fall with friends . a weekend away in the woods

this past weekend was absolutely splendid.  ben & i had the awesome opportunity to get away with some of our dearest, merry, married friends to a beautiful cabin surrounded by fall leaves & overlooking a serene lake.  it was warm & sunny, literally the perfect weather.

{view from the front porch}

the cabin was cozy, decorated in perfect 'cabin' fare, spacious & neat.  i think i could spend a good hour just wandering around, investigating knick knacks.  stone fireplaces, long farm-style tables, antique fans, outdoor beds, gorgeous views. all things awesome.

we spent time indoors and out.  we arrived late friday evening and hung out at the cabin as more and more friends filtered in.  

saturday we had a great morning inside.  there was so much natural light it looked like you were walking into a cloud when you started the day.  

{i tried to capture it but it was hard}

then off to the house boat.  we didn't take it out since none of us feel capable of driving a giant boat, especially not parking the giant boat into a tiny slip.  but we got to be outside, in the glorious sunshine, producing all the vitamin d my little body can muster to hold me over for the next 6 months.  a bunch of friends pitched in to whip up a delicious dinner that evening.  a birthday celebration, cake, candles and fun were had.  games, slumber parties & pancake breakfasts were all enjoyed before departing.

highlights:

.friends.  being with people i love. catching up with people that its hard to get time with. bonding. visiting. encouraging.

.laughter.  there was a lot of laughter in & around the cabin.  our friends are really funny & thanks to a russell county high school yearbook from 1957 we had a lot to be laughing about.  thank you senior class.

.games.  we love to play games and this weekend i found a new favorite.  telestrations {is that right katie?}.  a combo of pictionary & telephone.  it was ridiculous and awesome.  i highly recommend it for a crowd.  our favorite round was when each pair chose their own word or phrase to use.  hilarity ensued.

the sequeal to games with all our friends was a few rounds of rummy & nerts with just a few girls.  we sang, played, talked, yelled and had a blast.  our friends are really funny {did i mention that?}  megan, rach & julie..i really enjoy playing cards with you, even if you selfishly steal everyone else's cards.

babies didn't stay the night but a baby did come to visit!  and he brought his parents who just happen to be two of our bestest friends.

we were torturing him with this little air shooter.  he was making the most awesome faces.  he moved too fast for me to catch them!

.hugs.  i know that sounds really lame to write but i mean it.  i loved being there with ben and being able to hug my husband anytime i wanted.  we've both been too busy for our own good which results in days {many days} where we don't get great quality time or even many hugs.  {i'm really touchy.  if you know me i'm sure you're not surprised}.

rach's & anne's pics are better than mine.  look at them {HERE} and {HERE}