Fast Fifteen

JJ and I celebrated 15 years of marriage last Thursday.  Where has the time gone?

Here we are on our wedding day, September 12, 1998.

The Lord has blessed us beyond measure.  After soccer practice we went for a late dinner.  We returned to the Gatlinburg area for our 5th and 10th anniversaries but were unable to do that this time.  We just had one weekend soccer game that we combined with a family camping trip.

The weather was nice and got cooler in the evenings so we sat out by the fire.

The kids missed camping with friends but we had a relaxing time. Got some biking in too.

Here is a pic from Corinna's game.  Her team played great and won 6-2.

I often get frustrated with our busy schedules during this phase of life.  Soccer practices and play practices take up many afternoons and evenings.  Then we factor in homework, school and church activities.  We are almost always on the go. Yet, the big picture is what the next fifteen years will hold: children driving, graduating, attending college, them entering the workforce, potentially getting married and having children of their own.  

In a blink on an eye we will be empty nesters trying to figure out how to live in retirement.

Then....

Now....

Now...

The next 15 years and beyond....

Our sovereign God has it all mapped out.  Our days were written in His book before one of them came to be.

Return to Hungry Mother

Over Labor Day weekend, we camped at Hungry Mother State Park in Virginia.  There were seven families in our camping crew.

The skies we encountered on the drive were a sign of what was to come.  Rain.  Lots of rain.  But I must say we've camped in worse weather.  We did have nice breaks with no rain and still had a fun time.

We were thankful that the evenings were dry so that we could gather together at meal time.  We always eat well.

A new camping game was discovered and corn hole was tossed to the side.  

There was also bike riding and playing in the creek.  The creek was quite deep by the end of our trip.

Just hanging out with one another was relaxing and enjoyable.

We always gather together on Sunday mornings for a time of worship and in the word.  Some other families not in our group joined us.

The rain did not come until after our Sunday morning gathering.  Finally it cleared up late in the afternoon and we hit the swim beach.

Check out Drake's back flip!

Sunday night we were finally able to keep a campfire going to make s'mores and listen to some "scary stories."

Here's the story about how the state park got its name:

We will definitely return to Hungry Mother. Rain or shine, it makes for a great time. Until next time....