Isn't she the cutest?!?!?!

Gauley River Trip 2006

This weekend I had the extreme pleasure of spending some time in West Virginia with some friends from camp. The six of us (Andy, Brittany, Chris, Phil, Rob and I) arrived in Bradley WV around 5:30pm (eastern time) at Appalachian Bible College. We got to our tents and unpacked and got some dinner. As Brittany and I got our beds set up we were both really thankful that we had each other. After dinner we got to hang out and had started a campfire when it began to rain again...we moved our devotions into the guys tent. Andy presented us with some good questions to think about while we were on this trip. He encouraged us to take time to reflect and spend time with God. And be re-energized and re-fueled.

Friday morning we were up early and had a great egg breakfast prepared by Andy on our cool outdoor stove. After breakfast we got ready to meet our river guide for the day, Gabe. We stopped by ABC's new high ropes course to check it out. Just walking up to the 2 level course was so cool. After that we got our gear for the trip. We got our life jacket, paddle, helmet and wetsuit. The trip to the river was about 40 minutes. We stopped to have lunch before getting into the water. As we walked our raft down to the drop in point on the Lower Gauley, we were all getting excited. Our 13 mile trip on the lower Gauley was pretty intense. A lot of level 3 to level 5 rapids. And this was to prepare us for our trip to the Upper Gauley the following day. At one point, I believe on the upper or lower staircase (the name of a rapid), our raft flipped. Now Gabe had explained what to do before each rapid if the raft flipped. As it flipped, I was caught underneath the raft. I had an air supply but I knew I needed to get out from underneath. After struggling for a what seemed like minutes, I swam out from under the raft. I looked to my left and saw my sandal floating away. I also saw Brittany nearby. The current and waves were too strong for me and I ended up getting carried away and I also started to panic. Something you just don't want to do in the rapids. After Gabe got the raft flipped upright, Andy threw me the rope bag and pulled me back in. As I laid over the side of the raft just trying to catch my breath I couldn't believe what I had just experienced. It's funny how in an instant situations change. One minute I was laughing and having fun and then the next I was gasping for air not able to swim up current and terrified that I would not be able to get back to the raft. Our trip on the Lower Gauley was hard but only a fraction of what we were to experience the next day.

After getting back to ABC and taking a very long and hot shower, we had an amazing steak dinner prepared by Andy. We went to Starbucks to visit Gabe and to just hang out. When we came back we had devotions again in the guy's tent because it was raining and we talked about our experiences that day. We talked about what we had learned and how it related to our life.

The next morning we were up before the sun was up and on our way to the Upper Gauley. This time we had 18 more rafters and a group of trainee guides with us. We had 5 rafts all together. This fact alone made me feel more comfortable. The drop in for the Upper Gauley was a lot different from the lower drop in point. Once you got into the raft you were on your way down the river. At the lower drop in, we had to paddle for a while to get to the rapids. On the upper there are six class 5 rapids. These are the most extreme and dangerous. And we conquered them all without falling out of the raft. Don't get me wrong, we did flip the raft again...but it was later on down the river. We also had time to jump in the river and swim and we even got a chance to jump off a rock cliff. The whole experience on Saturday was just amazing. The steam coming off the warm water, the changing colors of the trees, the sun making it's way through the clouds, all just really cool things to see and experience.

We got back to ABC and had some dinner and decided to pack up and leave that night. All of us decided that it would be easier to drive through the night and get home rather than staying another night in the cold and rain and leaving on Sunday morning. I got home around 5:15 this morning and was asleep by 5:32am. I slept until 10:45 and then got up and showered and got to relax. I even got to see my niece and hang out with her.

I am so thankful that I was able to take off of work and get out of my element for a few days. Being out in the open and in nature was good. Even though it was chilly and rainy for most of the weekend, it was still a great time. Just getting away and not having a computer or internet and turning off my phone for the weekend was good for me. I'm still learning things from the trip and I'm still re-living the rapids in my mind. I can't wait to go back and raft some more.

Cuddle Time!!!

One of my most favorite things to do is cuddle!! Not so much in the summer or when it's hot and humid because then I'm just antsy. But in the cooler days of fall and the cold days of winter, I could spend all day cuddling. Tonight after dinner with Joe, Libby, Mom and Dad, I got to have some cuddle time with my niece. She is such a cuddler and I LOVE IT!!!! So much so that I dozed off a few times while holding her. My brother decided to snap this pic while I dozed off...I can't believe she's already 4 weeks old!! Although she won't officially be a month old until Tuesday, it's just crazy that time has gone by so fast!!

Another one of my favorite things is hearing the leaves crunch when I drive over them. Even though I would have to say that winter is my favorite season, fall can be cool too. Days like today where the sun was out, the sky was blue and not a cloud in sight and a nice temperature in the 70s is my kind of weather. I like to see the leaves change colors and see them fall to the ground. One of my favorite memories of fall was raking the leaves with my brother and then jumping in the 3ft tall pile with him. Another memory that comes to mind is when Katie and Laurie and I used to make a leaf house and play in it. How did we make a house out of leaves?? Really it was like a giant blue print on the grass and then we would just pretend that we had walls and doors and windows and play in our leaf house for hours on end. Sometimes I wish I could go back to those simpler times when I didn't have bills to pay, I didn't have to go to work, and all I really had to worry about was playing with friends.

Mom and I went to church today and Mike Breaux talked about getting your priorities straight and about taking time to be with your family and mainly making sure that you are making time for your Father. He suggested that people take mini-vacations everyday. Taking time for you can be beneficial not just to you, but to all of your relationships. Even though I think I have my priorities straight, I know that they fall out of line sometimes. I think that's true for everyone. We get involved in so many different things to fill up our life and to take up our time, and even though many of those things may be church related, we need to make sure that we are taking time to be refreshed and that we're taking time to just be with God. Just hanging out on the porch with Him. I am so thankful for the wonderful family that God has given me and for the wonderful relationships He has blessed me with. And as for my mini-vacation today?? Rocking my niece (and myself) to sleep. Perhaps the most peaceful I've been all week. Thanks Josey...Love you baby girl!!

4 weeks

Here's me and little Josey relaxing in the rocking chair...I can't believe it's been 4 weeks already!!!