Where have you been?

I have been to Ridgecrest, North Carolina, with 34 senior adults. It was good trip. I made new friends and saw beautiful scenery. I got out of my routine. I love routine, so I am usually reluctant to break out of it. And then, afterwards, I am usually glad I did. We drove up in a luxurious Travel Lynx bus and my room mate was Miss Evelyn, 87 years old. When we arrived at Ridgecrest, Evelyn and I were joined by Miss Audrey, so our room was the only one with three occupants. I didn't mind. All three of us snore and get up multiple times in the night. The schedule mainly consisted of driving up, eating and conferences, sightseeing, sleeping and driving back. A great deal of eating...full meals at 7 AM, 11:30 AM and 5:30 PM. The evening preachers were my favorite: Ted Traylor, Sr Pastor at Olive Baptist Church in Pensacola and Junior Hill, the evangelist. I went to two conferences: Fun and Games for Everyone (hoping I could get some ideas for Joy Fellowship) and another conference on humor. The speaker played a song complete with mistakes (like Victor Borge) and told us the name of the song was "I'll Meet You in the Rock Quarry Where I'll be a Little Boulder." BAHAHAHAHA! I took my computer but the only internet available was in the lobby so I didn't spend much time there. When I did take the time to shoot off an email, it didn't go so I didn't try again. I wish I had brought my cross stitch or something to read but the activities were just spread out enough that it made immersing yourself in a project difficult. We spent Wednesday and Thursday afternoons touring the countryside on our bus. We went to Billy Graham Cove and Conference Center, the Grove Park Inn, the Montreat College Campus and Downtown Black Mountain. The colors were so beautiful. My camera could not do it justice. The weather was very cool, which actually pushed the leaf color while we were there, but it did not rain until the day we left - and then it rained all the way home.

I enjoyed getting to know my senior adults better. I enjoyed having time to reflect on the spritiual truths so elequently spoken. I loved the gorgeous colors of the changing leaves. Perhaps I will not be so reluctant to leave my routine next time.