Getaway weekend

Here in Mexico, the country's independence is celebrated on the 15th and 16th of September, so this year on the 16th there was no school. A few of us girls decided to take advantage of the long weekend and head up to Prescott, AZ for a getaway (and of course, as one last celebration of my 30th!). 

We left Thursday around 12:30, once us teachers were out, and were on our way. I don't think I have sat in a car for that many hours in quite awhile and I was a bit sore once we arrived (or is that maybe a sign of getting old??)!

Raquel, me, and Pau in the backseat.

We made reservations at the Texas Roadhouse in Prescott and I got to enjoy a great steak and sweet potato! (One of my favorite food combinations!)

 Geo and Raquel showing off the peanut can.

 me, Nicole, and Pau

Pau had mentioned to the waitress that we were celebrating my birthday (and thankfully they didn't come sing to me!) so at the end of our meal she brought me a bowl of ice cream. I had already eaten a blizzard on the way to Prescott (a Nutter Butter one...pretty good I might add) so I didn't really want to eat more and passed the bowl around to the other girls. We were all pretty full by this point but I felt bad leaving ice cream in the bowl since the waitress had been so kind to bring me some...so Geo offered to mush it up so it would look like it had just "melted" :).

 Geo "mushing" the ice cream. :)

Pau was getting something out of her purse, which she thought felt a little heavy, and this is what she found... A "just in case" can I guess. ;)

It was dark by the time we headed up to the cabin that the Knochel family had so gracious let us use for the weekend. The cabin was about 15-20 minutes out of town up a winding, narrow (drop-off-ledge-in-places) road. In some ways I think it was good that it was dark and we didn't get the full idea of what it all involved until morning! Geo drove up to the cabin that night and did a great job!

Some pictures of the cabin and deck view:

 Hard to believe we were really still in AZ! Not exactly the desert we usually see!

View from the kitchen looking into the livingroom with the loft up above.

Friday morning we headed out to go hiking at a place called Lynx Lake.

Geo and I ready to go

On the way we saw this line of mail boxes and stopped to take a picture...

Lynx Lake:

  

 We stopped to take a group picture or two before heading to the trails.

 Raquel, Geo (in back), me, Nicole, and Pau (in front)

 (Pau missed the CVE shirt memo. ;) )

It took us a few attempts to find the right trail, but eventually we hiked around the lake and past the dam. It was really pretty and good exercise. :)

Saturday we hung out in the morning and in the evening headed into town to spend some time with the local church family. But before we left we had to take one more group picture. :)

Sunday was a blessing to be at church (I realized it was the first time in quite a while that I had been in an AC church besides Magdalena, Gridley or Champaign!). The sermons were encouraging and really spoke to life right now for us. After church we headed back to Magdalena and back to "real" life.

I am thankful for the opportunity we had to spend some time together as sisters in Christ, to catch up on some quiet time with the Lord, and to enjoy fellowship and be encouraged by other fellow believers.

And I am thankful to be back in Magdalena. While life here may not always or often be easy, I am thankful to call it "home" and thankful for the work God is doing here.

I will praise the LORD according to his righteousness: and will sing praise to the name of the LORD most high. Psalm 7:17