Since our family usually has an annual Fall Getaway, and since I was in no hurry to get back to Florida, my parents rented a cabin near Valdosta for our yearly trip. As we made our way back down south, we found out the Georgia National Fair was going on and it was, quite literally, a stones-throw from the interstate. My kids had never been to a fair, and I hadn’t been since high school, so we decided to stop in for a few hours.
It was pretty much as I remembered. We strolled through the barns and saw cows, sheep, goats, rabbits and chickens. The kids rode paddleboats with my parents and then hopped on the tilt-a-whirl, swings, bumper cars, roller coasters, and ran through a fun house! It was so much fun I hated to leave, but it was getting dark and we still had to find our cabin which, by what the owner told us, was a little remote.
And she was right! Finding the cabin at night proved to be an adventure requiring us to turn around a couple times, but once we found it, we were delighted! It was so nice and beautiful and quiet! The perfect spot for a family retreat and recharge. We sat out at the dock, fished, did puzzles on the back porch and played games at night. One night we had a bonfire, which was great for keeping the bugs away! (I can officially say that I now know exactly where the “gnat line” is that my husband is always referring to!!!)
Papa Jim met us there and brought his “Spider” (motorcycle), so we made several trips around Cherry Lake. Between riding his bike and giving pushes on the rope swing, I think the kids wore poor Papa out!
The weekend was going by quickly and we knew we’d have to say goodbye soon, so we wanted to do one more fun thing before going back home. We decided to go to Wild Adventures theme park. Unfortunately, we went a little late in the day and didn’t get to stay too long, but we were there long enough ride a few more rides and witness my crazy dad ride Geronimo, the bungee thing that lifted him about 180 feet before dropping him. YIKES! Not for me… but he liked it and said the only bad part was waiting in line so long. LOL…
Between appointments, a familiar church service, lunch with friends, a day trip to the mountains, and a weekend in a cabin with family, I’d call our week of fall break successful. Now, if I could just get back into the swing of things at home. Hmmmmm…. so much easier said than done! Right, kids? Kids??? Hello? Time for school. Kids?????
