Not Just Another Sunday

 From the moment we drove on the Blue Ridge Parkway in June 2018, we knew the mountains were calling our name. Sometime following our third trip to these mountains this past summer, I began following Blue Ridge Mountains hiking and waterfalls groups on social media. At that time, pursuing our dreams and moving to the mountains wasn’t even an option. We had a hefty mortgage and loads of student loan debt. We had just put in a pool.

It was in these groups that I saw people actually hiked on the Blue Ridge Parkway during the winter months when the road is closed to traffic. I would always show Opal people’s posted pics in disbelief. I knew I wanted that to be us. I didn’t know how. I didn’t know when. But I knew I wanted to hike the snow-covered Parkway.

Here we are just a few months later. We traded it all in and are now debt free.

Today after church, we came home, bundled up, and headed to the Parkway. We took our traditional selfie with the National Park sign, and then we hiked on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

The kids threw snowballs, slid down hills, and climbed rocks down to creeks. We just took in the amazing beauty of the bare trees, glistening snow, and distant blue mountains. We hiked, and it was just us and the wind up there.

At one point during our hike our six-year-old told us, “After church, I thought this was going to be just another boring Sunday.” Nope. Not anymore. We are embracing this Unbinded Life and making every moment count.