A Beautiful Place

I loved exploring Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge with my love this weekend!  God is amazing in how created so many different types of places. Have a great week!

A Day in the Country

This is one of my favorite spots when visiting North Carolina. It is A Day in the Country (which houses the Veranda Cafe). It has lots of neat gifts in the house and a basement full of bargains. My husband is so sweet to drive over to Hendersonville to visit this quaint little place. We were going to eat lunch at Cafe on the Veranda. He is a real trooper. He even put up with me taking his picture


He thought I was really crazy when I wanted to take a picture of his food- lol. I said I want to blog about this place and he said "oh". Mike had Charleston Tuna with Veranda Potato Salad. He laughed and told me it was really good too. He didn't think he was going to be able to eat dessert (sure honey). He told me he expected it to be "fru fru" food but it wasn't!


I had Sugar Loaf Chicken Salad, chips and soup. I love the chicken salad because it has walnuts and dried cranberries in it! My favorite chicken salad in Cleveland is Jenkins and Rebecca J's. What is yours? By the way we both had dessert- just forgot pictures- Mike had the 7 layer bar and I had peanut kiss cookies.
He asked me how I found this place. I chuckled and told him Paula and I shopped our way there one day. Paula is a friend of mine that works at Lifeway. When we were both at Ridgecrest she shared with me lots of places to shop and eat. I told him I think this was the first time I had chicken salad- well that I remember liking it a whole lot. Thanks Paula! I think of you every time I visit A Day In the Country and the Veranda Cafe. They have lots of goodies.

Another day I will show you what I purchased this time and my favorite basement bargain from A Day In the Country. You can shop their store online too! In my shopping bag was a coupon - you guys know I am all about coupons- for 10% off from January 3 - May 15. I mean I think I can drive 3 1/2 hours sometime in the next 5 months- anyone for a road trip? Paula if you are reading...............when will you be at Ridgecrest again?

A Little Getaway

Mike and I had planned for some time to getaway a few days after Christmas. The snow delayed our plans a little but we wanted to be safe. After visiting with family on Monday, we ventured to Ridgecrest Conference Center right outside of Asheville, North Carolina. If you are on church staff you should check out their incredible rate. We love this area and it was beautiful with the snow! Now it was a little tricky getting there- one lane through 16 miles of the mountains- so it took a little longer to arrive than we thought. However we were determined to have a good couple of days...... despite the fact I was coming down with a cold.
On Tuesday, we just hung out. We went to a restaurant we like a bunch but don't have near Cleveland- Cheddar's. We shopped a little and went to a movie. The movie was okay but I won't mention the title because we don't recommend it. We headed back to the conference center........ we like staying in Mountain Laurel. It was full of life because of all the youth there for a retreat. They enjoyed all the snow on the ground. It was really, really windy.
Well on Wednesday we had reservations to go over to Biltmore , we just didn't realize so did everyone else. We bought an annual pass when we were at Rec Lab back in the spring. If you plan on going more than one day, you should buy a pass. We did so saying we wanted to come back at Christmas to see the decorations. Well, we had no idea that the week after Christmas is their biggest week of the entire year. Note to anyone even thinking about going that week- just don't do it. I did find the decorations are put up in November - so maybe we should have gone then. Not to mention I am feeling pretty lousy by this time. One positive of the day is that because I had made reservations -that meant we got to go to the shortest line! Yipee! We then wind through the snowy winter wonderland and park. We hop out and head to the shuttle stop. We are told the have not cleared the ice from the over 1 mile trail so they are asking everyone to ride the shuttle. Okay no problem, I prefer to do that anyway. Well, 45 minutes later we finally get to board a shuttle. By this time we have missed our reservation time (as has everyone else). We are all told this is not a problem just to head on into the house. Oh my goodness it was wall to wall people. Not a great experience. Yes the trees and decorations were gorgeous. I think they oversold on this day. You basically were being herded through the house- not enjoyable. We loved our time at Biltmore before and will go again BUT never that week again. Here are some pictures we took (outside the house- since they do not allow pictures, video, etc. of anything inside the house):
Here is this picture from our trip in April .................. big difference huh!

We loved our time away........... although wish I had felt better (got lots of good medicine today from the doctor) and I wish Biltmore had not been so crowded. All in all I enjoyed some time away with Mike........... he gets so little time away!

A Quiet Place

Can you see the bench hidden in this picture? During my November trip to Williamsburg, Va I looked through the shrubs and branches and this is what I saw..................

a bench hidden in this beautiful place

I imagined what it must look like in the Springwhen all is in bloom.............
I wondered if anyone ever sat on that bench and
...........dreamed
...........prayed
...........wondered
...........rested
............enjoyed the peace

I longed to sit in this place. However, short of me knocking on the door and asking some complete stranger if I could set on the bench in the backyard, it was not going to happen. So I simply snapped this picture of this quiet place as I walked back to the bus pick up (for those of you wondering there are some people who live in houses around Colonial Williamsburg, I believe this was one such house).

Looking back over this picture reminded me of a book I recently reread parts - A Place of Quiet Rest. It is by Nancy Leigh DeMoss. It has personal reflections of Elisabeth Elliott, Kay Arthur, Vonette Bright and others. The foreword is written by Joni Eareckson Tada - my favorite author. The subtitle reads - Finding Intimacy with God through a daily devotional life. When I originally purchased the book I thought the book cover was beautiful and serene and I liked the title. I didn't notice the subtitle. I was pulled in by wanting rest.

"The Fragrance of Devotion"
"The product of a daily devotional life will bear fruit in our own lives, as we experience an ever-deepening intimacy with the Father. Sadly, many believers never enter into the joys and fullness of this life of oneness with the Father. ..........
Time spent alone with Jesus each day will order our hearts and grant a sense of direction, enabling us to live purposeful, useful lives, directed by the power of the Holy Spirit, rather than being driven by the expectations and demands of others. ............ The fruit of a devotional life will also be manifested in an ordered, peaceful life..................."

As I reflected on these comments (Chapter 12 Cultivating the Garden of the Heart) I will tell you it is evident when I do not have that peace or that order it is often because my priorities are out of sorts. It is because I have been so busy doing ministry I missed that time spent with the Father. Something He continues to teach me is I am to be "directed" not "driven". As I ask myself about what fruit is showing up in my own life because of my daily devotional time with my heavenly Father, I ask you to think about this also!

Do you have a "spot" of quiet rest? Mine is my big green chair, what about you?