Beginning of fall break includes eating and climbing!

Monday was our first day of fall break and Maynard didn't have to work so we racked our brains for something to do.  We headed south and ended up at McCloud Mountain restaurant.  We have heard a lot about it and thought it would be a perfect day to go try it out.  We were not disappointed.

Picture of the restaraunt

For some reason it wouldn't accept the format of my pictures so the only way it would work was to screenshot it so that is why you are getting the big black box around it.  I hate that, but it's the only way it will work for now.

Our view from the table.  Amazing.  It was like sitting on a cloud while you ate dinner.

My selfie. lol

We went right at lunch time so the prices were very reasonable.  However, if you do plan on going for supper it's going to cost you a lot more.  Like a lot.  Like, you won't see me there for supper.  It's also a good idea to go during daylight time so that you can concentrate on your driving because you do drive up, up, up, up a mountain and there are lots of curves to navigate.  Also, the view is amazing and I'm not sure how well you would be able to see everything at night.
After we ate, we went out the walkway to take it all in and got a few pics.  Again, bear with the screenshots.

We were really glad we went and enjoyed the breathtaking view.  The leaves are changing colors and it was just beautiful.  I really recommend you taking your family there before they close for the season.

After we left there we headed for Pineville, KY and went to Chain Rock Park.  We took a wild hair and decided to go on a hike to see the chain rock.  It wasn't a too bad hike at first because we were walking downhill most of the time.  There were lots of steps to navigate and a bit of rough terrain at times.  We made it to the end of the trail and didn't see Chain rock anywhere.  We were a bit confused until we looked up and realized that part of our hike included climbing up a rock and then the trail continued.  Well, that wasn't going to happen.  Ha Ha.  I completely freaked.  I didn't know how safe the climb would be and I had 3 little to people to account for.  So they kiddos were disappointed they walked all that way and didn't get to see the actual Chain Rock.  Let me tell you about our climb back up the trail.  You know?  The one where it was mainly downhill all the way to the end.  Yeah well the opposite of down is up.  Too bad I wasn't thinking about that while we happily walked down the trail.  It was a rough one.  I was very thankful me and the kids had been walking and wasn't too bad out of shape so it wasn't unbearable, but we were thankful for the park benches at the top of every hill for a quit break in between climbs.  We finally made it back to the car and collapsed!

Our stragglers we had to keep waiting on.

View from top of Chain Rock mountain.

After our hike the kids were famished.  We stopped at Pizza Hut and shared a pizza,  Then drove next door and got us an ice cream cone.  We had burned a lot of calories and felt like we deserved it.

I am happy to have days like this with my family.  I have great memories of family outings growing up and I want my kids to have special memories too of their family spending time together.

Amelia's anti-church stage

I was blessed with two wonderful boys.  Then I found out I was expecting again.  And guess what I hoped for?  A girl!!  And guess what I got?  A girl!!

Never in my life did I realize that having a girl would be so much different then my boys.  I'm telling ya!  She is a spitfire!!!!

My darling daughter is the most stubborn thing I have ever seen.  Don't get me wrong.  I am absolutely crazy about her, but she is something else.

When my boys were her age they asked, "Is today a church day?"  Then they would be so disappointed if I told them "no."  If it was a church day they were so excited and couldn't wait to get there.  Amelia is so traumatized about going to church that she asks me every day if it is a church day.  Sometimes, she will ask me more than once.  She absolutely does not want to go to church.  I'm not sure what the deal is.  Usually once I get her there she is happy to see everyone and she will shout more than anyone there.  We had a revival a couple weeks ago.  It was only Thurs-Sunday.  Imagine if it were all week. Ha  She would start crying when I took the clothes out of the closet to start to iron.  Her famous phrase was: "WE GO TO CHURCH ALL DAY!!! or "ALL DAY WE GO TO CHURCH!!!!"

She managed surviving revival.  Even though we went to church twice on Sunday.  Oh, the agony!!

The next week was Bond campmeeting and we went on Wednesday night, much to her dismay.  She whined and complained the whole time we were there.  She was hot.  She was cold.  Her shoes hurt.  This church takes too long.  The only way I could get her to hush was to promise her we would go in the fellowship hall and eat afterwards.  That was seriously the only way we made it through the service.  As soon as it was over and we were heading to the fellowship hall she got excited and said, "That was good preaching wasn't it, Momma?  That didn't take long, did it?"  She was cracking me up because that is not how she was feeling a few minutes prior.

The next day was a Thursday night and a regular church night for us. 

"WHAT?"

Yes, Amelia.  We are going to church, again.
And guess what?  Friday after dropping the boys off at school, I drove back to Bond and went to the morning service to hear Bro. Joey Height.  I think he is awesome and I really wanted to hear him preach and that was my last chance.  Believe it or not, Amelia wasn't too upset.  She was a bit addled at first, but she finally decided she didn't have a choice in the matter.


Things have slowed down.  Revival is gone and campmeeting is over.  Tomorrow is a regular church tonight.  I'm so curious how she will handle it when she sees me dragging the iron board back out.

I'm really hoping that this is just a stage and she will eventually realize that church is a BIG part of our life and she will just have to get used to that. 

My boys have a deep love for church.  They love everything about it.  I can only keep praying that God will put that love down in her heart and she won't grow up to be resentful of church.

I really think that most of her not wanting to go to church is that she doesn't want to sit still.  She wants to do what Amelia wants to do.  Maynard has been stepping in and helping me corral her.  She knows not to make eye contact with him, because he will make her go sit on the front pew with him and well she would just rather be hog tied!!

I think I may have her memorize this verse:  I was glad when they said unto me; Let us go unto the house of the Lord!!!

Believe it or not, all smiles before church because she liked her outfit.

 

 

 

Last night of revival.  She slept like this all through the preaching and I had to wake her up after church.