This past weekend Matthew and I traveled to Gatlinburg for the annual marriage conference that our church small group hosts each January. We were invited to attend last year and it was such a life changing weekend for us that we knew we wanted to attend again if the invitation was offered to us. It was and we did and once again we came away with a marriage that was changed, renewed and strengthened in so many ways. There were 27 couples who attended and I think I can speak for all of them when I say that we all came home with a completely different outlook on our marriages. I think we can also all agree there is no such thing as a perfect marriage and that there is always room for improvement.
My Mom came up from Tallahassee to watch Kyndall for us on Wednesday and on Thursday we met at Julie and Travis's house and headed to East Tennessee.
We had a different cabin this year but it was just as beautiful as the one from last year's trip
We are all night owls so we had some late nights full of LOTS of laughs!
When you give your camera to your crazy friend, you end up with a bunch of crazy pictures.....
Our mornings started bright and early with a group session led by our Pastor and his wife, followed by break out sessions where we separated into girls and guys for a time of discussion and sharing. There was SO much wisdom and encouragement poured into us during these sessions. They were truly eye opening for all of us.
Audra, Mitzi, Mike and Jordan
Love these girls!
Our small group leader Mitzi with our Pastor's wife, Audra. I have no words for the amount of respect and admiration I have for these two women and the way they love and serve alongside their husbands.
By noon each day our sessions were over and we were free to enjoy Gatlinburg. On Friday a bunch of us ended up at Mellow Mushroom for lunch....
It was raining and COLD on Friday but we still braved the horrible weather and spent some time exploring Gatlinburg
Beautiful views from the balcony of our cabin
Since the weather was less than cooperative, much of the group converged at our cabin Saturday afternoon for game time
Award for most entertaining game player goes to Mitzi!
Every year during the retreat one evening is strictly reserved as date night. Each couple is encouraged to have a one-on-one dinner with their spouse and to eliminate all distractions in order to simply spend time talking with and enjoying the company of one another. We were given a list of conversation questions to discuss over dinner which was very enlightening. I can't remember the last time we sat down and talked without cell phones or kids or time constraints. It was much needed and something we hope to do more often in our own marriage.
Julie and Travis before their date
And then there's us.....
Love my date!
After date night we headed back to the cabin for more fun with our friends. My stomach is literally sore from laughing so much this weekend! I don't even remember what was so funny but I love this next series of pictures of me and my girls. Love them so much!
Not sure what I'd do without these two right here!
Group pictures in our matching t-shirts on Saturday morning....
(Me and Matthew are behind the C!)
Just the girls....
Just the guys.....
Saturday the weather was much nicer (still freezing, but no rain!) so we had lunch at No Way Jose's and did some more exploring and some shopping
Lauren might have enjoyed her chocolate just a little too much...
Saturday night we ventured into Pigeon Forge for dinner at Paula Dean's!
It's a well known fact that Lauren is completely obsessed with Paula. Like...so obsessed that she actually wanted Paula in the delivery room for Gavin's birth. Her love for PD runs deep!
She thought she had died and gone to butter Heaven....
Even with a reservation we still had to wait a few hours so we walked around Pigeon Forge's newest attraction, "The Island".
Waiting for our dinner....always laughing!
This was also Grace the liver's 16 month anniversary so I rewarded her with a delicious splurge, including dessert in the form of ooey gooey butter cake.
Dinner was beyond yummy. I think I could eat Paula Dean's fried chicken for the rest of my life and never grow tired of it. We all left miserably full and I most definitely cheated on my weight loss challenge but it was sooo worth it!
On our last night the girls played games while the guys watched football. Again, my cheeks and my stomach HURT from laughing so much! I love my people.
Sunday morning we woke up to the beautiful sight of snow covering the trees and the rooftops. We had our third and last teaching session before packing up to make the drive back to West Tennessee.
I sure did miss this face while we were gone and she was very happy to see us, especially since we came bearing gifts in the form of gourmet candy and stuffed animals!
Matthew and I learned so much this weekend and we are eternally thankful for the way that these leaders pour their wisdom and love into us and our marriage. I am also thankful for my husband who adores me and loves me despite my many faults. God knew exactly what I would need when He gave me Matthew.
Just two weeks after returning from this very same retreat last year, I was unexpectedly put in the hospital for a very serious complication with my brand new liver. I remained there for several weeks and I can say without a doubt that if it had not been for this retreat and the things we learned, we may not have made it through that most difficult time. Hopefully nothing like that will happen this year but if it does, I know that we have the wisdom and the strength to carry on thanks in part to what we took away from this weekend. I love looking back at the past year and realizing how much we've grown and matured in our marriage. When we attended this retreat at the beginning of January we had no idea that 2015 would throw us some of the biggest challenges of our entire marriage. God knew we needed it. We have now kicked off 2016 in the same way and though I don't know what our future holds, I know that challenges and difficulties are inevitable. Come what may, I'm thankful that we took the time to recharge ourselves and refresh our marriage by spending a weekend soaking in Godly wisdom and counsel from people who care about us and want to see us living out God's perfect will for our lives.
Kyndall and I are so blessed and thankful. Matthew would do anything for his girls.
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