Squaw Valley

Because of our location on the lake this summer, we decided to go home around the top of it and make a day out of visiting Squaw Valley.  It was fun to see new-to-us North Lake Tahoe, and then spend time taking in The Village at Squaw Valley, where some fun Olympic stuff is located.

 It was neat to check out the slopes.  I am barely a skier, but it looks like Squaw Valley may have a few runs I could actually do without dying!

The village had a whole area to just play-- slack lines, badminton, ladder ball and bean bags.  They also had lots of cute restaurants, shops, and places to sit around artistic fire pits.  Of all the ski villages we've visited in the summer (Heavenly, Mammoth, etc.) this one is my favorite and one I'd actually consider coming back to in the winter!

After lunch we took a hike along this path that runs parallel to the slopes.  It was SO beautiful!

Dave and I have been talking all summer, but this vacation was a good time to deeply discuss how different this year is going to look for both of us and what all our anxieties about it are.  We know that in both of our jobs God is asking more of us, but will equip us with His strength and Spirit.  Time to prepare for and face this reality is the main reason I am SO thankful for the sabbatical we've been blessed with this summer!    Here we are, at the near end of it, contemplating all that the past 2 months have given us-- the opportunity to serve, to worship in all new ways with the big body of Christ, and to reconnect with family back home.  Dave has read a dozen books about pastoring and been able to dream and plan without the daily distractions of being in his office (which we gave a thorough cleaning out and make-over to one week).  We've explored some lovely parts of creation, rested, and just had a ton of fun.  Most of all, our marriage and family has been fortified, allowing us to feel excited and as ready as we can be for whatever comes next on our ministry path!