Girls Weekend

Several months ago, Aunt Granny had the wonderful idea to have a girls weekend in celebration of all the wonderful ladies in our family.  I am a bit biased but yes, I do think all 6 of us girls on the Ellis side are great!  Janet planned the weekend, allowing Jennifer and I to sit back, relax and just show up to enjoy the festivities.  Janet, Jennifer, Sawyer, Kate, Cameron and I ventured down to Cumberland Falls to explore one of the most beautiful parks in Kentucky.  Kate and I left Louisville about 7:00 a.m. on Saturday morning, allowing us plenty of time to make a quick pit-stop in Lexington to switch cars, car-pool with the gang, and arrive at Cumberland Falls State Park by 10:00 a.m.  We checked in and headed straight to our 1st activity of horseback riding by 11:00. 

We have all been anticipating the horseback riding for several weeks now and the girls did 100-times better than expected.  The trainers helped Sawyer, Kate, Cameron onto their horse and the expressions on their faces were priceless.  The wasn't one ounce of hesitation as they patiented waited for everyone to saddle up.  The ride was 1 hour and took us through a mixture of gravel and dirt trails throughout the park.  The views were spectacular, that is if you could ever take your eyes off the side of the trail where our horses like to toe a little too close to the edge.  It was a little nerve wracking at 1st as the departure from the stable was pretty steep.  Luckily we are tough and enjoyed it even though a few nervous laughs could be heard throughout the trail (ahem...Jenn).  Here are a few pictures of us all (I had the only camera so there is no proof I was on a horse except from the angle of the camera) :)  I am so bummed the one of Cameron turned out blurry.

A few lessons were learned from our 1st activity:
- 6 and 8 year olds have NO fear and this makes their mom's very proud
- being a mom/aunt makes you far more brave than you think
- Jennifer needs a glass of wine prior to ever horseback riding again
- Jennifer will gladly sit out if the girls don't want to horseback ride again...but it is a good thing our girls are tough!

After lunch, we made it to the tie-dye activity, which the girls seemed to enjoy about as much as Jenn and I did.  We finally made it to the pool where Sawyer, Kate and Cam all jumped off the diving board for 2-hours straight.  We are extra proud of Cameron as this was her 1st time off a diving board!!!  Here are some pictures and videos:

The adults finally got a little rest and relaxation back at the cottage where we enjoyed a glass of wine and some pre-dinner snacks.  We headed back to the lodge for dinner and a little game of checkers.  After a great nights rest and a wonderful breakfast, we made it down to the falls, which was even more beautiful than I remembered as a kid.  We followed several different paths around the falls, snapping pictures along the way.  The kids and Jennifer were all troopers despite little and/or injured legs!  Next year we hope for a lot more hiking but for now, it was PERFECT!!!  Here are some pictures of the breathtaking falls.

 

A huge thank you goes out to Aunt Granny for planning and providing the perfect girls weekend for the Ellis girls!  We love you and thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all the laughs we experienced and memories we made.  This is the best Christmas gift a little/big girl could ask for!  I just hope the girls will have as wonderful memories of the trip as Jenn and I will carry with us forever.  Another thank you goes out to Nana for helping keep Jake company in Louisville while Ryan was out drafting the winning team for his Fantasy Football league.