vacation

Our Christmas Gift to Each Other

Posted by Barbara Techel

ab3cd6_b129ce9b2e724efa8aba8a88de4da53a.jpg_srz_p_350_233_75_22_0.50_1.20_0.00_jpg_srzTwo weeks ago I began dreaming, not of sugar plums dancing in my head, but of escaping to a bed and breakfast for the holiday season.

I didn’t mention it to John, but was secretly looking online for a place we could stay that would allow pets. I found this darling little place recognized as one of the top 10 resort inns in America. It is about three hours from where we live.

There was one room left — the Garden suite. Oh, how lovely it would be to get away, I thought.

About two days later some friends stopped over before they left for a two week vacation to Hawaii. Somehow the idea of getting away for the holiday came up and John said, “That would be fun to do something.”

Well, I jumped at that opening!  I said, “Really? I was thinking the same thing.” Grinning I said, “I was secretly looking and found something, but there is only one room left.”

He said, “Book it!”

It is meant to be and the anticipation has been building ever since. We have often talked about going away over the holidays, but somehow we just never made it happen. This is the year we are doing it! Yay!

We are looking so forward to this special time away. Gidget will go with us, while Kylie will be snug and cozy at home with my dad taking care of her. As much as I’d love to have Kylie come along, she really is much happier in her own environment.

So Christmas Day we will be packing our suitcases and getting ready to head out the next morning for the weekend. I’ll be sure to take pictures so I can share when we return.

As always, feel free to leave a comment…

Missing the Blue Ridge Mountains. Carrying them in My Heart.

Posted by Barbara Techel

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Wisconsin mountain?

The last 12 days of my sabbatical were spent on vacation in Asheville, NC.  I’m not missing the hustle and bustle of Asheville, but I am missing the Blue Ridge Mountains. I did take a couple of pictures of the mountains, but they just don’t do them justice.  One has to see them in person to truly experience how magnificent they truly are.

I saw the mountains in Tennessee and Vermont during our last two vacations. Each time I see them, they speak to my soul. I feel home. Maybe that sounds odd. But they make me feel safe, strong and protected all at the same time.

I actually had to prepare my heart for the departure from North Carolina as we got in the car last Wednesday knowing I would only see the mountains for a few more hours as we began our journey northeast again.

Late yesterday afternoon sitting at the kitchen table, I glanced out the front door and caught this view above of the clouds.  I said, “Look, John, a mountain!”  The cloud had the prettiest blue tint to it and the shape seemed to me a mountain of sorts. I was reminded that even though I couldn’t bring the mountains home to Wisconsin, I can always carry them in my heart.

I can call upon the feeling of what they did for my soul anytime I want. It also reminds me of loss too.  That even though I may not have my beloved Frankie and Joie with me any longer, I can recall the love and light they brought to my life.  That lives forever in my heart.  As will the mountains.