Well, it's back to real life after our small group's relaxing and revitalizing weekend at Lake Cypress Springs in Mt. Vernon, Texas. Here's the weekend in pictures:
Lake Cypress Springs is an hour or two east of the Metroplex -- far enough to make you feel like you're far removed from the hassles of the everyday work week. Ten of us met at the lakehouse on Friday night, staying until Sunday noon.
To the left you'll see the beautiful lakehouse at which we had the pleasure of staying. The back side had virtually all windows, so we could enjoy the view even while we were indoors. Many thanks to the generous couple who allows people like us to bask in God's creation in the comfort of a place like this!
We took things slowly in the mornings, starting off with a full breakfast. But with two dogs and a six-month old around, things couldn't stay quiet for too long. Here's Neide getting her morning snuggles from Isaiah, the life of the party!
Even the life of the party gets tired...
What's a weekend on the lake without tubing and wakeboarding? Curt, Sean, and Kyle tried their hand (their legs?) at wakeboarding, but it was Benjamin who roughed it by tubing. I tell ya, it was really rough. Can't you just see that huge wake?
It was so rough, even Ricardo and Millie could join him on the tube...
Okay, so what really happened was... after a couple rounds in Curt's boat earlier in the day, it decided to have mechanical problems. So just to show that there really was a boat, here we are sitting, waiting... trying to think of creative ways to cool off that don't require being pulled behind a boat.
If a weekend at the lake requires boating, an evening with our small group requires FOOD! Here we are, patiently posing for a picture, while we're really wishing we could be diving into the chicken wings, steaks, pork chops, and sausages Bob grilled over charcoal for dinner. We also had grilled squash, zucchini, and green peppers, lettuce salad, loaded baked potatoes, fresh bread... oh, and cinnamon apple crumble with real whipped 
cream for dessert!
Hungry yet? Well, I guess the question was, How could we still be hungry after a feast like that? But after a rousing game of Pictionary, most of us still had room for s'mores. And Bob had to prove that even a Serbian can enjoy this classic American campfire treat! (Check out this post to see our previous adventures in s'more-making.)
Here are some other random pictures from the weekend:
Left: the Beyer family -- Kyle, Carrie, and Isaiah
Below: Millie and Isaiah
Below Left: Sean chills out; Below right: The view of the lake from the cabin. (A picture could never do it justice.)
Below left: another group picture; Below right: Curt digs into our enormous spread.
And there's the whole gang! From left to right... Back row: Ricardo, Sean, Bob, Benjamin, and Kyle; On the bench: Curt, Shadow, Millie, Neide, and Carrie; On the ground: Chip and Isaiah
The weekend at the lake was a great reminder to stop, relax, and enjoy God's gifts -- the gifts of friendship and the beauty of nature, just to name a couple.
Oh, and by the way, our group is not closed to newcomers! If you're looking for an active, diverse group of couples and singles, you're invited to join us for the "Just Walk Across the Room" series starting next week!