3 days away

It's that time of the year. Winter is lasting forever---and we all needed a break. So we went away for some R & R...(just the 9 of us!) I guess it's safe to say there really wasn't exactly a lot of laid-back, do-nothing kind of R & R for the adults in the family...but it was something different for a few days...and it really was a lot of fun! We all needed this little break.

Our destination was 4 hours away...to the southern end of our state. Just because we went south, doesn't mean it was warmer, because it was just as cold down at the southern end as the northern part...but we did enjoy tropical-like climate in the pool area of the motel.

Our motel, part of a popular chain, was very family friendly...perfect for our brood. It wasn't crowded and much of the time we had the pool and hot tub to ourselves.

Shasta came along with us, since Jon's home was only about 30 miles from the town we stayed in. Jon spent one day with us at the motel, visiting and swimming. We also made the trek out to Jon's farmhouse. Jon is in the process of remodeling the kitchen for he and Shasta, and so it was fun to see the house and hear of the plans the two of them have. It's a sweet little farmhouse, a bit of a fixer-upper, with several outbuildings and a large barn, all situated within the acreage of his family's large farm.

The next several photographs, below, chronicles our little 3-day-trip.

Overall, we all had a great time. It's always a treat to get away and come home feeling a bit more refreshed.

(Thank you, Lord, for this opportunity and for blessing us in so many ways)