Our Brown Mountain Christmas

Our cabin getaway that we looked forward to so much was not without some tumult that took us all by surprise.  That was and continues to be a heartache even now that the trip is over, but that does not mean the trip was a total loss.  There were quiet moments, many smiles, and good chats and laughs with family still.  And you already know how GORGEOUS the view was, so there is that. :}

For starters, we Browns just so happened to be retreating to a spot not far from Ellijay, GA, on Carter's Lake, in an area called Talking Rock Creek.

Our destination was at the end of a good long, curvy, mountainous road that wound back and down and up to our retreat on a mountain that really and truly goes by the name of Brown Mountain.  Too perfect!

The cabin had fantastic accommodations and plenty of beds and room for all 14 of us to gather and spread out ... on three different floors, four if you count the room Holly, Hannah, and Aaron stayed in above the garage.  

That porch wraps ALLLLLL the way around the house with plenty of rockers, benches, a swing, a hammock, 

outdoor dining and a hot tub. Not bad!  Not bad at all.

Our room got us right in the mood for our woodsy escape when we were greeted by this fella.

It wasn't long til that bear was given new life.

Another sweet bonus was how the cabin was already decorated for the holiday.  All we had to do was put the gifts under the tree and enjoy the soft glow.

Beyond that, we took the days slow and just hung out and laughed as much as we could.

Noah cashed in $200 on a big involved mapping project Papa assigned him this summer.  He felt like the richest boy in the world once he had that prize in hand.  And indeed, he was. :}

As tradition requires, cookies/milk were made and set out for Santa as well as an apple for the reindeer.

Rich blessings rained down on us all Christmas morning when it was time to dig in to all the goodies.

Anna's Christmas bounty included an Elsa gown, bike helmet, Lego set, hula hoop, Easy Bake oven, No Bake Magic Mixer set, Juggle Bubbles, electronic toothbrush, more American Girl doll clothes, Lego friends towel, a butterfly in a jar, a Poptropica DS game, a beautiful new dress, earrings, cooking apron, a collection of female Lego heads, an Imaginarium Magnatab, and fun stocking stuffers like silly string, rubix cube, pez, and bubble gum.

Noah brought home so many great gifts, too, including a Star Wars Angry Bird set, BB Gun, protective eyewear and targets for his new gun, The Lego Movie, Pokeman starter pack, Lego Hagrid, a couple Wii games, a couple new Skylanders, Disc Shooters, a Lord of the Rings Lego set, electronic toothbrush, RC Battle Bots, Battleship game, yo-yo, Mentos geyser set, gum, and of course the Marvel show he already attended back in December. 

After the great unwrapping that morning, the sun finally came out and Noah was eager to get outside and give his new BB gun a whirl.

He was a good little shot!

 

After every satisfying "ping" of his pellets on the trees, he would cheer so happily.

Cousin Hannah tried her hand at it, too.

Anna opted to stay inside and try out her new cooking tools.  Cousin Aaron was so kind to help her with her mixer set and a batch of brownies topped with icing.  

Shortly after, Beka helped Anna with her first batch of cookies.  Both baking projects were a sweet success!

Anna also tested out her Juggle Bubbles and was thrilled with the power. I was just thrilled they worked after having been warned by a friend not to expect much success. :} Must have been a Christmas miracle!

Later, Josh and I went out for a drive around the area, checked out the lake, daydreamed about having our own cabin one day, and spotted a great walking trail.  We made our way back up the mountain and managed to come back down with good company to stretch our legs with and take in some fresh air.  Our first stop was to let the kids scale a wall of rocks and such.  High adventure!  So adventurous, Anna insisted on wearing her new helmet.

Amy and Beka, two peas in a pod.  They kindly welcomed a third pea to the fold, me, during this visit.  I really, really enjoy these two.

And speaking of enjoyment, I really enjoyed getting to spend a lot of time with these other two.  I always appreciate Jason's gentle, humorous, and welcoming nature.  And as the days went by, Yesi and I did a LOT of talking.  I already knew how much I connected and liked Yesi, but we feel like we really struck up a deeper bond this holiday especially, and it's one that I remember with a grin already. 

After the rock climbing, we wandered Hidden Rock Walk, a trail that was dotted with a number of activity stations that were a hoot to try out together.

We took advantage of the extra hands and stopped for some family photos along the way.

Meanwhile back at camp, the sky was cooking up a brilliant sunset and I took pictures like a crazy woman.  

Having already posted some of those land and skyscapes, I will only re-share a few here now. :}

  

I spent a lot of time outside on this porch - watching, wondering, praying, relaxing, admiring, chatting, shivering, thinking, and at times, tearing up a little, too. 

Anyway, our last day there we went into town to catch a movie and on the way back, Josh's GPS took us down a different side road.  We passed a dam that turned out to be a really sweet distraction when we detoured to go check it out up close.

The kids climbed yet another rocky path to the top and stared down on one calm serene side ...

...and then the loud, powerful other side.

Before heading back up the mountain to our cabin, we stopped for a quick family selfie that might just be my favorite pic of the entire trip.

Thank you, GA, for hosting another Brown Christmas.  And thanks also for hosting our New Years, too. We hit the road tomorrow bound for GA again to see my sister ... just because we can. :)  Thankful this holiday for family.