The Lord has done it this very day;
    let us rejoice today and be glad.

Psalm 118:24

What an amazing day! I should probably just paste in the photos and let them speak for themselves. But context helps so I’ll offer a brief background.

A couple of weeks ago our friends Hugh and Diane Terrell heard the grandchildren were coming to visit, and offered to take us all out for an afternoon on Falls Lake. Then, after a weekend of violent storms, Monday cooperated with 80-degree temps and just the right amount of sunshine.

The day turned out to be, simply, spectacular fun. David, in the middle of our heart-pounding ride on the “tube” behind the boat, yelled to me, “This is the DisneyWorld of Lakes!!” High praise indeed from the boy who plans to be an Imagineer when he grows up.

So we boated, we played around on the small sandy beach, we rode the tube (well, David, Beks, and me), we played in Hugh and Diane’s beautiful pool (well, same), the kids zip-lined, and we enjoyed a wonderful cook out that included our friends Randy and Diane Parrish too.

The day was, as the children pointed out, perfect. In fact, I believe David and Beks would happily adopt the Terrells as their new family and move right on in!

But isn’t that the point of great vacation days? To be so completely relaxed and full of joy that everything is perfect and anything seems possible?

This is North Carolina summer done right. Enjoy the pictures and celebrate the generous love of friends – DEREK