Father Daughter Retreat! Part 2

This is the continuation of my story about the 2011 Vision Forum Father and Daughter Retreat, as told from my journal. . .

Day 2

My day started bright and early at 5:30 a.m. I got all dressed up for our high tea, since we won’t have time to come back later. I am sooo sunburned, I match my pink dress! Daddy got in the shower while I did my devotions and prayed. He looks quite handsome in his suit. We left for breakfast at 6:30 a.m. It was delicious, especially the “real” hash browns and fresh fruit!



Enjoying a delicious breakfast. You can see my sunburn pretty well in this picture. J



After breakfast, we went back to our room and talked with Mommy on the phone. Then we headed down to our 8:30 a.m. session. We got front seats this time! At our table, I chatted with Mr. B and his daughter. They came all the way from Canada! They are here celebrating her birthday together. We had a good, deep discussion on homeschooling and our views on college. Dad talked with Mr. M and his daughter J from Georgia.

Anna Sofia and Elizabeth Botkin were the first to speak this morning. Their session was titled “Adventurous Femininity.” They spoke about the false idea that a young woman living at home equals a boring life. Nothing could be further from the truth! Especially if we have adventurous brothers we can serve alongside in their endeavors.



Anna Sofia and Elizabeth speaking. Sorry the picture is blurry.



We had a short recess before the next session, in which Mr. Brown spoke on the issue of “Modesty.” Boy, was it ever powerful and convicting. He talked about how modesty begins in the heart, and that discussing modesty is NOT legalism; that how I dress is an act of worship, and that “modesty” should be defined as purity, moderation, and role distinction. It has really caused me to examine my heart and my wardrobe.



Mr. Brown speaking.



Next, Mr. Botkin came up and gave his session on “What Good Young Men will be Looking for in Your Daughter.” It was excellent and caused me to think about whether I possess the character qualities that good, Christian young men are looking for in a wife. Unfortunately, he had to shorten his talk, but it was still very good!



A panel discussion/question-and-answer time with all of the speakers.



After that we were excused for High Tea! But first, Mr. Phillips read a quote from Queen Elizabeth. He read it in the funniest British accent I have ever heard! J He’s good! We made our way to the table to which we were assigned. We dined with four other fathers and their daughters. Everything was so elegant and “tea sized.” We had a lovely afternoon together!



Daddy and I enjoying High Tea together.



After tea, we decided to explore the gardens. Since it was raining, we went to the butterfly house. It was very large and very beautiful. Unfortunately, I’m not very good at photographing animals or insects. Any “good” pictures I get are entirely by accident. J I was able to get a few good ones when a Blue Morpho landed on Daddy.



Daddy’s new friend!



One landed on my backside and would. Not. Let. Go! J I think it liked the flowers on my dress. Eventually I picked it off and handed it to someone else.

After awhile, it started to rain really hard. Then it started to hail. It was absolutely deafening because of all the glass. We decided it would be safer to go inside the main building.



Wow.



We met Mr. F and his daughter G again. We all watched the storm through the window. I have never seen a hail storm this bad before. We perused the gift shop and started across the building. Because of the hot ground and the hail, there was a lot of fog/mist outside. As we walked towards the car, we were shocked to find hail 2 inches in diameter! They were the size of golf balls. More miraculous yet was the fact that there was no damage to the rental car. Praise the Lord!



Daddy found this on our way to the car. Isn’t it amazing?



We then drove to the Discovery Center. They had art galleries, displays on wildlife, and a gift shop. They also had a leaky roof! J I loved walking outside on the bridge. The views were stunning. We saw a bale of turtles in the water. There must have been at least 20 of them, all clustered together looking for food.



Daddy and I at the discovery Center. You can see the bridge and the ridge in the background (I rhymed!)



The bale of turtles.



Next we drove to the Horticultural Center. It was massive! I felt as though I was in the tropics. There were hundreds of different plants in there!



One of the many views of the horticultural center.



After this, we headed for the Country Store and Restaurant. As we pulled up, we saw an overlook and had to stop. There was a breathtaking view of the mountains. But we heard several cracks of thunder and ran inside just as it began to rain.



Daddy and I at the overlook.



We perused the store but didn’t buy anything. The restaurant has an amazing view of the mountains as well.

It was getting late, so we stopped by our room to change for dinner. Then we drove to the Garden’s Restaurant on the lake. It was still raining REALLY HARD. Thankfully, they had a canopy, which came in handy since the restaurant wasn’t open yet. We met our friends Mr. H and his daughter R, whom we met at tea. While we were waiting for the doors to open, I heard the loudest crack of thunder I’ve ever experienced in my life! The rains were torrential. I was so thankful when they opened the doors!

Mr. H invited us to eat with them and we accepted. The restaurant is really cute! It reminds me of a place we dined at in Williamsburg, Virginia last year. Our dinner was quite elegant! We began with delicious sourdough bread and butter balls. Next came duck breast with blueberry sauce, sautéed mushrooms and bok choi, asparagus, and purple carrot. It was divine! I’ll admit I was skeptical about trying duck meat, but I really enjoyed it.



My delicious dinner.



We had a great evening with friends and thoroughly enjoyed our meal. We were about to order a dessert of Crème Brûlée, when we looked at our watches. Our session was starting in 15 minutes! So sadly, I had to leave the Crème Brûlée behind. What a tragedy. I have been scarred for life!

We rushed back for our session, only to have it delayed 20 minutes due to technical difficulties! We could have had dessert! Instead, we chatted, which was probably better for our health in the end. J While we were waiting, I was able to meet the Botkin girls! They are so sweet and humble, and very down-to-earth. Mr. Botkin came by while we were chatting, recognized me, and we snapped a picture!



The Botkins and I.



Mr. Phillips gave three sessions in one, and then we had some fun activities during the session. I’m going to keep that under wraps though, so that there will be surprises for any of you who plan on going in the future! J I will tell you that we didn’t make it back to our room until 11:00 p.m.! But first, Dad and I as well as our friends from dinner, raided the vending machine. I assure you it was NOT a proper substitute for the Crème Brûlée! But anyway, enough about dessert! We tucked into bed for the night at 12:00 a.m. I’m going to have a lot of sleep to catch up on when I get home!