Jon's Stay-cation

So, Jon had to take some vacation time or else he was going to lose it. We talked about going to Illinois to visit his family (which we usually do over the 4th of July holiday), but I said, "Pretty please can't we stay home and do some fun things in Georgia that we haven't been able to do yet?" So, I talked him right into it! One of the things I really wanted to do was drive down to Lumpkin to see Providence Canyon State Park. It's also called the Little Grand Canyon of Georgia. I took over 100 pictures, but I won't bore you with all of them. Just my very favorites.

There are 9 canyons to explore and they're all numbered. Numbers 1, 2, and 3 were very pretty (see above), but nothing really spectacular (I think growing up in the Northwest has raised my standards on natural beauty). The park website said the path is usually wet and muddy, but it's not normal mud. It's sand. But not the kind of sand that sinks. It was very pleasant to walk on and we didn't end up muddy at all (which I envisioned when I read that). We were the only ones at the park (truly) so we let Toby off his leash for awhile so he could investigate with the kids. He had so much fun! When we got into canyons 4 and 5, we were 'wowed.' Every corner we turned one of us said, "Wow! Look how beautiful this is!" It was really incredible. Just gorgeous! The kids and I needed a short break and Jon got bored...We explored in the canyons for over two hours and we still had to finish the 3 mile hike. It was extremely hot and muggy this day and we were all pretty gross, but it was well worth it. We ended up taking an unintentional detour that threw us off over a mile. Ugh. By the time we got to the last 4 canyons, some of us were ready to be done. Canyons 6, 7, and 8 were very pretty, but I think 4 and 5 were our favorites. The path to number 9 appeared to be washed out, so we didn't see it. But I don't think any of us cared by then.Clap your hands all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy! How awesome is the Lord most high, the Great King over all the earth! Psalm 47:1, 2For God is King of all the earth; sing to Him a psalm of praise! Psalm 47:7It is beautiful in its loftiness, the joy of the whole earth. Psalm 48:2Like I said, we still had to finish the 3 mile hike after spending a few hours exploring the canyons. We were each almost out of water and little Abbi was just done in. So Jon scooped her onto his back. The last few pictures are of the view as we hiked out of the canyons. Beautiful! We all had a great day and couldn't wait for our beds...especially Toby!

God was so good to us this day! It had rained the day before and rain was in the forecast again. I prayed and prayed He would hold off the rain so we could enjoy the canyons. Because of other scheduled activities, Monday was the only day we could head to Providence Canyon. I had packed a picnic lunch for us to eat at the park before we started our hike. We could hear thunder in the distance the whole time we ate. By the time we were ready to start, the thunder and dark clouds had moved out. As you can see in the photos, the sun and blue sky came out for us! And then when we stopped for dinner on our way home, it was in the middle of a huge thunderstorm. Thank you Lord, for waiting to send the rain until we finished enjoying what You created for us!

Are you wondering what we're doing with the rest of Jon's stay-cation? Well, Tuesday we went tubin' down the Chattahoochee and had a wonderful, relaxing afternoon. And yesterday we went back out on the boat with the Barr's. Today Jon and some other servant men from church are laying cable in our new building. The sheetrock starts next week so this week was their last chance to get it done. And tomorrow we'll be preparing for Jon's parents, 2 sisters and their 5 children to visit for a week. Never a dull moment around here!