Our time in the mountains is winding down. Today we planned a Sunday drive in the Blue Ridge. Well as the saying goes…”The best laid plans…”

I haven’t had much time to write while in mountains. That is one of the issues with one’s husband being one of the owners. We did plan this as a working vacay to update the house with a multi-functional room. The house is large enough to be used for retreats and family reunions. So we are taking a large room and making it a “game room” for lack of a better term. While we’ve worked on outfitting the room we also fixed and cleaned out a bunch of other stuff.

I started a couple of posts that just didn’t have the time to gel (still working on them). So I am sharing my blessings from today. Time is so different on my own. I seem to fall into a natural rhythm for myself. Since we really don’t start until about eight o’clock in the morning (I’m usually at my desk by 7 a.m. in my Florida life), it’s nice to “sleep-in” till six or even {gasp} seven in the morning.

I can sit, sipping my coffee, and watch the river or read a bit as I make my breakfast. It is peaceful and not so rushed. Then we fly into the day with a “to do” list that seems to grow longer as needs arise. For Sunday we planned to go to church and breakfast. Then we would pick a direction and drive. We would find lunch and return. Taking in the scenery and stopping when something caught our eye.

Well that was the plan until…I got sick last night. Yesterday we went to one of my favorite places in Ashe County, The Ashe County Cheese Factory. They make wonderful cheeses and other items on site. It’s a wonderful place to visit. However, over the last year I have had to limit my dairy intake. This frustrates me since I love things like cheese and ice cream!

Well I was feeling pretty good physically so I had a few cheese curds in the afternoon, baked cheese (never had that before. Yum!) with dinner, and a small dish of gelato for dessert. Not good! About 2:30 this morning, my digestive system had had enough. I could have done any one of these items. But all three was more than my body could handle.

This led to my sleeping in and staying at the house. After some coaxing, my husband went to church. Then he went to the store to get the fixings for chicken and vegetable soup. I had to slow myself down and focus on getting my physical self re-settled into its normal routine.

What did I learn? I learned when traveling and juggling my schedule to something different, keep my diet on track. There are enough things to throw me off physical management. I don’t need to throw my body completely off chemically. Make sure I rest. And most important, God still blesses me when I’m off track.

Here’s what happened. After a restful breakfast, I watched the mass on EWTN. Through listening to the homily and prayer I found a piece of wisdom I needed to complete one of the posts I’m struggling with (a lesson I am working to understand). I made my soup and had it for lunch. Afterwards, I felt much better. So much so that I was flipping through some local interest info and found the Cascades Waterfall on the Blue Ridge Parkway (mile post 271, in case you’re in the area 😉 ) not far from here.

We took a couple of hours and went to the falls. It is about a thirty minute hike to the Cascades and back. We were blessed as God brought enjoyment into my life. It was not what I had planned…It was what He had planned.

Enjoy God’s plans for you!

Milly

P.S: Shameless family plug:  If you are looking for a large vacation rental in the Blue Ridge Mountains, check out the Grand River Lodge at http://www.4seasonsvacations.com/vacation/all/detailpage/128/grand-river-lodge-crumpler-nc