get outta town

We had our (almost) annual staff retreat last week at Whitestone Inn in nearby Kingston. Whitestone is basically the best place to be in the fall (except that we were too early for changing leaves) and is about what I picture in my head when I read books like Anne of Green Gables. I am absolutely kicking myself for not bringing my good camera with us because my phone cannot capture how gorgeous the land is. As much as I hate trekking up hills, they sure make for some beautiful scenery.

The retreat lasted one full day + one night and we brought Jake, so I was a bit nervous that he'd interrupt every planning session and I'd never actually be in on anything, but he was great. That night, we put him in the big jacuzzi tub for a bath and he just went to town. Kicking and splashing like it was the greatest time of his life, and I was happy to see that water on his face doesn't upset him in the least. Swim lessons here we come! ;)

        ^Jake helped us pray over church members ;)

As for the real reason we were there, the retreat went really well. We brainstormed direction for 2014 and settled on a theme to coordinate sermon series. I'm very thankful for the leadership we've got at church and excited to see some growth over these next years, both in numbers and in relationships with Jesus and with one another.