G-E-T-A-W-A-Y

G - Gals getting together bring gab, good times, goodies and God's presence of friendship and relationship.
E - Evenings that go late, early rising mornings (I struggle to sleep well away from home), eating (way too much, boy the scale was scary two days later! I am working out harder to make up for it!)
T - Time seems to stand still in the midst of such relaxing moments. Meals were governed by our stomachs not our childrens or the activity we must get to and eat before we leave. Talk. Lots and lots and lots of talk. It is a good thing the men in our life were not there. They may have chosen to jump in the too high and fast moving river just to getaway. Men don't seem to appreciate the version of "talk" we women are so very good at when we are all together without them.
A - Appreciation: For friends. For our testimonies of God's redemption in our lives. For shared burdens. For mutual values. For differences. For our personalities, each one adding to the joy of our time together. For moments away from the day to days. For a family willing to share their cabin with the likes of us.
W - WET!!!! A hike that started as sunny with a few puffy clouds, a seemingly never ending road up the mountain, sprinkles, conversation (very good conversation, thank you Barbie), pondering about heading back, determination to finish the hike, big rain drops, uh-oh, even more, getting WET, here comes the hail. We head back... running, slipping, slowing down realizing we are already soaked (and pregnant Kara shouldn't run down a wet mountain), and a blessing we couldn't have imagined appeared: Shawna in Barbie's big black Tahoe! Thank you! Wet and crammed in we headed home to our dry pajamas! What a fun WET experience! I am the soaked woman in the trunk of the car.

Our Triumphant Return


A - Alarm. Stephanie and I had to leave earlier than the others due to our responsibilities on Sunday. Our cell phones did not have service to set our alarms. Well, I take that back. If I slept in the middle of the road, about a mile from the cabin and did not move I could get a bar! We set an alarm clock that we hoped would work. With that unsettled sense of "will I wake up?", I slept kind of, frequently checking the clock and reminding myself that I can sleep. Whew, we were up and on our way back by 6:30 a.m. - just as we needed!
Y - Youth. It is times like this that I feel ageless. Young, maybe. I feel free from obligation. That seems to bring the feeling of youth. Then I look around and realize much to my chagrin, I am the oldest woman present! What happened to the days when I was the youngest woman in the room. Ahhh, well. Some things I can't make stop, like time and the passage of my youth. I am yet a mere toddler in life. No longer a baby, but a toddler in the timeline of my life. However, I will continue to be impulsive and immature on occassion so that I can continue to enjoy the blessings of youth. Simply, because I won't let youth leave me altogether!

So, I encourage each of you to experience your own getaway. Have some time that is yours to set aside your "roles", "responsibilities" and lose track of time, enjoy friends, laughter and make some memories of your own.

Kym