weekend refresh

we spent the weekend in the mountains with a group of our high school students. two lucky little boys got to join us for the trip.

{the boys and i were on a nature walk and they were mesmerized by all sorts of things. not quite sure what had their attention here}

they were in heaven. my favorite part of the entire trip was just sitting back and watching them be them.  

grey was in his prime. he had his fair share of socializing. he was hanging out with "the students" (just as he calls them) like he was going on 15 and was right smack dab in the middle of everything.

i loved watching grey with people. with new and different people, totally out of his everyday life. watching him have conversation and relate to others that are in a far different place than he is. he joined in one of the small groups at one point and made his own little contribution to the conversation. he wrote it down in his journal and came to show me. he was so confident and beaming with joy to spend time with "the students."

tuck man was totally and completely in his element. he spent most of his time exploring. and catching bugs, worms, and water creatures. i took the boys on a long "hike" saturday morning during the session. we explored and explored and explored. i watched tucker come alive as we talked about the wind, the mountains, the trees, the moss, the branches, the salamanders, the tadpoles, the dirt, the mud and anything else we passed by. he touched everything. and i let him do whatever he wanted. (within reason)  i would have to say it's some of the best time we've spent together to date.

i couldn't resist going down the humongous slide into the freezing lake water. i'm still not quite sure if it was worth it but it was fun nonetheless. 

and matthew and i even got to slip away for a short morning walk together this morning. 

  will and i spent our first few days apart in 13 months. he spent the weekend with papa and gigi and apparently was a little angel.

these three were reunited tonight and they were in heaven.

 a retreat this time of year is much needed for the students as they are in high stress mode. this weekend is perfectly placed and planned for rest for their souls. and i'm so glad we got to join in! it was rest for my soul on a completely different level and i think our boys even came away relaxed and renewed. what a great weekend.