I don’t think I realized how much we needed this trip.

We hit the ground running when we moved to PCB last September. While our time between then and now has been sweet and filled with nothing but good things, it has been a very full season for our family. The first few months included adjusting to a new location, settling into a new home, countless meetings for Ethan, and getting to know our new church family. We also jumped into homeschooling, and Ethan made the final stretch to complete his doctoral degree. We’ve also had a number of family members and friends either stay with us or visit. And while much of that list was simply for that season, this year has been filled with various speaking engagements and ministry opportunities outside of our area. Homeschooling gave us the flexibility to travel alongside Ethan, but these trips weren’t always restful.

A few months ago, we debated whether or not we should travel to Liberty University so Ethan could walk the aisle in cap and gown—this being more my desire for him than his, lol. Still, after evaluating the cost and time to get there, we decided a better investment would be a trip focused on our family recharging together. We found an affordable Airbnb in the mountains of Georgia, and this highly anticipated trip turned out to be everything we hoped and dreamed of! We had spotty cell phone service, which made for the perfect excuse to unplug from our phones and simply enjoy God and one another in His beautiful creation.

The week before the trip, we read weather reports that said it would rain all week. We decided we would make the best of it and packed our rain gear, but in God’s kindness, the weather shifted, and even while it was raining in the surrounding towns around us, our area remained untouched.

We hiked, made s’mores, played in the creek, picked wildflowers, read, painted, hung out in the hot tub, made delicious meals, went antiquing, and lost track of time.

My favorite parts were when Ethan taught us all various survival skills like how to chop wood, start a fire, make a shelter, and forage edible plants. For so many years, we haven’t taken advantage of his background and experience in survival, but our kids are finally at an age where they are excited to learn and grow in this knowledge. Watching Ethan teach our kids and seeing their excitement as they put their knowledge into practice made me fall more in love with him than before. It’s one thing to be gifted in the myriad of ways that he is, but it’s another to have the strength, character, and faith that he does.

While we were sad to say goodbye to the mountains, we arrived back home with some incredible memories and deeper bonds than before. Praise be to God!

A few have asked where we stayed. This is the Airbnb. Christian and Jen were incredible hosts who truly thought of everything and showed incredible hospitality. Please note: We don’t recommend this trip for smaller kids (as the creek is freezing and the rocks are slippery.) Also, there is no cell phone service driving through the mountains so you need to download your own maps and be ready for steep and windy roads. :)