I can't
believe we've been getting together with our small group from seminary for over a decade now, convening at centrally located campgrounds/cabins/what-have-you for long weekends of food, fun, and fellowship. I remember it like yesterday, the eight of us sitting around a well-spread table, childless, in the throws of seminary classes and at the starting blocks of our adult lives.
Now eight has grown to 26 - a pastor overseas, a theologian overseas, a land man in Georgia, a land manager in Louisiana, a photographer-mom, three home-school moms, and seven little girls and eleven little boys all growing up right. And every single one of us loves each other very nearly the same as family.
What a gift these people are to me, and what a gift our "Re-group 2015" reunion at Meeman-Shelby State Park north of Memphis was. #Blessed
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| John, Lee, Daniel, and Jack. Est. 2003, Wilmore, KY |
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| Korrie, Candace, Kayla, and Lydia. Friends forever. (Baby Emmett looking the other way) |
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| Rosemary, Emmett, Jesse, Zeke Lee, Zion, Eugene, Benjamin, Zeke David, Luke, Clementine, Henry, Jubilee, Brave, Samuel, Lily, Bethany, Anna Grace, and Asher |
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| Jubilee, Rosemary, Bethany |
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| Zion and Zeke (Chaney) |
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| Gene and Anna Grace |
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| Candace Chaney, photographer extraordinaire. Candace is behind these amazing photos. Her laughing smile, pictured here, is almost as beautiful as her personality. |
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| Not a face-shot of Lydia, but a perfect shot of her none-the-less, as Lydia has a mothers' heart. This is her holding her oldest daughter, Bethany. |
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| Korrie feeds us. She feeds our tummies with her home cooking, and our hearts with her free spirit. |
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| Zeke Chaney and Zion with their creation, Pumpkinstein. These two boys always hit it off. |
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| This. Is. Gene. |
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| The country store near our cabins. |
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| There was a gray-haired bluegrass band outside the country store. |
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| Look at what Candace can do with her camera (and look at what Korrie and Lee can do with their genes!) Lovely Clementine. |
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| Okay, I shimmied up a tree. I could have just cut the fishing line to free the rod from the tree, but I couldn't pass up the chance to climb it. |
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| And Candace couldn't pass up the chance to photograph it. I really like this one. |
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| Daniel and John with some kids on a boat. Fishing, paddling, nature-enjoying. |
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| Kids being kids. Nothing better. |
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| Capturing toads and keeping them in a Kleenex box. |
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| Big kids going for a walk. |
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| Boys with sticks. |
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| In my element. |
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| The God who made this, loves us all. |
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| Until next time, love and memories remain. |
