Be still and know that I am God . . . Frannie's Cabin

Well with the kiddos up to Grandma and Grandpa Allen's for a week and us all alone what were we to do . . . . . . . go on a trip? Well that is exactly what we did. Bob planned a little get-a-way for us and I must say that it was AMAZING ! ! ! ! ! I think it has been our best trip ever. I think the only thing that could have made it better was if we were able to stay longer. It is so funny but Arkansas gets such a bad "report" because of the "hill folk" - but it has some of the prettiest country I have ever seen. We left Sunday after church and headed down - stopping at Hollister for a quick bite to eat and some groceries (no Wal-Mart were we were headed). We drove the 3 1/2 hours turning it into almost 5 with my excellent map reading skills - and we even had our GPS with us - not too good huh???? (if anyone knows me I get lost at the mall . . . seriously I should never be allowed to be the one giving directions . . . I am in fact directionally challenged and I admit it). But the views through the mountains were amazing (sometimes a little scary) - but I think I did pretty well. Bob didn't threaten to give me any tranquilizers this time. So here are just a few of our pictures. Hope you all enjoy the amazing beauty that God created for our enjoyment.

This is a picture that we took on our way up the mountain. It was still drizzling a little bit and chilly - but beautiful none the less.

Okay so this is where I started to get a little nervous. We had no idea what the cabin was going to be like - Bob was the only one that saw pictures from their website - but we have learned that you can make anything look good on the web. So when Frannie told us to look for the stone statue and the road to the cabin would be across from it - we had no idea this is what we would fine and can I just say I began wondering where we were going to end up. She did reassure us by telling us that the "neighbors" did have a college education. (I think I feel better . . . maybe) So very reluctantly we turned down the lane and headed for the cabin and this is what we found . . . .
Frannie's Cabin set in the breathtaking Ozarks. It was truly an amazing place. We drove up and were surprised at how peaceful and at home we felt. This was truly a much needed blessing that God provided for us.
As you step into the cabin you are greeted with a rustic interior that just says "comfy and relaxing". The living room was complete with a fireplace - TV - Stereo - DVD library - and board games. This is a view of the kitchen which was completely stocked with anything and everything. We have never been to a place that had every imaginable supply you could think of and then some.
This is the master bedroom downstairs. It was complete with a king size bed - which was way too big for us. We are use to our queen and we both felt like we kept losing each other at night.
The door on the right led into the master bath.
The master bath was huge. I would definitely take this over our little "water closet" that we have. There is also another room to the right which held the washer and dryer.
This is a photo of the steam shower. I know it is kind of heard to see because it is really dark - but it is a shower built with flagstone (just like the floors throughout the house). It has a wide bench so you can sit and relax and enjoy the water or you can turn on the steam and literally enjoy a steam shower. It is not near as hot as a sauna and you can actually breath in it unlike a sauna where you feel like you are suffocating.

This is one of two bedrooms upstairs. It was a huge open room with an antique writing desk in the corner.
The other bedroom upstairs would have been perfect for the kids. Their beds were directly across from the french doors that led out onto a balcony and overlooked the west side of the mountain.A wonderful game of Scramble on the back porch. And much to my dear husbands disappointment "jetset" is two words not one so technically I won on default! (the word ended up being worth like 40 some points) and who even knew there was a word jet set and that they use to use it for magazines and newspapers. I tell you he has read WAY too much stuff . . . .
It was funny, but after Frannie showed us around and let us know about all the hiking trails and things to do - she was walking out the door and said "Oh there are some dog bones under the cabinet in the kitchen for the dogs if you want" . . . . . .The dogs are staying? I looked at Bob and I could tell he was wondering the same thing. Well sure enough off she drove and there the dogs stayed. Come to find out the dogs are actually the neighbors but prefer to hang out with the visitors at the cabin - especially when Milk Bone and BBQ are involved. So meet our company. King (the black one) - Katie (the white one) and Sierra the hyper puppy. They were all great fun except for Sierra who made it her mission to walk one step ahead of you so you could trip over her every time. King and Katie are actually brother and sister and are 1/2 lab - 1/2 Great Pyrenees and were two of the gentlest and sweetest dogs I have ever known. It was fun to have them with us (even though I still was not allowed to bring them inside).
Even though there was a lot of things we could have went and done, we just didn't want to leave the cabin. . . so we didn't.

I wish you all could have enjoyed the beauty of watching the sunset of the mountains. It was something that I will cherish and miss. God gave us so many gentle reminders during our stay of His greatness. It was truly a humbling experience.

Well like all good things they must come to an end - and so we packed up and headed for home. We decided to go another route home so we headed toward Boxley Valley to see if we could see the elk. On the way we decided to take a little detour and found a gravel road leading down the mountain to a camp ground and this is what we found.
The majestic cliff and deep blue/green waters were so spectacular. I am still remembering how wonderfully small I felt and how great God felt.

Thank you my love for a wonderful time. I cherish you and thank God for you daily. May we always take with us a piece of God's love and beauty that He revealed to us during this time.