A West Virginia Family Week.

It all started here.
Two people, in love with Jesus, met on the mission field in Belize, Central America.
Meet Mr. & Mrs. Barkman.

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Marriage and 31 years later, they’ve expanded the family.
They began with four daughters.

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They loved the girls, but decided they’d try for sons as well.
They had two, and everyone was so happy.

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Meanwhile the children had children, and the family grew and grew. [where does that line come from? I’m having a deja’ vu!] At this point it’s not even basic addition; it’s more like multiplication. :) It’s so fun!

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We met from various points of the east (Michigan, Pennsylvania, Georgia) at a chalet in the mountains of West Virginia for several days. Time like this is so special because we don’t get to all be together very often, and also, we never know how many more times together we’ll be gifted. Life is such a GIFT! And we want to treasure these sweet moments.

So, what does a family do in the boonies of West Virginia, where there is hardly any cell phone service and no internet? Well, be together, of course. While the no connection with the outside world came a bit as a surprise, it was actually welcomed because that meant there wasn’t as much room for distraction and time being frittered away on electronics.

Besides, there were deer in abundance – one evening drive counted in the fourties – and the men were ecstatic. There was even a few points of high excitement as one of the brothers-in-love pulled out his bow and arrow for a shot at a groundhog.

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There was so much good food. SO MUCH.
Mom and we girls each took a day of cooking, and it worked wonderfully.

good food

There was time to sit and relax, with hot coffee and early morning light.
For those without little kiddos, these moments were definitely longer and more relaxed. :)

morning light devotions

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And being raised in the home of our book-loving mother, we all brought various books or picked up some that were already present. My book-loving children were ecstatic by the entertaining uncles and aunts and Papa and Nana.
Zoe, meet the Boxcar Children.

books & things

There were trails hiked and tennis games [I won’t even say how many I won, er – lost] and ping-pong battles, and funny games where we laughed so hard we could hardly breathe, and times to sit out by the mountains.

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My family is at a stage with lots of change right now.
In a year and a half, my parents went from having 3 daughters and 2 sons at home, to having only 1 son in the house. My three sisters got married, and my brother is moving into the city.

We spent a lot of time together talking about life, praying, dreaming, blessing each other.
It is such a BLESSING to be part of a family where Jesus is central.
I know it’s rare, and I treasure it.

All those family devotions growing up? [that I would sometimes get tired of]
I’m so grateful for them now, for the way they still let us see into each other’s hearts.
For the way it opens up conversation to talk about the things of God,
how He’s working and leading and moving.
It’s so exciting!

This vacation? We all said it was The Best Vacation Ever.

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Early-rising children. Vacation looks a bit different with little kids. :)

vacation kiddos

There was a little nearby town to explore, with a Goodwill and some quaint little shops.
We did more window shopping than buying, but it was fun to get out and look around.

Ervina & baby Huddy
My sister Claudia can rock these glasses like few people can. Like I sure couldn’t. :)

claudia & fashion

Oh, and there was an ice cream shop, right by a little stream. We couldn’t resist.
Besides, Ervina’s baby was hungry. :)

ice cream collage

And in typical Barkman fashion, we must carve out a few minutes of time for some pictures. These were probably the most informal we’ve ever done, but hey, it’s documented. :)

We’ve got all kinds of lovebirds…

couples pix

And these two are expecting a new little Lovie. We cannot wait until March!!

Kenny & Ervina
This little guy melts me in a puddle.

Huddy

These kids adore their uncles.  uncles

A rare few of my love and me.  That’s my brother James all snuggly with us. Ben & Clarita

And one last picture…
Parting words from Zoe, age six,
Mommy, why is it SO SAD to say goodbye to them?”

I know, Sweetie. I know.

aunties & nieces

To us, family means
putting your arms around each other
and being there.

-Barbara Bush

“Siblings: children of the same parents,
each of whom is perfectly normal until they get together.”
– Sam Levenson

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A Family Holiday.

 

So my husband planned a sponteous family getaway, in the mountains of the northern part of the state.

He googled ‘best state parks’ and this was the top in our state. It boasted beautiful scenery, great hiking trails, and waterfalls.

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AND it had cottages, which was a huge plus for me. It’s not that I don’t do tent camping – it’s just that tent camping and three kids and six hours away and making all your own food seems extremely time consuming and a bit stressful, and I’d rather enjoy my vacation, please! And it said ‘cottage’ – not even ‘cabin’! I was sure we’d be enjoying nature in style.

So off we went, with excitement through the roof on all of our parts. We had never done a family holiday before! With my family living far away, and my extended family living far away in yet another state, all of our travels have been to see them. And I have loved that! But maybe it’s as our family grows older that it’s felt as though we need our very own little family times as well.

So the packing began, and I was beaming as I packed my cute vintage suitcases, and our very old vintage ice chest. Later, as Ben unloaded, I realized his true feelings on my charming finds. “I feel like a GRANDMA,” he announced, quite embarassed. And I do have to admit – maybe the idea of vintage luggage sounds better than the actual usage! :)

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We checked in to our… cottage, which was really a rustic CABIN. Hello, just call it a cabin then! But hey, it had a [very teeny basic] kitchen, and a shower, and beds to sleep in, and air conditioning, so I guess it still was like camping in style. Just not in luxury – you can’t compare a State Park to a Hampton Inn!! :)

After getting settled in, and the girls running around shrieking in excitment, and Hudson running after them screaming just because it seemed to be the thing to do, we headed out for the trails.

It was then that we realized we had missed an important memo; actually, we had somehow missed the bold print title of Canyon. The whole state park was built around a deep canyon, and nearly all trails led straight down into the gorge! This was no leisurely stroll through the woods; this was considered ‘strenuous hiking’ even by the park map and ‘Warning: not intended for those with heart trouble’ on the big sign leading down the trail.

We’re used to flat land, pine trees, palm trees, and beaches. I had hardly realized that Georgia actually has mountains as well!

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And for those of us who aren’t exactly in tip-top athletic shape and who had to piggy-back kiddos part of the way, we had a few things like shaking legs and heaving lungs by the time it was all completed. But, we did it, and completed it! All 1200 steps, all the while passing other heaving and puffing and sweating fellow hikers. I guess we weren’t the only ones not quite prepared for the strenuous part of it.

The view at the bottom was so worth the thousand steps and mile and a half tough hike – the 100 foot waterfall was so beautiful, and the kids were so wowed at the huge rocks everywhere.

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The next day we did find a two-mile trail that was definitely more family-friendly. A rambling walk through the woods that was not life-threatening! Perfect.

 

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All that hiking and outdoor activity made for some hungry folks. And what’s better than an old-fashioned supper on the grill? But I have to say, taking all your own food for even a weekend vacation is a lot of work!! At the end of it all I was calling it a “Family Weekend” rather than a “Vacation.” Somehow, as a kid, vacations like this didn’t seem like so much work!! :)

// typical Hudson face after a nap: big puffy Barkman lips and tousled hair. i could eat him alive. //

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And we are left with a hundred fun and funny memories, and a few better-toned muscles besides. :) I love my little family SO much.

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