Stone Mountain Camping

Eliza Grace and I joined some fellow American Heritage Girl (AHG) families for a camp out last weekend at Stone Mountain State Park in North Carolina.

I had detailed in a Facebook post how much I dislike camping in general, but I have to admit that, despite the never ending rain, I really enjoyed myself!  Of course that was due to the companionship rather than sleeping outdoors.

We arrived on Friday evening with enough daylight to set up the tent, wander around the campsites, find the all too important bathhouse, and visit with neighbors.

That night we built a little fire that survived the rain long enough to let us make s'mores and then we headed off to bed.

The next morning I set up the cook stove and Eliza Grace whipped up some chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast. Afterward she even did the dishes!

Then, despite the continued misty rain, we headed off with some AHG friends to hike to the top of Stone Mountain.

 

The canopy of trees kept us fairly dry for most of the hike up.

   

There were a couple of rock plateaus along the way and they had all kinds of natural holes and waterways on the rock face.
We sort of felt like we were exploring the moon with all the little craters.

We also came upon the occasional cool little tree growing out of the rock. 

They made nice resting spots.

And of course the views to the west were amazing.

That's Grandfather Mountain out there.

 Beautiful flora everywhere.

 Finally, we made it to the top for the ultimate view.

Eliza Grace had to get closer to the edge to see that tree. However, I was happy to stay further back.

The hike back down the mountain included some serious rain from which no amount of tree canopy could protect us. 

By the time we were back at the bottom, we were soaked to the skin and ready to be somewhere warm and dry which, sadly, the tent was not.  Which explains why we sat in the car with the heat on for about 15 minutes. After a quick change of clothes, I turned off the car, covered Eliza Grace in blankets and let her take a nice long nap in the front seat. 

Dryness and a good nap do wonders for the camping soul!

That evening we had all had it with the rain, and did not relish the idea of cooking in a downpour, so we decided to run into town for pizza.  

If you're ever in Elkin, NC, we definitely recommend Amalfi's Pizza!

The next morning Eliza Grace and I packed up the tent and all our other paraphernalia in record time (our new "instant tent" is REALLY easy to take down) and we decided to do one more quick hike to see a nearby waterfall.  It was only .6 miles round trip from the trail head so we figured we could hike it, take a few pictures and be back in 30 minutes at the most.

We were wrong.

The trail started off just fine.  We even came across this chimney that stood there all by itself on the side of the trail.

But then the trail began a downhill slope and kept getting steeper and steeper.  

We should have been slightly deterred by the signs that kept warning of maiming and death. Seriously, there were a couple of them along the trail.  

For some reason, we kept walking.

Once we arrived at the top of the waterfall, we had to walk down a ~40 degree decline on the rock face. Did I mention it was misting once again at this point?

Then to get to the bottom of the waterfall, there were the stairs.

Somewhere in the neighborhood of 350 stairs in total.

There was a brief respite landing halfway down with all the very necessary warnings about how we would perish if not careful.

Then we headed down more and more and more stairs.

Finally, we made it to the bottom of a very pretty waterfall to a fairly anti-climatic little pool.

Eliza Grace took this action water shot.

We walked a bit further and found this lovely little fairy-sized waterfall in the creek.

And there's a cute little wood sprite now!

After enjoying the beautiful, peaceful sights and sounds of the woods, you know what we had to do then. 

Go back up.

All ~350 steps and back up the 40 degree incline.

Eliza Grace literally hopped up the steps.  She stopped about every 75 steps or so just to see if I was still alive. It was so thoughtful of her.

People, she wasn't even winded when she reached the top.  

I know I was the same way back when I was 12. But alas, I am 12 no longer.

Regardless, I was so proud of us both and it was worth every achy, stiff leg muscle I hobbled around on the next day.

Overall we had a great time and we definitely recommend you check out Stone Mountain State Park, NC!

Daughter of the King.

Last night our American Heritage Girl (AHG) troop celebrated a wonderful tradition of honoring our 6th grade girls who will be moving to a new level in the spring. This event includes having the girls' fathers say a few words about their daughters and present them with a gift.

As part of the proceedings, the audience is told about a badge the girls have earned called "Daughter of the King."  

Here's what the AHG handbook says about being a daughter of the King:

"You are a daughter of the King! Though our culture may try to tell us differently, God sees each of us as beautiful, worthy of love, and full of potential!  It is important for us to hold these truths dear and live our lives accordingly, as our identity is in Him and we are made in His image."

As her mother, I make a concentrated effort to help Eliza Grace see her amazing worth and potential just as God as made her.

And Scott?  As her father he is KEY to this understanding. 

The relationship with, and the love and acceptance of, a daughter's earthy father immeasurably impacts her relationship with her heavenly Father, her self-image and, eventually, her relationships with other men.

Which brings me back to the events of last night.

Eliza Grace's sweet, sweet Daddy took the words he would say and the gift he would present very seriously.
Scott very publicly and eloquently told his daughter that he loves her and how proud he is of his smart, loving and quick-witted girl. He spoke about how much she has grown and matured in confidence.

He told the audience that she is a very brave and loyal young lady who is not afraid to try new things, voice her opinion or speak up for her friends and her beliefs.

He then presented her with a beautiful silver Claddagh ring, which he researched and picked out himself. He explained how he felt that the story behind the Claddagh described his daughter and how he felt about her. Take a look:

As he started to put the ring on her finger, he stopped and said, "Whoops, not that way.  That way would mean you're married," which got a chuckle from the audience and a mild look of horror from Eliza Grace.

Words have power and I know that the words of love and acceptance Eliza Grace heard from her earthly father will forever impact how she views herself and her heavenly Father.

She is beautiful. She is worthy of love. She is full of potential.

Eliza Grace is a daughter of the King.

You'll Go Down in History (like George Washington!)

Eliza Grace helped lead her AHG Troop in Christmas carols this chilly evening.  

Love this organization and love these sweet, silly girls who are committed to becoming strong and loving women of God!

Dads, Daughters, Dancing.

Our American Heritage Girls Troop held its second annual Daddy Daughter Dinner Dance this weekend.

As one who helped to organize and execute the event, I must say our Fiesta-themed evening was quite a hit!

Everyone had a great time and, oh my goodness, it's so fun to see Dad's and their girls being silly and dancing together.

We had games for the girls and Dads to play before dinner.

After dinner we broke out the dance tunes. Scott even got out there for the chicken dance!

We even played a couple of slow songs.  Watching them dance to Butterfly Kisses about had me in tears! 

Eliza Grace just looked adorable in her peach-colored dress.  She is growing up so darn fast!

The girls had plenty of time to be silly and hang out with one another.

And when the Dads took a break, the girls were still going strong on the dance floor.

The obligatory group shot.

Followed by the obligatory silly faces group shot.

I'm so thankful for this group of families with whom we can do life.

And this is the beaming face of a sweet girl who had a really great time with her Dad and her friends!