We Saw Rock City!

This past Christmas, Jarrod and I were looking at our various ornaments, and he pulled out a red bird house that said "See Rock City" on the side of the roof. Apparently this is a trademark for an actual place atop Lookout Mountain, where incredibly immense rocks form pathways and shelters that somehow make it into a sort of "city", surrounded by beautiful plants and an incredible view. There is even a spot where you can see 7 states when looking out from the mountain. Rock City had its 75th birthday while we were visiting - marking the date when the gardens were opened up for public enjoyment. While visiting Covenant College, our stay was not complete - nor our Christmas tree ornament quite appropriate - until we could say we did indeed see Rock City. The following are some of favorite pictures from our experiences there:
Jarrod and I standing in front of Lover's Leap - an old Indian legend about two young lovers from warring tribes - one tossed to his death, and the other jumped rather than live her life without him...
I encourage one and all to:

The Covenant College Experience

Jarrod and I left Cumberland Island and drove to the opposite corner of Georgia - to Lookout Mountain. On the top of this mountain is Covenant College, where Jarrod spent 2 developmental years of his life and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. As this place was such a special place in Jarrod's life, he wanted to show me around his school and share a bit of the experience with me. We had a good time walking through campus - seeing Jarrod's dorm room, classrooms, and chapel. I couldn't help but think back to my own college experience at William & Mary, and really was surprised at all the differences in the way the college worked, and in what we experienced just by going to a Christian vs. State school. I was blown away by the incredible view from the mountain and touched by the Christian training and mentors that are found at this college. I am thankful that Jarrod had the opportunity to attend here, to learn and grow in this environment, and to make quality friends as well. In addition to our tour of the college, Jarrod also took me down the mountain to Chattanooga, TN, to the local college kids' haunts such as Mr. T's, Clumpy's, and Sticky Fingers. Jarrod even romanced his wife a bit with a carriage ride through downtown Chattanooga. :)Sunday morning we went to Jarrod's church - and enjoyed seeing some of his good friends from college in the service.

It was such a fun trip - and I'm so glad that I was able to walk a bit in Jarrod's shoes and understand more about this time in his life. "There is a time for everything, a season for every activity under heaven... a time to plant and a time to uproot... " knowing that in all things, Christ preeminent.

Cumberland Island Adventure, part 3

Thursday was our last full day on the island - and the day began early as we were awoken to the sound of a raccoon outside our tent trying to get into our food supplies. Jarrod scared it off, and then got me up to go the to beach for an early morning walk.

After breakfast, Jarrod and Hunter went fishing in the ocean while Mika and I read by the water. We went back to the camp for lunch and played some cards to stay out of the sun for a bit - but headed back to the beach for us all to play in the waves. After cooking hot dogs by campfire for dinner, we took a group walk on the beach and watched the sunset.

Apparently, wild horses decided to join us for the sunset view...A sweet ending for an unforgettable week.

Friday in the early morning it rained for the first time all week - but stopped by the time we got up to pack up our camp. Though it was a bit damp, we were thankful for the amazing weather we've had all week long. This was such a fun week - full of unforgettable memories!

After another ferry ride back to St. Marys, Georgia - Jarrod and I said goodbye to our friends and began an adventure of our own...

...more to come

Cumberland Island Adventure, part 2

Wednesday morning we woke up and headed to the west side of the island to go fishing and crabbing off of the dock. It was a fun morning - but we left with only 2 blue crabs to show for our efforts.Nevertheless, it didn't stop our excitement to cook them up and enjoy the crabs as an afternoon snack. (We also saw an armadillo in the palmettos by our campsite - but weren't able to get a picture) That night the guys (Jarrod and Hunter) cooked spaghetti for us - while Sierra, Rachel and I made a camp fire that we were quite proud of - and once again enjoyed s'mores for dessert. This marks the end of day 3, with one more full day to go...

Cumberland Island Adventure, part 1

Last week, Jarrod and I traveled South, to the tip of Georgia and, along with 4 friends from Charlottesville, spent 5 days camping at Cumberland Island. On Monday morning, we arrived at St. Marys, GA, where we got on a ferry and took a 45 minute ride to the island. We were welcomed by a ranger, who gave us an orientation to the island- and thoroughly caused concern with talk about all the potential bugs, snakes, and wild animals (namely crafty racoons and 150 wild horses that are not afraid of humans) that we needed to watch out for.. we definitely took pearls of wisdom from her talk, while Mika and Sierra (who had been to the island before) reassured us that we did not need to worry so much. So, with that, we loaded all our gear into carts and walked to our campsite to set up camp. After getting settled in, we spent the rest of the afternoon at the beach, flying kites and enjoying the beautiful scenery. Since the number of people on Cumberland Island is limited, the beach sometimes felt as if it were our personal playground! It was an exhausting day - so we headed to bed soon after dark.

Tuesday morning, we all got up and walked South along the Island's "road" to explore the Dungeness ruins - remains of the Carnegie plantation. A lot of the "cement" was made out of sea shells. It was a gorgeous place, and we even ran into some wild turkeys and horses during our walk. We headed to the beach again in the afternoon and then ended the day as all camping should - with a camp fire and s'mores... praising God for His watch-care thus far and looking forward to what the next few days would hold.

The Puffenbarger Rock Band??

While visiting at my sister's house, we discovered that they have a new video game... called Rock Band. It didn't take long for either of us to get used to it - and we were definitely hooked! Who knew we could make such sweet music together? :)

Family, Friends, & Fun!

I have been thoroughly enjoying time off of school - and have taken the opportunity to spend some time with family and friends around the state.
We first went to visit Jarrod's grandparents - and spent an enjoyable night with them, eating dinner on their back porch, catching up on family news, talking about the post office, and watching the Patriot. This was such a rich time of sharing our lives and showing love to one another. The next day we headed North to my family's house and joined my parents and Christiana - as well as Denise, Peter and Stephen - in cheering for one of Caleb's final soccer games for his high school. I must say that Stephen - at the age of 2 - is quite the fan! :) The team played hard, and it was fun to watch my brother as a big bad senior - I can remember him as a little boy running around the soccer field. How time flies! (Thanks, Denise, for the great picture!)

I was also able to travel to Northern VA and visit with my best friend, Natalia, and her family - and then spend the afternoon with my grandparents reminiscing on our family history. I missed Jarrod during the last two visits as he was working hard in Charlottesville - but was so glad for the opportunity to reconnect and have time together with those I don't get to see very often. School is already threatening - as the time off is going by so quickly - but this summer is my last semester - and I'm holding out for August 1st when I will be officially DONE! Until then, I am taking it one day at a time, enjoying those around me, and trusting the Lord for the grace to make it through.

"And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. " 2 Corinthians 9:8