Cabin in the Woods

Amiable. There's nothing better than a good old-fashioned girls weekend getaway, unless you get the opportunity to have said girls weekend at a private cabin along a beautiful river. That's exactly what Julia and I had planned one weekend last month at a gorgeous cabin owned by one of Julia's relatives where we got direct access to the Blue River and the nearby Tishamingo National Wildlife Refuge. Knowing me, you can bet our weekend had something to do with being outside.

Julia and I both have a thing for fine wine (I'm a wine snob, no shame) so as soon as we met at the cabin Friday night we broke out the wine and some dinner. Our night consisted of catching up, wine, movies and chocolate. Saturday, though, the exploring began. Of course, we chose the weekend that Mother Nature decided to plunge southern Oklahoma into sub-freezing temperatures... but that didn't stop us! We bundled up and headed out the back door to scale the riverbanks, hunting for shells and pretty photos. We also explored the surrounding woods, commenting that we probably wouldn't have been walking through the leaf litter during the summer because of the likelihood of venomous snakes.

It wasn't too long before it became apparent that the temperature would continue to drop, and that the fine drizzle that was showering us might possibly change into sleet or even snow. From the river banks at the cabin we decided to check out Tishamingo National Wildlife Refuge, maybe hike a few trails or at least find a place for a picnic. On our arrival to the refuge, though, the wind seemed to really kick up and we were shivering after just a minute or two outside the car, even with layers on. We mostly decided to tour by car from that point, only getting out a few times to check out overlooks or buildings. Turns out the refuge used to be a chicken farm, with the buildings and houses still standing, though either turned into storage/maintenance buildings or otherwise off-limits to the public. There were a few buildings that were open however, including one that looked drab from the outside but when we actually went inside we found the walls, ceilings and even part of the floor covered in bright, colorful paintings. It was completely unexpected and absolutely gorgeous, and I took more pictures of it than I'd like to admit. After the painted building due to the continuously dropping temperatures and the persistant drizzle we decided to call it a day and head back to the cabin for more movies and wine. We threw in breakfast for dinner as well and settled in for the night.

We woke up the next morning to brilliant sunshine, a crystal clear day, and temperatures in the teens. Brrr!!  Neither of us were in a hurry to go home, especially with the likely ice on the roads, so we popped in a few more movies and wrapped ourselves in blankets while we waited for it to warm up. Once we deemed it warm enough and late enough in the day we started to pack and load up our cars. In the bustle of getting ready to leave, the cabin door got shut behind us...and locked us out! Luckily we had our car keys on us and Julia had her phone, but my phone and most of our stuff was still inside. Oops! Eventually we ended up getting ahold of the cabin owner and got ourselves back into the cabin, but I decided right then and there I wanted to learn how to pick locks. I feel like it's a good skill to have! (Side note: Julia got me a practice lock for Christmas so I can learn! Thank you!!) After our bit of excitement, we got all loaded up and reluctantly took our leave. It was an awesome weekend, if a little cold, and I can't wait to do it again!