Lisa & I just returned from a trip to Charleston, SC for our 20-year wedding anniversary. Amazing she has put up with me all these years! I am extremely blessed. Anyway, we stayed at a very historic inn known as the John Rutledge House Inn, who was one of the original signers of the Constitution. Beautiful old home, built in the 1700's. We toured all over the historic district of the city, and visited Ft. Sumter, Patriots Point with WWII carrier Yorktown, destroyer Laffey, and a sub & Coast Guard ship, and took a horse-drawn carriage trip around the city, and just walked everywhere else ourselves. Too many sights to recount here. Exhausting, but worth every step. I swear, Charleston is the most beautiful city I've ever seen- and no one better to see it with than my lovely bride of 2 decades!
The days there just flew by, and yet were packed with so many memories. Much like our marriage has been, I reflected later. the past 20+ years have flown by, and seem to pass more quickly each year, as Lisa noted. And yet our times together have been packed with memories & experiences I wouldn't trade for anything in this world. I would not want to have shared life with anyone but Lisa, and I hope God grants us many more miles, years, and memories ahead as well. Like our visit to Charleston, I know there is so much more yet to see & do together. I have much to look back on, and much to look forward to!
Rob

Last week we took 39 5th graders & leaders to the Lost Sea Caves in TN. We arrived in a driving thunderstorm, lightning flashing everywhere. We ate dinner under a pavilion, waiting for the storm to subside. Thunder shook the mountainside, and I began to pray- we were already fairly wet, we had no towels to dry off, and I was afraid we would have to enter the caves wet. That meant our whole group would start our adventure wet, in the caves that are a constant 58 degrees. That was a recipe for a sick group.

I prayed, "Father, you know what can happen if we enter those caves wet. Please move this storm out before our time to enter, for the sake of these with me. In Jesus' name, amen."

The storm continued to roar for 20 more minutes, then when the time came for us to meet the guides and descend into the caverns, suddenly the rain stopped, the clouds broke up on the mountain, and we were able to enter the caves dry.

Some might think this a coincidence, but I say God answered our prayers, watching over us. We had a blast that night crawling through the caves, camping on the cavern floors, and returning to daylight the next morning. In every way, it was a memorable trip.

Rob