Our Weekend Getaway

            A weekend away from the world with your best friends…it sounds magical doesn’t it? That’s how it felt, too. There was no school, no extracurricular activities, no work, and (as it appeared to us,) no other human life within 20 miles. Every year my youth group goes on a “Winter Retreat.” Last year, on Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend, the youth group went to Corolla, North Carolina. Corolla is a small town at the coast. We rented a house for the weekend and were so excited about getting to spend time together.

            The ride up to Corolla was about five or six hours, plus a couple of breaks to get food and use the bathroom. We met at the church that Friday afternoon and loaded up into the two vans, and three cars. Finally, after several long hours squished together in the vans, we arrived at our destination. It was very dark because it was midnight already, so we didn’t really get to look around the neighborhood. We could see our house pretty clearly, though; it was absolutely colossal! There were three stories to the house, and we weren’t looking forward to having to carry all of the luggage and food up three flights of stairs. Luckily, we didn’t have to because there was an elevator! In the house! We stayed up really late talking and laughing, going to bed around 3am.

            The weekend was filled with many exciting adventures. We walked on the beach and my father and one of the other leaders actually drove into Virginia on the beach because it was only about 15 miles away. We also visited the local lighthouse, had group devotions, made home videos (on the elevator, too!) and played games while drinking hot chocolate. In this humongous house, there was also a pool table and a foosball table. One night, the girls decided to make a twister board out of clothes. It was hilarious to watch!  Everything about the trip so far was perfection. There weren’t people in the houses surrounding us (which were also gigantic,) so we felt as if we were in a secret world. One night we decided to go out for dinner. I guess the adults were tired of getting lost in the kitchen because it was so large! We ended up having to drive for about 35 minutes to find a little pizza shop because it was such a desolate town. It was definitely worth it, though.

            The night before we were supposed to go home, it started snowing. We were very excited because it hardly ever snows in NC! The winter wonderland quickly turned into a blizzard. We were in a quandary, and couldn’t decide if we should go ahead and leave the day we had originally intended, or if we should stay for another night to let the storm pass. We decided to fight the elements. What was supposed to be a five or six hour trip turned into about nine or ten hours. We had to drive about 30 mph on the interstate, where the speed limit is 70. It was hard to see five feet in front of the vehicle, but luckily, a couple of the cars had 4wheel drive and led the way. When we got back to the church, we were able to breathe a sigh of relief….until we stepped out into the cold night air. The parking lot was frozen over completely! It was the beginning of yet another journey to get home! Ups and downs, though, it will be a time I will forever fondly remember!