friends Archives - A Wildwood Story

Dear Candace,

I have just said goodbye to one of the most adorable babies I have ever met. Six month old Bennett, who I’ve not seen since he was a few weeks old, visited us from Denver like traveling royalty. Ever affable, generously indulging us fawning peasants with smiles and charm, he pretty much had our obeisance from the moment he arrived. There’s just something about having a baby in a house of big kids that changes the tone of everything, coloring our days with sweetness and a lot more drool and laughing.

Here is what I know about babies:

-nothing, because it’s been over a decade since I’ve had one and I either question all my methods of raising them or don’t remember how I did it because, #sleepdeprived…

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I had a surprising and wonderful opportunity to attend a small retreat in the mountains of Colorado with Ruth Chou Simons, author and artist of the book Gracelaced.

>>>insert excited jumping up and down<<<

On a mountain adventure! Left to right: Shae, Kaitlyn, Me, Kristi, Ruth, Gina, Deborah

In celebration of the launch of her book, the Gracelaced team held a drawing for those who ordered multiple copies and I, along with four other lovely ladies from around the country, was randomly selected to attend.

Or, as we discussed over the course of the weekend, perhaps not so randomly selected! We all share a belief that God ordains our days and the smallest details of our lives, therefore, we were together for a purpose and for His glory. I think I forget that sometimes. I believe it in my head, but my heart forgets in the ordinary rhythms of life that God is always present in both my small and big moments.

Our view from the back porch of Vista La Plata.

The retreat was held at Vista La Plata, Ruth and Troy’s mountain home which you can actually rent on Airbnb! {I hope to do this myself sometime in the near future so the rest of the family can enjoy the wild beauty of southern Colorado as I did.}

The setting sun at Vista La Plata was a lovely sight! Pepper was indifferent.

I was trying to think how I might put into words my experience at the Gracelaced retreat weekend.

Restful. I will lead you beside quiet waters. {Psalm 23:2}

Encouraging. Build each other up. {1 Thessalonians 5:11}

Convicting. Hold fast to Him. {Joshua 22:5}

Awe-filled. The mountains speak of a Creator. {Romans 1:20, Nahum 1:5}

Those may feel like overused descriptors yet they couldn’t be truer for me. I never cease to be astonished at how remarkable the body of Christ is. How a group of people who’ve never met before, from different parts of the country and different life experiences, can share a common bond and connect like family!

It wasn’t just Ruth who made our visit welcoming and delightful-the entire Simons family contributed, from Troy giving us an off-road mountain tour to all the boys helping in some way….with made-to-order coffee drinks, s’mores preparation, hauling luggage, and many other practical acts of service.

And let’s not forget the heart of the house-Gina, our wonderful chef!

Gina & Ruth show us how a proper mountaintop photo is done! #gorgeous

Still thinking of her Mexican corn:

I’m super thankful for the time I had at Vista La Plata, and wanted to express my gratefulness to the Simons family, Gina, my fellow travelers for their kindness and friendship, Pepper the dog for his hilarious antics, and others who contributed to the event by sending us gifts. It was absolutely a highlight of my year!

{Be looking for two more posts about the retreat; one sharing all the lovely gifts sent for us attendees, and one giving away a copy of Ruth’s book!}

Update: Gifts from the Gracelaced Retreat

Photo credit goes to…everyone. We shared so many photos that I’m not exactly sure whose is whose. The photos without people (except for the corn!) are definitely mine; surely you can tell by the quality? Heehee! ♥