Russell Family Blessings

I do realize that this post is...oh, something like 4 months late. But, I still wanted to post it! I actually uploaded all of the pictures about 3 months ago, but never typed the post. I wish I had enough energy, time and productivity to do all of the things that roll around in my mind. I might be dangerous then!!! Anyway... During Opp's Spring Break in March, our family took a trip to Bryson City, North Carolina. A couple in our church offered us the use of their cabin there and we jumped on the opportunity. We had never been to the mountains before and we were so in awe of the beauty of God's creation there. We had a very low-key get away, not "doing" and "going" constantly. We left after school on Wednesday and returned on Sunday afternoon. It took us about 9 hours to get there. We couldn't believe how well the children did on the drive! One day, we went up the road a few miles to the Cherokee Indian Reservation. There, we enjoye...

Wayne and I have had a wonderful day!!! I am super worn out from walking, walking, walking eating way too much! We both enjoy history, so Natchez is right up our alley. We began our day at the Natchez City Cemetery. I know I'm not well traveled, but I have never in my life seen such a large cemetery. The tombstones, gravemarkers and mausoleums were amazing. It's neat to think about all the lives that are represented by each marker. It is also very humbling to know that really all that will be left of us in a few years is a marker. I was so saddened to see all of the children's graves. As I walked around looking, I mourned for their mothers. I can only imagine their heartbreak. The view below is from one of the Jewish sections of the cememetary. The next photo was taken on bluff in the cemetery overlooking the Mississippi River. Our next stop was St. Mary's Bascillica in downtown Natchez. I've never been inside a Catholic Church before. This building was beautiful!!!...

I feel like the most terrible blogger! Several blogposts sit unfinished in my "dashboard" and many ideas are swimming in my brain, but none ever seem to materialize here. Since I'm on vacation and Wayne is watching a baseball game on TV, I thought I'd take a few minutes to update. My last post was an anniversary post. Let me tell you about my anniversary...I went to VBS! If you read my last post, you will know that my wonderful and romantic husband planned a trip for us...We drove 6.5 hours west to our destination of Natchez, MS. I didn't know where we were going until about 1.5 hours before arrival! We are staying at an Antebellum home called Monmouth Plantation . It is a wonderful and beautiful place! This is the main house. Our room is actually in the renovated kitchen area. This picture was taken this morning near our room on Monmouth Plantation. The grounds here are beautiful and cover about 30 acres. Today, we toured another Antebellum home called Longwood. ...