A Beautiful Distraction

Has it ever taken a storm of beauty to slow you down and appreciate what you have and whom you have it with?

Early Friday morning, Evan and I loaded up our car and hit the road towards Gatlinburg, TN. We were blessed to end up with a mostly paid for trip to Deer Ridge Mountain Resort in the Smokey Mountains (a place in which I have many fond childhood memories). When we left Sumatanga, we were excited to have some down time a few hours away from home but sad because we were going to miss the most beautiful snow fall that Alabama has seen in quite some time. We talked on the way up the interstate about how great it would be to have snow while on our trip but we knew it was not in the forecast.

After arriving in Gatlinburg (a place where it and its surrounding towns have grown to be quite populated and gimmicky since my time there as a child) we met a few friends and sat down for a great meal of pancakes (apparently that is the thing to do while in Gatlinburg). As we chomped on mounds of sugary and fruit covered buttery fluff, we noticed snow coming down outside! We each hurriedly paid our bills and ran out to "frolic" (yes, this word was actually used and executed). After spending some time downtown, we headed our separate ways as Evan and I went to find our condo and check in. At this point, the snow had been nice but didn't look like it would turn out to be anything substantial or snow-angel worthy.

Our plans were to check in, check things out and then head back down the mountain for supper, groceries, shopping and sightseeing. Note to self: never go up a mountain when there is a chance of snow (even if there isn't a chance of snow, just pretend there is) without first stopping for food. We were welcomed to the resort with smiles and open arms and found our living quarters to be quite pleasing and comfortable. The next thing we saw was simply beautiful but not as comfortable: snow, ice and LOTs of it! Where had it come from? We had only been up the mountain for 30 minutes!

We were quickly informed that no cars would be going up or down the mountain (without tragedy at least) and for everyone to enjoy a self prepared meal made in their own kitchens and settle in for a relaxing time of beauty. All of this sounded like a perfect vacation. A perfect time of tranquility and togetherness; a perfect time to enjoy in each others company and enjoy a breathtaking view. There was only one problem: we had no food and there were still places to go and things to see. Now, I was under no illusion that Evan and I were going to starve (we had consumed a large number of pancakes earlier in the day) but we are two humans that like to eat and we had pretty much planned our vacation around food stops in town. At first thought, we were quite annoyed at the interruption of our plans.

So, we hesitantly visited the resorts vending machine and settled in with two bags of chips, a mountain dew and a Gatorade. The Opening Ceremony for the Olympic Games were on and we had plenty of time to relax and marvel at the show. Before we knew it, we found ourselves calm and without an agenda for the first time in a long time (maybe the first time since we have been married). We laughed as we crossed our fingers and called the pizza delivery place each hour on the hour (there was no reason not to hope right?). We opened all the blinds and watched the snow accumulate, we watched every TV in the place and sat on every piece of furniture just because we could, we napped, laughed and simply just were. It was amazing.

We were still snowed in when we woke up on Saturday morning and that was fine with us. We were getting hungry but the excitement of making a snow-angle, building a snow man and walking the snow covered trails was much greater! We hurried out of bed, dressed in our warmest clothes and ran out the door to be the first to pelt the other with a snow ball (I lost at this game). We saw parents playing outside with small children who were acting much like we were. It was great. We didn't rush to be anywhere (there was no point) and took the time to have fun. Pure, unplanned and timeless fun.

At noon we got the go ahead to go down the mountain. It was still slick but the roads had been scraped and they were drivable. Instead of getting straight in the car and starting another hectic agenda, we took our time getting ready, spent more moments looking at the beautiful mountains and then easily made our way to town to break our fast. We were more peaceful that afternoon while in town and found ourselves eager to get back to the serenity of the snowed in life. Instead of shopping or getting caught up in the hustle and bustle, we went to a closed park to walk in the snow for a few hours and then found a grocery store before returning to our temporary home (where we did not get snowed in again but we were prepared just encase). As soon as we were back on the mountain, we easily morphed back into the homebodies we were that morning and day before.

We were sad to leave Gatlinburg yesterday afternoon but I had learned a lesson. Instead of trying to make the quickest time record getting home to get back to life, we took our time and stopped where we wanted and cruised the roads at an easy pace while driving. Once we were home, I took more than just the usual glance at the house before running inside to start chores.

It is amazing what it takes for me to learn a lesson. I often get upset when my plans get distracted but how often do I need that distraction? How often do I need to realize that what I have is enough and to simply enjoy the beautiful surroundings God has blessed me with and be content. How many times do I expect Evan to keep up with every single thing I have put on our calendars instead of just taking joy in having him, his love and support that is at my side? I praise God for interrupting my plans of a busy trip, with eating and shopping stops from place to place, and showing me the glory that is found in slowing down, enjoying creation and having precious time with my husband.

It turns out that it WAS a perfect vacation. It was a perfect time of tranquility and togetherness and a perfect time to enjoy in each others company and enjoy a breathtaking view.