Mountain Trip

I recently went on a trip to the mountains. This is the second time we have gone during spring break so I think that means we have started a yearly ritual. There are six of us that drove up to Blue Ridge, Ga. Bill has a cousin that has a beautiful mountain home up there. She graciously invites us up to share in the beauty of the mountains and it is truly a retreat from the daily problems we face as women. We get together before we go and plan our meals. Each of us is responsible for one meal while we stay. It is really nice that you prepare one breakfast or dinner and then get to pretend you are at a Bed and Breakfast the rest of the time you are there. Well, I decided to drive my car up, because I can get seven people in it when I put up the third row seats. So, when we went into Blue Ridge or Murphy I could get everybody in one car. Driving meant I would have to drive through downtown Atlanta. This is always a challenge for me. I was driving through Atlanta a few days after Christmas when it began snowing and sleeting, so I knew this couldn't be worse than that. Well, I shouldn't have been so quick to speak, we had rain almost all the way there, but when we got into Atlanta it was just drizzling. I was making good time in the diamond lane, I love the diamond lane. Then all of the sudden a taxi came barreling right in front of me slamming on his brakes. The other car full of ladies was right behind me. Thank God I was paying attention and thank God, Vicki had gotten her brakes worked on before we left home. When I looked in my rear view mirror I saw a car with the hood up trying to make its way into the diamond lane. The hood had popped up while the car was traveling at about 60 miles and hour and they slammed on brakes and started swerving and that is why the cab had ended up in my lane. When my heart finally slowed down and came out of my throat we continued following the diamond trail through downtown Atlanta. We arrived at Jan's about 4;00 in the afternoon. It was so good to be there and it was so beautiful on Soaring Eagle Mountain. We all settled in and picked out a room. Jan always says pick any room you want. I always pick hers and we get a good laugh and then I go to my usual spot upstairs. We ate and drank for the rest of the evening. We laughed and caught up with each others lives. Carolyn was expecting her first grandchild, Jan waiting to hear about getting a home in Jax. Charlotte telling us about her grandchildren, Charlene's trip to Italy, Sylva moving into her new home on the river, and Vicki's dancing granddaughter. We tried to stay away from tough subjects after all that is why we were here, to rest our bodies and minds. There was a lot of talk of diets and calories,as we ate blueberry pancakes, grits casseroles, apple pie and lots of other fabulous food. We visited Blue Ridge and Murphy, but the best day was when we hung out at the pavilion by Jan's house. I got a happy log to get a fire started at the fire pit and we just sat around it and had a glass of wine. Vicki and Charlotte went down a ladder beside the pavilion and climbed down the side of the mountain holding onto a rope tied to a tree at the top of the hill. They made it back safely and we got some great pictures. Sometimes it is just fun to be a kid, but some of us just enjoy seeing someone be a kid especially when you have bad knees or hips. Getting old sucks....Too soon it was time to pack up and go home. It is hard to leave the tranquility of the mountains and head back into the flatlands of problems. But at least I am more rested and ready to take on whatever is ahead. God has blessed me with good friends and a loving family. He is with us through the good and the bad, I saw him in the beauty of those mountains, but I also see him in the faces of my beautiful friends and family. Thank you God for loving me....