that we've been counseling (pre-maritally). We look forward to a little time away just the two of us! I can just imagine getting up and smelling that fresh mountain air as the Lord rejuvinates us both and brings us back for more!

I've been reading "The New Eve" by Robert Lewis, one of Scott's mentors from Little Rock. Incredible book for any woman-especially younger women who are concerned about doing it right the first time! I feel a sense of urgency about life and how I want to do all that I can for the Lord. I want to raise my children well, love my husband well and serve others well. I want to look back and say, "yes! that was a great life!" That might sound silly, but it's really my heart's desire.. we only get one shot and I want mine to count.

That's all for today...enjoy the pics of my sweeties!