Glen Ella Springs Inn part 2 ~ It Just Gets Better!

Saturday was filled with fun and adventure!  After a beautiful fireside breakfast buffet consisting of two cheese strata, stone ground grits, sausage, fresh fruit, homemade apple bread, yogurt with homemade granola and so much more!  The ladies went on all kinds of outings in and around Clarkesville.  The group I was in went horseback riding.  It was a great ride with women supporting and encouraging each other.  One of my favorite part of these trips is that I give my ladies the opportunity to step outside their comfort zone a bit (sometimes even WAY outside their comfort zone).  I love when "my girls" rise to the challenge of challenging themselves!  Many made their way into Clayton, Ga where the Celebrate Clayton Festival was going on.  They came back with many unique treasures from the festival.  Still others went on a mini-hiking adventure to Minnehaha Falls about 2 miles from the Inn.  Next time I go back to Glen Ella Springs I am going to Minnehaha Falls too! 

 The Cowgirl Group!

Celebrate Clayton Arts Festival

 Minnehaha Falls

Lunch time was all a buzz with the sharing of our morning activities ~ shopping, riding, hiking, exploring!  Lunch hit the spot to refuel our bodies and our souls.  At each meal the ladies have the chance to win a raffle basket.  When a name is pulled it is usually followed by shrieks of delight and sighs of maybe next time.  Here are a few of our winners and what they won!

The afternoon was wide open to do whatever you wanted.  There were more trips to Minnehaha, massages & reflexology were available for the women to enjoy and then there was the pool group which grew as the afternoon went on.  We laughed, talked, soaked up the sun's warm rays and even played ladder ball! 

Soon it was time for all the ladies to don their Posh Pajamas and get Blinged Out for our Happy Hour in the pavilion before dinner.  While at Happy Hour the ladies tattoo-ed themselves (temporary of course) and chose beautiful bling rings & boas!  They had the chance to be part of Dejeweled a "reverse raffle" if they were interested.  An entry of $2 would give them the chance to win $70.  Everyone wrote their name on a piece of paper and they got a small sparkly flower sticker to display on their cheek.  Throughout the evening we drew three names every half hour.  If your name was pulled then you were stripped of your sticker and were no longer in the running to win the pot. BOOOO HOOOO ~ Too Bad So Sad!

 

Our little Posh Parade from the pavilion to the dining room was quite a sight to see.  Fortunate for us their were also a few prom groups there to have their special dinner out before the big dance.  So, there were plenty of far more sparkly, far more flashy outfits than ours.  Dinner was yet again a very memorable experience from the caesar salad to the perfectly cooked very tender tenderloin and killer brownie for dessert OH MY!  Thanks again Chef Patrick and his culinary crew! 

BLING BINGO TIME!!!!  Every women brought a little bling gift with them that we used as our Blingo prizes.  We had a lot to give away so we played until everyone won something.  We had little dance breaks in between Blingo rounds.  I must say we couldn't have asked for a more beautiful evening out there in the twinkling lighted pavilion. 

"BLINGO!"



A small group stayed up late night for some good girlie question games in the garden house.  Tears and laughter are always good for the soul.  Another night of sweet slumber in comfy cozy beds.  A feeling of sadness that our fabulous weekend is coming to an end.  But a sense of renewal is upon us knowing we are going home better for just being together.  Morning comes with another scrumptious breakfast.  Sunday's buffet included Glen Ella's famous blueberry granola pancakes with toasted walnut butter. MMMMMM  Hugs goodbye and promises to return to this quaint country inn.  We joined together at mass back at our home parish to complete this simply perfect weekend.  Couldn't have asked for anything better!  Thank you God for putting beautiful people in my life every single day.

Special thanks to -
Debbie Brunen from Glen Ella who made my job (volunteer job) so much easier!  All the staff at Glen Ella ~ THANKS!
Ed & Luci Kivett, owners of Glen Ella Springs for sharing such a special place with the rest of the world.
Susan Burger our very own photographer!  Such true beauty isn't always easy to capture.  Susan you did a beautiful job!
Our massage therapist Nena Lee and her friend the reflexologist for bringing our ladies to a new level of relaxation!