Happy Thanksgiving!

This Thanksgiving I am looking forward to some down time with my family.  There have been many days lately when I have wondered, did God intend for us to be THIS busy?  We are involved in many activities, which is a blessing in itself, but are we supposed to be run ragged?  Recently, my daughter was in a community theater production of Annie.  It was a wonderful experience that she (and we) will cherish forever. 

Professional headshots were scheduled after one of the play rehearsals, which we couldn't do because we were already late for a football game.  Thankfully, makeup pictures were scheduled on a Tuesday night.  After I got my daughter home from tennis, I rushed to get her bathed and beautiful.  My husband came home from work early to keep our other child.  We said hello in passing, and my daughter and I raced out the door and drove 30 minutes to the location to discover... there was no photo shoot.  The pictures were to be taken the Tuesday after this one.  Between my phone and my calendar at home, HOW DID I MANAGE TO MESS THIS UP? 

Well, I have a pretty good idea.  Between church, and school, and dance, and gymnastics, and tennis, and play practice, and life in general, a girl is allowed to have Mommy brain once in a while.  Perhaps the real lesson here is that we need to SLOW down. 

My daughter asked if we could go to dinner or shopping since we had driven all that way, but it was a school night and we already had dinner ready at home.  So, I turned around and we headed back.  Thankfully, we got home just in time to relax on the back deck a little while before the sun went down, which is where I wanted to be all along.

This Thanksgiving I am going to relax and enjoy special moments with my family.  We all have so much to be grateful for.  In the words of Colossians 3: 15-16 below, I will strive for peace, thankfulness, wisdom and gratitude.  Happy Thanksgiving friends!

Colossians 3:15-16
New International Version (NIV)
¹⁵ Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. ¹⁶ Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.

If you want to go camping...

If you want to get away and enjoy this beautiful fall weather with your family, try camping at Oconee State Park. It might be the best $20 bucks you have ever spent.  My family has stayed there many times, and we have always left renewed, refreshed and relaxed.  You just might put down your cell phone for a few days.... and you will have to because the cell service is terrible except for at the park store. 

From the ponds and walking trails, to the playgrounds and putt-putt course you don't even have to leave the property to enjoy the outdoors. 

Go check out the old water wheel and play a game of checkers with bottle caps for playing pieces. 

Even the park store is inviting with coffee and snacks, souvenirs and rocking chairs.

There are several trails located right on the property.  Children will also enjoy just a walk around the lake, where you can rent a paddle boat or go fishing.  

You can book a tent site for about $20 a night.  For those of you who have never been camping, let me enlighten you on State Park camping.  They have bathrooms and showers!  Now, I would recommend wearing your flip flops but really they aren't so bad.  Your tent site is literally 30 feet from your neighbor so it's not like you are out in the woods all alone, which is what I imagined years ago when David first took me camping.  I mean, I was a Girl Scout!  I went to church camp!  But still, I had never experienced camping like this before.

If camping is not for you, they have cabins!  They are RUSTIC, but there is a kitchen, bathroom, and HEAT!  Plus, outside you still have a picnic table and fire pit so you can at least pretend like you are roughing it.  Cabins start at $85 a night.  Take note, if Clemson has a home game they will be booked early. 

If you are lucky, you might just catch a real, live square dance and clogging showcase like we did on our recent trip!  The girls loved watching the performance, and it was a quintessential way to end the day.  We walked back to our site to start the camp fire for our hobo dinners.  What's a hobo dinner, you ask?  You just put hamburger meat, carrots, potatoes and onions in heavy duty tin foil and throw them into the fire.  What you wind up with is pure campfire deliciousness.  And no camping meal is ever complete without s'mores for dessert. 

The next morning it was drizzling, but we ventured out, just a few miles down the road to visit Stumphouse Tunnel and Issaqueena Falls.  Construction of this railway tunnel was halted during the Civil War and, despite efforts, never picked up again.  Your kids will think it is really cool, and maybe a little scary, to walk into this huge, dark tunnel.  Bring a flashlight if you like. 

Just around the corner is the entrance to Issaqueena Falls.  My children are fascinated with the legend of the Indian maiden who tricked her pursuers into thinking she jumped to her death over the waterfall, while she was hiding under a ledge.  You can easily walk over to see the view from the top of the falls.  More avid hikers may choose to work their way down to the bottom of the falls, and back up again.  We did not attempt it with two children in tow.

Then, it started to pour.  We followed the signs to a picnic area and were lucky to enjoy our lunch under a gazebo on a beautiful pond.

Another family-friendly waterfall in the area is Upper Whitewater Falls, located below Cashiers near the NC/SC line on NC Hwy 281.  It has a large parking lot with picnic tables and bathrooms.  A short walk on a paved sidewalk will take you to the viewing area.  From there you can take the steps down to a lower level for an even more incredible view of this powerful 411 foot-drop fall. 

We have also camped and rented cabins at Devil's Fork State Park, where you can relax on beautiful Lake Jocassee.  Once we rented a cabin in the summer and brought our pontoon.  The water is so clear you won't believe you are still in South Carolina.  David and his brother actually went SCUBA diving there.  The few houses on this lake are rustically charming and there are trickling waterfalls around every cove.

Now, to be perfectly honest, this year's camping trip was a total wash out!  So, if you have the flexibility, check the weather first!  Otherwise, we survived it and you can too.  Although it is an annual fall activity for our family, Oconee State Park is equally as busy in the summer months, when the ponds are bustling with activity.  Your kids will think they are on a great adventure and will LOVE every minute of it! 

  

Everything is "pinkalicious" on our American Girl store trip

Since we first purchased an American Girl doll for my daughter several years ago, I have been looking forward to taking her to the boutique in Georgia.  Although the dolls are a bit pricey, the memories, books and movies make them well worth it.   And as long as my little girl is interested in playing with dolls, I am going to support it :)  The American Girl Everything Pink Package at the Marriott in Alpharetta, GA, did not disappoint.  From the separate "pink carpet" check-in to the milk and cookies delivered to our room, it was a special experience. 

We made plans to go with another Mommy-daughter duo, which was perfect!  The girls looked forward to the trip all summer and scheduled playdates just to discuss packing!


 

The girls used their pink credit cards for some ice cream and tried out the indoor and outdoor pools and hot tub.  We retired to our "pinked out" room to order pizza and await the cookie delivery.  Just staying in a hotel room is a fun adventure!  So you know, the room is just a standard hotel room but it has been dressed up with pink bedding, bean bag, trash can, alarm clock, etc.  Also, there are pink robes for the girl and her doll and you get to take home an official American Girl Doll travel bed.  I think they should throw in some pink robes for the mamas too, but anyway....

Since we had two girls in the room, we paid a fee for the additional "Everything Pink Package," which allowed us to have another "free" doll bed.  All in all, our total was about $400 (or $200 each).  In the morning we enjoyed a full breakfast at the hotel.  We were seated at a pink table, of course.  The girls had their juice in fancy glasses and were served hot chocolate with whipped cream on top.  The breakfast bill would have been $50, so subtract that from the room cost = savings!

Next it was time to head to the American Girl Boutique and Bistro in North Point Mall in Alpharetta, Georgia!

We arrived right after the store opened and headed straight to the salon to make a hair appointment... for the doll.  We had a little time to look around before our appointment time.  If your daughter enjoys looking through the American Girl catalogue as much as mine does, the store really makes everything come to life.  All of the countless items she had dog-eared in her catalogue were right there on display. 

 

 

At the salon, your child's doll can get her hair styled and her ears pierced.  Note that you will not be watching the ear piercing.  This was a little disappointing for my daughter, but they explained that a magic unicorn actually pierced her ears and he could not be seen.  She liked that idea, so all was forgiven. 

We put the items we were considering to buy on hold at the register and headed to lunch.  The Bistro is precious and the food is really good!  My daughter and I shared a starter and a main course and had plenty to eat.  And, of course, the dolls have a seat at the table with you.  Make your dining reservations ahead of time so you don't have to wait.  And let me say, there were a TON of birthday parties going on.  The place was packed. 

We made one more trip around the store and finalized our purchases.  What she didn't get, my daughter quickly added to her birthday and Christmas wish lists.  We loaded up the car with our bags, put on the newly purchased Isabelle movie for the girls, and headed home.  It was a very special mother-daughter trip that we will always remember.

We look forward to checking out the new American Girl store in Charlotte soon!  The grand opening was October 11, 2014.  Hopefully, the Marriott will offer an Everything Pink Package there too.  If not, you could always bring some things from home to make your room "pinkalicious" :)  Has anyone been to the Charlotte store yet?