We have teenagers living in our house now. As a result, it makes it difficult to figure out what they want for Christmas. For the past two years they have all asked to go skiing for their gift. The Lord has provided the funds and time each year to do so. I am not a skier, so I hangout at the cabin we rent while the rest of my family goes off and hits the slopes. This year I had planned on working on a Names of God Bible study I am writing. I am going to be teaching this study at a ladies retreat in June. 

Our Plan Seemed Perfect

Our plan was perfect. We were having some friends from Lubbock, Texas coming to spend the night at our house on Saturday night. Then we were all going to drive up to their house and we would spend the night with them on Sunday. On Monday we were going to drive up to Durango, Colorado, get some groceries, and head to the cabin we rented. Somewhere during this trip we would meet up with Brett’s parents who also love to ski and were joining us on our endeavor. Our plan seemed perfect. What could go wrong? 

Sometimes we make plans, but the Lord has a different plan. The trick is to learn to go with God’s plan and adjust your plan to match his. You never know, God may just have a divine appointment for you. If you choose not to adjust your plans to match his, you may miss out on some amazing blessings! 

Our plan was going perfectly. We met up with Brett’s parents at our favorite pizza place in Albuquerque, New Mexico. (I grew up there, and Brett and I first met at this pizza place, so it’s meaningful to us!) We enjoyed our delicious pizza and all piled back into our cars to head over to the grocery store in Durango. This is where our plans and God’s plans met head on. 

Then It Started Snowing…

As we drove into Durango it started snowing. We decided to divide and conquer our grocery lists. Brett and his dad would cover breakfast and lunch, while his mom and I would get stuff for dinner. We all rushed around the grocery store throwing things in our basket, secretly hoping we aren’t forgetting something important. We then headed to the check out and threw the groceries into our cars. By this time we learned that a “winter storm” was heading our way. In fact it seemed this winter storm had already arrived, as the snow was coming down significantly harder now than when we first arrived. 

We all got into our respective vehicles and started driving the last 30 minutes of our two-day trip. The problem about this last 30 minutes is it’s the part of the drive where we are continually going up in elevation. This means that if it’s snowing bad down where we are in Durango, then it’s probably snowing really bad up where our cabin is located. 

Off we went into the snow storm. The snow was coming down so hard it felt like we were traveling at warp speed like they do in Star Trek or Star Wars. We had other people to follow so it made it a little easier to drive. However, there came a time when we were in front and there were no tire tracks to follow. 

I Don’t Drive In Snow

I was thankful it was Brett driving and not me. You see, where I grew up, you were taught at a young age that when you see that first snowflake fall, you better get yourself home for the night. The temperature in the desert can fall quickly, which means the roads become a sheet of ice. Because it doesn’t snow too often there (like once or twice a year), the people don’t know how to drive in snow, and the roads aren’t prepared for it either. In places where it snows, often they will salt the roads and have plows going in preparation for the dumps of snow. When I was growing up, the city of Albuquerque didn’t really do that, so it would quickly become dangerous to be out in snowy weather. 

Our Plan Collided With God’s Plan

We only had 8 miles left to drive. However, it became clear that we weren’t going to make it. Brett pulled over and told his parents we weren’t going to make it. We turned around and headed back the way we came. His mom told us she saw a place to stay called The Regency. I plugged that into our GPS. We now only had 2 miles to go before we could be safe. Or so I thought. As we were driving, I thought I should check to make sure we were really going to a hotel. I looked at this place and discovered it’s a mobile home park. We can’t stay there for the night.

I quickly cleared this place out of our GPS and searched for hotels. A place called The Apple Orchard Inn came up, and it was only a mile and a half away. I felt like this was where we were supposed to go so I hit “Directions” on the GPS. The directions said, “Turn right in 400 feet.” If I had waited for even a second longer to look at all of this, we would have missed that turn! I then called Brett’s parents to let them know what was going on.

We Made It…Just Not Where We Planned

They followed us down this little, snow-covered road. It was dark, and I was wondering if this place really existed. Then off in the distance we saw a little red sign with a light pointing at it that read, “The Apple Orchard Inn.” We turned in and parked as close to the door as possible. Brett and I told the kids to stay in the car while we went in to see if they had room for us. 

Brett and I walked in and were met by a nice man who looked like he was in his late 50s, early 60s. We asked him if he had any space for a group of 7. He told us he had some rooms upstairs and some cottages out back. I asked him which one was easiest to get to from right where we were standing. He replied that the rooms upstairs were the easiest and cheapest. I said, “Great. We will take those.”

The man then passed me off to his wife to discuss which rooms we would need for the night. Brett left to go tell his parents and our kids we were staying there for the night. As it turned out, Brett’s dad’s truck had gotten stuck, and he parked in the wrong place. The man, who we later learned was called Jim, went out and helped my father-in-law get his truck out. 

God Provided For Us

I was still inside discussing which rooms we should get for the night. About this time Brett walked in out of the snow with our bags and heard us talking. He decided we should get three rooms. One for us, one for his parents, and one for the kids. The lady, whose name is Leslie, rang up our three rooms and Brett paid her. Leslie gave me the keys to the three rooms and told me the names of each room. My mother-in-law and I started bringing our bags up to the rooms. The kids soon followed and helped to bring things up as well. The seven of us were thankful for a nice, warm, safe place to stay the night. 

After getting our stuff in our rooms, we all went back downstairs. Leslie offered us some coffee, tea, and hot chocolate. It felt wonderful to have a hot drink. She even had some brownies for us to snack on. 

As we started chatting with Leslie, we realized her and her husband were also Christians. We had some wonderful chats about God, and we learned that Leslie and Jim were essentially given this bed and breakfast by the Lord. They were actually living in Albuquerque, and she came to Durango and stayed at the Apple Orchard Inn. Then they discovered the place was for sale, and they decided to buy it and run it. They are very gifted in hospitality so it made this inn a great fit for them.

“We Are Living In A Hallmark Movie”

The next morning was Valentine’s Day. We woke up in a quaint bed and breakfast. As we sat in the dining room, waiting for our breakfast (which was made to order), I looked out the wall of windows. There was of course a fresh blanket of snow, perfectly undisturbed. I looked around and it suddenly hit me. We were living in a Hallmark movie. Granted I don’t watch many Hallmark movies, but I do know they all have the same basic plot. All the circumstances that brought us to that day, sitting in a bed and breakfast, snowed in on Valentine’s Day, just made me feel like we must be living in a Hallmark movie! 

The good news was the snow had stopped. The bad news was we only had 2 hours until the “real” storm descended upon us. The “little” storm that had turned us around the night before would be small potatoes compared to the storm coming. Brett and his dad needed to go back into town and buy some chains for the tires. So they left, and his mom and I packed up all our belongings and brought them out to the front porch so we could load up as quickly as possible when the boys returned.

The kids wanted to go play in the snow. We dug out their snow clothing, and they had a blast building snowmen, making snow angels, and having snowball fights. My mother-in-law and I stood outside and watched them play. It melted my heart to see my kids having so much fun. I didn’t go out there because I didn’t have snow clothes! 

They boys got back, we loaded up everything and asked if we could pray a blessing over Jim and Leslie and the Apple Orchard Inn. They of course agreed. While attempting to back out in our vehicle, it would not move. Jim came and pulled us out with his jeep, and finally we were back on the road for that last 8 miles. 

Take Two

As we were driving, it started snowing again. We did make it to our cabin this time. However, we couldn’t make it up the driveway. We parked at the end of the driveway in a cul-de-sac of sorts, which was fine because it was secluded. We then had to hike up the rest of the way with our stuff and climb two sets of stairs to make it to the front door, all with snow steadily falling. It was a workout! We had the kids stay at the bottom of the stairs while the adults brought stuff to them to bring inside. The assembly line worked wonderfully! 

We finally unloaded all our things and organized a bit. Brett and his dad installed the chains on their cars. Then we sat down, thankful we had a warm place to stay and food to eat. We played games and watched it snow. Brett and the kids went outside and found some sleds. They all took turns sledding down the driveway. It was a lovely evening.

The next morning we awoke to 18 inches of snow. This on top of the 8-10 inches we got the night we were snowed in. It was beautiful! The snow had quit falling, and everyone was anxious to get on the slopes for skiing. We had breakfast and then Brett, his dad, our youngest daughter, and our son all went out to start digging us out. The Lord provided two snow shovels, and they spent 3 hours digging out a path to the cars and digging the cars out so they could drive. 

Let The Skiing Begin

Once everyone put on their ski clothes, they all left. Sadly there were only a few hours left in the day for the ski resort to be open. They did all get to ski for a while, and that was a blessing. The next day they were able to ski for the whole day, and I was able to get all my writing finished. Brett and the kids were supposed to ski for three days.

However, that storm cost them almost 2 whole days of skiing. We were supposed to drive to Albuquerque and spend a few days there seeing my family. Brett and the kids decided they wanted to ski another half day since we technically had the time. That morning we loaded up the car and drove up to the ski resort. Brett and the kids skied for a few hours while I hung out at the lodge. It was a beautiful day, quite the opposite of the first day! As we got in the car to head down the mountain, the kids all asked if we could come back next year! I don’t know that answer just yet, but if the Lord allows it, we will be back. 

We Had A Great Time

Although this trip did not go according to our plan, it did go according to God’s plan. There is no doubt in my mind that we were supposed to visit the Apple Orchard Inn. I believe we were sent to give them some encouragement. We were likely an answer to their prayer, as they were an answer to our prayer. I know the winter months are their slow months, and perhaps we were sent to help their business stay open so they can bless others travelers who need a quaint, picturesque place to stay. We may not know every single reason we were sent to the Apple Orchard Inn, but I do know without a shadow of a doubt we were sent there by God. This is one trip we won’t soon forget!