This year our church held its first annual parish retreat at Shrine Mont in Orkney Springs, VA. Phil and I decided it was something we'd love to participate in when the weekend was announced last fall, and we were graciously blessed with scholarship money to help to pay for the weekend through the gifts of our generous fellow parishioners. We are thankful to belong to such a wonderful church family!
Shrine Mont is only an hour and a half from our house which made it an easier trip for our gang who get pretty impatient after the half hour mark in any road trip. Of course no ride with kids takes the amount of time Google Maps says it will take, but after picking up snacks for the weekend, iced coffees, and emergency s'mores supplies at the Luray Walmart, we still made it there before dinner which was the ultimate goal.
Upon our Friday evening arrival, we checked into Harrison Cottage, unloaded our many bags into our three respective bedrooms, and then headed to dinner. Shrine Mont is a conference center and retreat of the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia set against a rustic, mountainous backdrop of the George Washington National Forest. It was a treat to be immersed in this "place apart" and among others who share our faith. We ate all of our meals family style at large tables that were set with fantastic southern-style home cooked meals. Each mealtime was announced with the nostalgic clanging of a dinner bell and a call to prayer and blessing of the food was spoken together before everyone sat at their seats to eat.
After dinner we dealt with the less-than-thrilling surprise that Shrine Mont no longer rented cribs, and drove half an hour to the nearest Walmart to buy a (much-needed anyway) new pack and play. Thankfully, the kids were in the good hands of some of our favorite St. Stephen's peeps, and played with their church friends while we were gone, so they barely noticed our absence. We did as a result miss compline prayer though which was a bummer, but Phil and I got to spend some almost-alone time on the ride (with Stephen in tow) which made the inconvenience less inconvenient in the end.
After getting back and getting Stephen to bed, we hung out on the cottage porch with several of our fellow SSEC members and enjoyed some fellowship until it was time for the rest of the kids to hit the sheets around 10:00. Everyone slept reasonably well that night, despite the fact that the cottage (and almost none of the buildings that make up Shrine Mont) are air conditioned. Box fans for the win! The next morning we dressed and headed over to Art Hall for coffee hour and conversation until breakfast was ready. After breakfast we sent the kids up to the playground with Josselin, our church's nursery worker, and participated in morning prayer in Chilton Hall.
The kids were chomping at the bit to get to the pool which was about to open, and that's where we spent the majority of our full day at Shrine Mont, only taking a break mid-day for lunch, and then shutting the pool down at dinner time. The kids had so much fun swimming with their friends from church, and it was great to get a lot of adult conversation while they splashed and swam happily nearby. One of my favorite parts of the weekend was the time spent getting to know some of the parents from our church whom I hadn't had a lot of time to talk with outside of Sunday services.
After the pool, we took a wagon ride around the Shrine Mont property, went to dinner and, played on the playground some more. Around 7 we got Stephen bathed and to bed, and then enjoyed more fellowship and some s'mores at the fire pit ring. That evening there was another mixer on the front porch of our cottage. An evening thunderstorm had cooled everything off significantly and made for good sleeping conditions overnight. Around midnight and again at two am a thunderstorm and heavy rain rolled through but no one from our family heard it except for me and Phil. The kids were all out cold!
The next morning we once again headed to Art Hall for coffee and to wait for the breakfast bell, enjoyed fantastic pancakes, sausage, and fried apples, and then headed back to the playground for more fun with friends. After a little while, Phil and I left the kids under Josselin's care and walked down to the Virginia House (an antebellum-era hotel) and checked out the gift shop. I brought back a Shrine Mont cookbook (a must-have), and a couple of magnets, then we went back to get the kids and headed to worship at the shrine which was a beautiful and Spirit-filled experience and the highlight of the weekend for me. One of my favorite parts of the service was the "Fruit of the Spirit" song sung by all of the parish kids in attendance during the offertory. I don't think anyone in attendance will have trouble listing off the fruits of the spirit in the future! So cute.
After church, we headed back to the dining room for our last meal at Shrine Mont (the famous fried chicken lunch) and then went back to our cottage to pack up while the kids got in one last playground and sandbox session with friends. They were all so bummed to leave, but I'm thankful for the sweet friendships that blossomed during the weekend and can't wait to see them grow in the months and years to come. We're all very much looking forward to the next parish retreat weekend at Shrine Mont!
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