Crowders Mountain State Park

Continuing our string of daytrips exploring our area during this phenomenal autumn weather, this week we headed to Crowders Mountain State Park in nearby Gastonia, North Carolina.  Wow!  What a view!  The two-mile hike to the peak of the top of the Pinnacle Trail is grueling.  But when you make it to the peak, you make an audible gasp about the million-dollar view.  

In the above picture, Christopher was actually standing at the edge of a 150-foot drop: that's 15 stories straight down.  But don't worry!  Christopher was safe.  The shade you see in the corner belongs to Tim, who was standing nearby for safety.  And Christopher actually had about 6-8 feet of space between himself and the edge of the cliff.  Christopher - who has recently become a teenage boy - loved having this picture to show his buddies. :)

(Some folks such as those below didn't stay such a safe distance from the cliff.  Especially un-nerving to us was the guy in the white shirt who sat on the edge of the rock and hung his feet over the end while he ate lunch!)

 They say you can see 25 miles on Crowders Mountain, but ours was a really clear day and we could see much farther...

 -Kara

School Pics 2015: Christopher

 Pictures by Kara

Sloan Park

Rowan County, NC

School Pictures 2015: Anna

 

Pictures by Kara

Sloan Park

Rowan County, NC

School Pictures 2015: John

Pictures by Kara

Sloan Park

Rowan County, NC

Grandfather Mountain

What a blast!  Our family trekked to Grandfather Mountain this week so we could cross the famous mile-high swing bridge.  And yee ha...we all got-up our nerve to cross it!  The wind was SO fierce that it practically blew us off our feet, but thankfully we all stayed on the mountain...

 The view from the top of Grandfather Mountain is spectacular, especially during peak week for leaves like when we were there...

After you cross the bridge, there are rocks you can climb to the end of the mountain.  The wind was so intense that I got a little "seasick" and couldn't go out there.  But Tim and the kids went...

 Here are John and Christopher holding-up a bolder.  We crack ourselves up.  :)

 Of course, no Barnette family adventure would be complete without a good hike.  And WOW!  Did we find one!  We hiked the Nuwati Trail, which culminated by climbing to the top of Storyteller Rock.  What a view!

-Kara

Pastor Appreciation Reception

Tim and I LOVED the Pastor Appreciation Reception tonight at Faith Baptist Church!!!  Thanks to everyone who prepared and who came, and thanks so much for all the gifts we received.  Tim and I are overwhelmed by your generosity.  We feel so blessed to be part of a Godly and loving congregation like this...

My favorite part of the decorations were the "trees" on every table that had encouraging messages for us.  What a wonderful way to feed a pastor and pastor's wife's souls!

What an amazing Pastor Appreciation Day!

While we searched, we prayed for a church that would stay true to God's Word and love our family.  We prayed for a church family who would whole-heartedly welcome us into its midst. The Lord answered our prayers and then some.  WE LOVE FAITH BAPTIST CHURCH!!!

-Kara