I celebrated what some would call a significant birthday a few weeks ago. Actually, any birthday that I’m here to celebrate with those I love is one I consider significant, but this one was a milestone.
Kent gave me a choice to have a party or get our family together someplace in the mountains. Well that was easy, family and mountains of course. So, he found an AirBnB in Blue Ridge, Georgia. All the kids, the grandkids, and my brother and his family made the time to come eat cake with me.
The place was huge and overlooked a gorgeous view of mountains and leaves at their peak during fall in the blue ridge. It was surprisingly affordable. The Oldest got there first. After she recovered from her ascent to our lodgings, she enlightened us as to the reason behind the affordable price. The quarter mile driveway was about a 60 degree grade, narrow, with sharp turns on the edge of nothingness, and covered in leaves. Her little Honda actually slid back several times trying to get up it. She sent out a group text to the Smith Squad describing her experience that unnerved the rest of our crew who were still en route and told us she’d try to find a rake and do what she could to clear the leaves before we arrived.
The youngest had flown in the day before and was riding with Kent and me. When we reached the driveway, we found the oldest sitting at the bottom of it, sufficiently recovered from her harrowing experience to have cleared a pretty good path for us. When Kent stopped halfway up, however, to let her out to make a second pass, our tires slid enough to warrant a few gasps from me. When we got to the top, the youngest and I located a couple of brooms and spent the hour until dark sweeping ALL the leaves off the pavement.
The confirmation email had suggested arriving before dark and mentioned that the driveway was steep, but the phrase “You Made It!” at the end of the directions took on new meaning having experienced it for ourselves. As each of the remaining family vehicles arrived, it looked like the scene from “The Pacifier,” where the youngest jumps out of the car after her older sister’s driving lesson, throws herself to the ground, and yells, “LAND!” We made a joint decision to hang at the cabin for the weekend and save the descent for the trip home. With my significant people together, a whole bin of board games, lots of movies, and a pool table in the basement, who could ask for a better birthday weekend? I was all good.
Our family loves competition, so there were some intense games of cut throat at the basement pool table all weekend. Everyone had contributed to the food supply. We had smoked turkey, Boston butt, slow cooked roast beef, supplies for s’mores at the fireplace on the deck, and a huge gourmet chocolate cake. We had cool clear weather, mountains, views of beautiful leaves, and good company. We had everything for a great weekend. And did I mention the chocolate cake?
Saturday was the Bama/LSU game and while Kent and I raised our offspring on orange and blue, my brother and I were raised in a crimson atmosphere. He still clings to our roots and the rest of his family encourages this. Needless to say, not all the peeps at the lodge had the best of afternoons, but by the family photo shoot afterwards, everyone was smiling and getting on with their lives. Kent is a photographer and the light that day, with the leaves for a backdrop, was in his words, almost “Golden.” We got some great pictures.
Mid-day Sunday, the middle one and his crew, and my niece and her husband had to go back to real life. We sent them off with provisions from the abundant food supply and many hugs, then the rest of us decided to venture down the mountain to go into town. I’d never even heard of Blue Ridge, Georgia before this trip, but the downtown is full of shops and restaurants and is big enough to be fun but small enough to cover in a few hours. There were lots of people but it wasn’t crowded. It was just right to spend an afternoon wandering around with a good variety of places to sit down and enjoy a relaxing dinner before going back to our home base.
Monday morning, the rest of us loaded our cars and headed for home and on Tuesday I took the youngest to the airport for her flight. It was a good weekend.
I’ve never dreaded birthdays. They always seem like the prelude to the adventure of the next year, the next season. A day spent with life, laughter, and the people I love is a gift, and significant in that I get to celebrate it. I’m grateful for every one of them. This month, as our family celebrates the most significant birthday of all, the birth of Jesus Christ, we wish you and yours joy and wonder and love.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Smiths!
