Dan River Tubing

 

With Olivia at UNCG's Music Camp, we decided to do something fun with the rest of the kids. We went tubing on the Dan River! We brought our friends' son, Jonathan, along with us.

Everyone got their own tube and we brought a rope to tie everyone together so we wouldn't get separated.

It was such a peaceful ride. With the spring rains well behind us, the water level was a little low in places, but still high enough to make the trip at a leisurely pace.

We paid a little extra to bring a raft for our lunch cooler.

There were several places along the river where we could stop and explore the shore and river without the tubes.

There were some really cool areas where the rock formations along the shore were overhanging the river.

Some of them had neat holes worn in them. We kept expecting to see something come crawing out of them.

After 3 hours, we finally reached the end and climbed back out of the river. This is something we really need to do next year!

Camp Mashiach 2019

Camp Mashiach is a weeklong summer camp for Messianic teens and youth. Rebecca has been the camp nurse there for the last couple of years, but this was my first time going. 

This year, they moved from their previous location in Tennessee to a retreat center outside Cherokee, NC. Apparently, though there are hills, they're nothign like the last place. 

The kids had such a great time playing games, doing devotions, worshiping, and taking part in various activities together.

There were various theme nights where the kids dressed up in silly outfits.

This year, the boys got to come along and participate in the wolf cub group. they learned all kinds of neat survival skills.

Even the parents got in on the action!

It was so great for the kids to get to spend time with other kids who share their faith in Yeshua and in keeping the Torah. Looking forward to next year!

Great Wolf Lodge - May 2019

Going to the Great Wolf Lodge has become a tradition for us and the kids. We love it because we can all fit in one room, weather isn't an issue, and staying one night gives us two full days of fun at a water park. 

It's especially fun to see the little ones as they are becoming more independent in the water. Neither of them is afraid of diving right in and swimming around. They wear life vests, but dont really need them much any more because they're both getting stronger in their swimming. 

A new thing we got this time that I think will be a new tradition is the big bucket sundae. It's just big enough to satisfy this horde. It certainly doesn't last long! 

Already looking forward to our next trip!

Epic Hanging Rock Hike

While the big kids were away at MTYC, Rebecca and I took the littles on a hike in Hanging Rock State Park. 

There's a trail that going past two waterfalls, Hidden Falls and Window Falls. The trial keeps going after that, and since the hike to the falls was fairly short, we decided to keep going to see where it led. Little did we know...

 Of course the falls were gorgeous. 

  

  

There were lots of creeks to cross, so Rebecca and I would pop our shoes and socks off, load a little on our backs and carry them across. 

  

Along the way, we found several spots where there were dozens of little blue butterflies all gathered together. Not sure if they were getting water or just resting, but they were pretty.

 Eventually we reached the end of the trail: The Dan River. Unfortunately, there was only one way back... the way we came. 

 So off we went. 

  The girls kept up good spirits throughout the hike, not complaining at all.

 Fortunately, there were some places to rest.

 Eventually, we crossed all the creeks again and got close to the end. I ran on ahead to get the car started and be ready to load the kiddos while they rested a few more times before climbing the long set of steps back up.

 Our strong girls! Still happy, even at the end.

 My phone died just before I made it back, but it was a total of 9 miles that those girls hiked! 

 No wonder they were so exhausted on the ride home...

But they certainly woke up quickly enough when we stopped to get froyo!