Family vacation 2007

We returned last week from a wonderful family vacation. The Bradley Family took a trip to North Carolina. Our main reason for traveling was to attend the American Vision Worldview Super Conference. We also stopped to visit Dollywood, the Smoky Mountains, and the Biltmore.

Dollywood was fun. Shane decided that he wanted everyone to dress similarly, so everyone, including the baby had on their western attire. I was the only one without a western shirt, but I tried to match with a red shirt and a jean skirt. Shane and the children even wore red bandannas. The children enjoyed all the rides. I think their favorite part was getting their souvenir cowboy hats and guns. I even got a cowboy hat. I decided it would be good to keep the sun out of my face.

The next day, we took a detour through the Great Smoky Mountains. I heard about a hiking trail that was supposed to be fairly easy. It was paved and said to be okay for strollers and wheelchairs. It was also slightly over a mile long, so I did not think much of it. I soon found out that it was not what I expected. It was pretty steep, and scary at some points. But we persevered and made it to the top destination, Laurel Falls. It was pretty. But that was the last hike we took together during that trip. We also took an auto tour though a part of the forest. It apparently was once a community within the mountains. It was very beautiful. We stopped at one point and visited a house that was once home to a family on 13. It was hard to imagine that many people living in such a small space. I had Shane take some pictures of me and the kids in the doorway of the home. Our oldest wanted to pretend it was our home and the other tourists were our guests. We continued our trip through the park and went on to the Ridgecrest Conference center to get ready for the start of the conference the next day.

Some pictures of us at our "house". It is really hard to believe that 11 children were raised in this house.
In Tennessee

In North Carolina

Shane and some of the kiddos by a creek in the mountains

We had a wonderful time at the conference and learned many things. It was also neat to be among many like-minded families. It was nice to not feel awkward with a large family, and it was also nice being at a conference where children were welcomed.



My favorite speaker was Voddie Baucham. He is actually one of the main reasons why we attended the conference. He is a very powerful speaker. Shane and I were very encouraged as we listened to this large African American preacher exhort us in homeschooling our children, and raising them deliberately in a Christian culture, in the nurture and admonition of the LORD. Shane told me that night that attending the conference was worth it, just to hear Voddie speak.
There were also many other good speakers. Some were Jonathan Sarfati of Creation on the Web, Hank Hanegraaf of CRI, and Bill Jack of Worldview Academy.



I did not get the chance to listen to all of the speakers. That was expected since some of the speakers were scheduled to speak after 9:00 p.m. But I am looking forward to hearing the CDs and watching the DVDs from the conference.



We met some sweet families at the conference. I think we are planning on attending the conference next year, and a number of the families said that they were planning on attending next year, too. It will be nice to see the families again. It will be like a small reunion.

On our way back home, we stopped at the Biltmore. Our oldest was very impressed with the house. She said that she wanted us to buy it, and have everyone we know to move in with us. My second born, who is three, described the Biltmore to my Aunt Brenda as a house with “a lot of rooms, and a lot of bathrooms.”



We made it back home last Monday afternoon. It is nice to be back home, and get back into our routine, but it was nice having Shane with us everyday for two weeks. I pray that one day the LORD will bless us so that Shane can work from home and be with us everyday.