CHANGING SCENERY

I couldn't wait until my kids got old enough for us to go away from home for days at a time and not have everybody out of sorts. For those that have/had young kids,  I'm sure you'll agree that leaving your own environment can be way too big of a chore, sometimes. There were times when I just didn't vacation because it was more work and I'd still need a vacation when I got back...

No More... Mostly...


The girls in full flight, getting away from that Tyrannosaurus Rex...

 So we took off for a few days last week for spring break and when we take off, it's important to me to get back to the most natural things I can find or stand with three kids.
 This time, Cave City KY.
Now, let me make this very clear, it wasn't my first choice! As a matter of fact, I'd already purchased a trip for the family for a spelunking and cave overnight in McMinnville TN. 
My 13yr. old wasn't having that? He insisted that we couldn't possibly sleep over night in a cave without dad. I explained how the Native Americans and slaves had done it. He let me know that we may not have all of the liberties we'd like to,  but we definitely didn't have to take cover in the overnight shelter of a cave. LOL! Okay, so he had a point!
We wound up at the Comfort Inn, off of I65,with the heated swimming pool and the make your own Belgian waffle breakfast bar... I know right!


You can always find me hanging out with the odd crowd!
Such neat replicas at the indoor/ outdoor museum.

That left us to visit the caves during the daylight, checking out the dinosaur museum... during the daylight... The only thing we saw at night was the McDonald's and the Cracker Barrel... So much for getting back to nature. Even with all of that taken into consideration,  I appreciated the CHANGE OF SCENERY!
The smell was different, The sun rise was different, The people were different,
That's for another blog post...

 By the end of it all, I have to admit, I really appreciated being born in the 20th century, to live in a time of technology, though often abused, and a time of being able to just access a change of scenery.  To have lived when people were using caves as shelter wasn't exactly a time of living as much as it was a time of surviving. Wow, just think about the challenges people faced.
The scenery allowed me to think and process differently than I normally would. I seemed to listen with a different intent, I had the opportunity to gather knowledge with my kids rather than have to constantly be the teacher, I Loved it!
I had such clarity about a 1 or 2 of my own struggles. Just being separated from most of my comforts, transformed me a bit.


Inside of the 2nd cave,  Diamond Caverns

 There was this moment when I realized that with my mother being in the military and the ups and downs of the lifestyle, I didn't have very many, maybe 1 or 2, no, I'm sure it was just the one, yeah (1) moment like this with my mother. On one hand it saddened me, but I looked up to see that "oh Yeah, we brought her a long too" and it made no sense to dwell on what I didn't have because I had all of that and then some in this moment, among this Scenery. 
This time, my change of scenery not only brought me an appreciation for the new but a clarity about the old too.
It's important to take the time to get away. The minister at church this Sunday gave such an on time message and I'll share the formula he gave for making a heart connection with your kids but I think that it holds true for anyone your building a heart connection with. Time + Talk = Heart Connection!  That's not any talk it's on the level and expressive talk, that talk that is revealing and substantial. Changing your scenery makes that task a non task. It will give you a starting place.
If you can't get away, take the time to go some place local that you've never been, take the time to change something in your surroundings, that you can appreciate. Move furniture, get rid of that picture on the wall and make something new, something that represents you and your family, put it up in it's place. Change your scenery and see how it affects you.

AND... of course I want to hear about it! If it's not the most recent but the most substantial change of scenery you've experienced, let me know, leave your story in the comment box below. If you'd rather email me, feel free, I'm at carrluvsideways@gmail.com.



This eating machine had eaten my oldest so his sisters decided to rescue him!

Until next time,
Cheers!
















OH YEAH, Talk about changing scenery...
How about changing your life,
I want to send out big hugs to three people that I have warm fuzzies for..
Mrs Kirsten C. who just recently started school, and to Danitza and Jade
who recently started classes as a couple! How huge is that?
Parents, career people and people with military careers still making that forward movement!
Cheers!

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