Lake Junaluska

We spent the last half of the week up in the NC mountains for Drew’s work meeting, called Annual Conference. 

The only news of interest before we left for annual conference was that I took Will to a ‘gym’ on Monday morning.  A local magazine put on a kids morning out at a local gym.  I don’t usually take just one kid to a fun event (I feel bad that the other didn’t get to join in) but last week I just decided to do it.  I’m thinking about putting the kids in gymnastics next fall so I thought this would be a fabulous (and free) way to check it out.  Little Man had a BLAST!  He literally jumped all over the gym, even when he wasn’t on a trampoline!  They (and I mean the couple hundred kids that showed up!) had the run of the place.  They could basically do any activity they wanted.  Will spent the most time on the long trampoline and in the big foam pits.  He really had so much fun and we are going to think pretty seriously about gymnastics in the fall! 

Drew left Tuesday afternoon for annual conference.  This is the big, yearly meeting for all the ministers in the Western North Carolina Conference.  Annual Conference is held at Lake Junaluska.  Drew rode up with a church member so that we didn’t have two cars up there.

Will and I picked Lindy up after school on Wednesday and we headed to the mall.  We ate lunch and then I let the kids play a little in the kids area.  It was actually the first time they have ever played in it and they did have fun.  We just never go to the mall.  I had thought about going to the park but it was so hot that I had to come up with an indoor plan.  We eventually loaded up and we headed out for Lake Junaluska ourselves.  It’s about a 3 hour drive.  We stopped one time for some ice cream and then traffic from a wreck but we made it safely. 

We stayed with our friend Katie for the 6th straight year at her parents’ house at Lake Junaluska.  We’ve stayed there as long as they have had their house.  (We actually stayed with Katie the year before when they lived near Lake Junaluska – so that makes 7 years that we’ve stayed with her).  Katie  is also a pastor in our conference.  She brings her kids Micah and Claire with her and it turns into a big family vacation for us.  The kids have stayed there for their entire existence.  They were in the womb in 2007, but they were there!  This makes the 4th year they have stayed there since they were born. 

Thursday morning Katie and I got up early and walked 3.5 miles around the lake while Drew watched the kids.  Late that morning we headed to the Waynesville Recreation Center with all our kids and we met up with another friend, Mary Allen and her three kids to go swimming.  It was such a great pool!  It was inside, so we didn’t have to lather anyone up, but it was perfect for our little kids.  It had the zero entry and the first section was only 1 foot deep.  It went up to 2 feet, 3 feet, and 4 feet deep but we mostly stayed in the 1 foot deep section because they had all these cool sprinklers.  I have never gone swimming by myself with the kids so I was a little nervous but this pool was great.  Lindy and Will loved it.  They had a blast with the sprinklers.  We all had a great time for about an hour and then the pool got shut down – by little Claire (Katie’s daughter).  Her swim diaper leaked and there was a poop explosion.  They had to shut the pool down for 8 hours to shock it with a ton of chlorine!  They did have a normal big pool that we decided we would try out.  I had just gotten life jackets on the kids and we were walking down the ramp to get in when they blew the whistle and told everyone we had to get out – because of thunder.  We ended up calling it a day with the swimming and headed home for naps.  Thursday night we ate dinner with our friends Richard and Kristen and Baby Buff on the way. 

Friday morning I walked the kids down to the big auditorium to see some friends.  We walked to the other side of the lake for lunch with some friends who had gotten commissioned (all part of the United Methodist process to being ordained).  We walked back after lunch and met up with Janice.  Mike and Janice were up there as delegates from Palmyra.  Janice and I played with the kids for awhile but then it started thundering so we headed up the hill to the house and got there just in time for a big old thunderstorm.  We waited for Mike and Drew to get done with the afternoon session and then we all headed out to dinner.   Friday evening Kris, Katie’s husband (and Drew’s old roommate from Divinity School) came up.

Saturday morning Katie and I got to walk around the lake again in the morning while the guys watched the kids.  We spent the morning getting ready and then went to eat lunch at Butts on the Creek – our favorite BBQ place in Maggie Valley.  Late Saturday afternoon I went to a bridal shower for a friend, Lauren, who is getting married in July.  The malfunctioning chocolate fountain was the entertainment for the party!  It might not have worked correctly but it was tasty! 

Today we got up and packed up and headed back down the mountain.  We hated to leave but Lindy Lou still has two more days of school.  She skipped school on Thursday and Friday so we could take our little mountain vacation.  A big meeting of Methodist ministers probably doesn’t sound like much fun, but it actually is!  It’s fun to catch up with friends you don’t see very often and Lake Junaluska is just so pretty.  Drew goes for the working part and the kids and I tag along for a vacation. 

We got home this afternoon and got everything unloaded and changed clothes and then headed out to a graduation party for a girl at church.  It was nice to not have to worry about cooking dinner tonight.  The kids were wired though.  They crashed tonight going to sleep!

Two more days of school and then we are officially free and on summer vacation.  I hope it goes FAST – I’m so ready to be done with school!!!!!

Waiting to play at Salem Gym.Can you see how hard he is laughing?  He had so much fun!A great picture of Drew and Lindy!The first night we got to the lake we went and fed the geese and ducks.Three of the four kids watching the train in the Terrace Hotel.The really cool Waynesville Recreation Center.Lindy LOVED this fountain and kept trying to drink it!Will was singing his favorite song in the car on the way to dinner!Pretty Lake Junaluska!Playing with Janice Friday afternoon.We saw our friends Drew and Vaughan.  Drew was a Duke student intern at our old church one summer.  See Drew, I told you I wouldn’t put this picture on Facebook  The kids slept in the same bed for the first time ever.  It was a king bed so I made them their own little sides.  They did amazingly well.  I really thought they would play and it might not work but they surprised us!Our annual front porch swing picture!Will and his buddy Micah!The best one of the four kids together!Lindy and Claire.  There is a little over a year difference in them.The annual Butts on the Creek picture!A Butts on the Creek collage!Lindy and Kris.  Swinging this morning before we went home.Our home away from home at Lake Junaluska.  This house is 98 years old!