To celebrate our fifth year anniversary (May 10), Kimberly and I took advantage of her sister Kristen’s gift to eat at Peaks of Otter restaurant overlooking the lovely lake and we hiked up Flat Top Mountain with Mazie. The weather was perfect and everything was dressed in fresh green. Though the rhododendron had not started to bloom on the mountains, down at the lodge they were bursting out with abandon… more like a tree than a shrub!
The Peaks of Otter is “Our Place,” where I asked Kimberly to marry me February 14, 2007 on Sharp Top Mountain. As many times as we have been there, we have never hiked up Flat Top until last Thursday. Our creaky joints and straining muscles reminded us of our age as we climbed the fairly steep 2 mile trail up, but we finally made it. You will notice the blue plastic retractable leash in most pictures as the one holding the camera could not hold the dog.
The view was spectacular, even better than Sharp Top in my opinion, though the wind was brisk and a little too chilly for my short sleeves.
As I say, the view was spectacular 😉
Kimberly sang me the song from our wedding.
Standing on this hill, I can see for miles
Creation moves my soul with childlike wonder
All the shades of earth
The greys, greens and browns
The blue and white maned sky
And the only words that come
I say like a prayer
I love the view from here
Of kindness and courage
I see in your face
Wisdom, grace and warmth
The smile that lights my world
And the only words that come
I say like a prayer
I love the view from here
And Mazie completes our Grace family:
Janathan Grace Reflections 
I have such wonderful memories of this celebration of year 5! We didn’t even try so hard to make this day special…but it turned out to be a huge blessing to me. I love you so much, Janathan. Thank you for never giving up on being yourself and for seeking grace at every turn. Your commitment to grace has been an incredible gift to my life. The more grace you receive, the more it blesses me!
Yes, we are astonishingly blessed in our relationship. You are the perfect one for me.