The different season of life are so important. The seasons, meant literally, spring-summer-fall-winter. Each one brings newness to the life we get so comfortable with. As each season changes, we are given new leaves and trees, weather and temperatures. Variety is the spice of life, right? Just as we get settled into one, it hurries away and another one rushes in to change things up. I think it's an amazing element of life that God was happy to give us. Each season we get the chance to start over, in a way, and make it a better season than the last. They each represent new beginnings, and I'm dearly fond of the changes they bring. I also take delight in the different seasons of life, meaning each new chapter in our own lives. Different ages and occasions, all of the things who make us who we are. We're loving the season of life we are in now. Newlyweds, finishing up college, no children yet, free as a bird. Enjoying peace and the presence of each other every single day. Spending an abundance of time together, and laughing at all the little things in life that many seem to let fade away with age. We're going to be awesome old people, that's all I have to say, haha! We're always looking forward to moving on to the next season of life, but we're definitely enjoying the one we're in. Our bottom line, seasons (in every sense of the word) make life what it is, and we hope to always be conscious of them, for they bring so much joy to us... if we allow them to.
We just returned from vacation with Eric's parents. Had a lot of new experiences which was such a blessing. We needed that. We traveled to Missouri and spend 4 days there. Thursday and Friday were spent at a lovely little spot called Dawt Mill. It sits right on the North Fork River. As you probably guessed, it used to be a mill and they have now transformed it into a vacation destination packed with history and the beauty of nature. Such a sweet little spot.
We took a float trip Friday morning on the river. We started at about 9:30 a.m. and ended about 1:30 p.m. Each of us had an inter tube we floated on (although mine had a rope on it and I tied up to Eric's tube....I didn't feel like floating off down river by myself and having a nervous breakdown, haha). So we took off down river, a fairly strong (very cold water) current swept us away into a dense, white fog that was indescribable. It was like nothing I've ever experienced. The river would pick up at certain points and we would go through some small rapids, and then slow down again. Floating along slowly, you could look down through the crystal clear water and see little fish swimming right below you, a purely precious moment. Nature was taking it's course, and for once in my life, a human wasn't doing a single thing to change it. The river pulled us along on the path that it wanted, sweeping us through fog rising off the cold water into the warm sunshine, under overhanging trees, over schools of fish and mossy rocks. We were in the middle of the Ozark mountains floating down a river at 9:30 in the morning, with each other. What a gorgeous piece of God's creation. A piece of Heaven.
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| Eric insisted on standing like they did in the olden days. |
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We lodged at Dawt Mill in The Cotton Gin Inn, the most adorable little place. There are 8 rooms in the Inn. Each sleeps 6, and there were only 4 of us, so we were comfortable! It was just like I'd pictured it to be: a big cabin held up by logs, full of antique vanities and lace table clothes, quilts and warm coffee.
Eric and I slept on this sweet little trundle bed, and I will gladly admit that though it was warn and lumpy, it was one of the best night's sleep I've gotten in a long time. Something about the atmosphere there just lulled me to sleep.
Friday evening we headed to Branson to stay until Sunday. Eric had not been before, and it had been about 10 years since I'd been. The city has grown even more and is undoubtedly the show capital of the world. It's a neat place that everyone should visit at least once in their life. We stayed in another Inn here, and it was comfortable as well. Sightseeing and eating great food filled up this part of our vacation.
TableRock Lake is nearby so we went down by the dam and visited the hatchery and information center. It was quite interesting...thousands of trout are created there, grown, and released into the lake. We walked around and fed the trout in their different growing stages, something we'd never seen before. All in all, it was definitely educational and a neat thing to see.
The rest of the trip we just shopped around and saw the sites. We enjoyed our time together,as it was my first vacation as an Ellis with my new family. There was an even amount of laughter and relaxation, experiences and rest. I will chalk this up as another piece of evidence that there is nothing greater in life than family. Nurturing our bonds and helping each other make us more like Christ, as He is the greatest example of family, Our Heavenly Father. We are truly grateful for this vacation and all the blessings we have received this past week. Many praiseworthy memories were made, ones we'll never forget.
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| Eric has to act like a crazy person for every single picture! |
A pleasing cool front blew in yesterday evening and got my holiday feelings going once again. The best part about this terrible August heat, is that it means Fall is coming soon. We used one of our free money cards to Kohl's last night and got a holiday candle: Cranberry Spice. It's a lovely, soft scent that puts our home in check for the holiday season! The high is only 93 degrees here today....here we come Christmas!
"Be quick to praise, and slow to criticize."
-Church billboard in Missouri
"To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven"
-Ecclesiastes 3:1
All Our Love,
JenEric
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