taking a moment...

I am sitting at my usual little workspace but the walls around me are bare, boxes are towering over my head and the truck will be loaded and gone by this time tomorrow. So, before I tackle the remaining task of sorting, tossing and boxing all the packing left-overs (cleaning liquids, candles, food, the odd socks that appeared when the dresser was moved...) let's just take a minute to breathe, shall we?
How about these views of Cathedral Rock in Sedona...

Isn't that light just gorgeous? We picnicked and explored there one evening; the kids swam (some by choice, some by slipping) and we watched the sun set over those gorgeous red rocks.

The Schultz fire broke out in Flagstaff just after the smaller Hardy fire that caused so much wedding day drama. We watched this one grow in the blue sky as we drove to the Grand Canyon. Sad and frightening yet in a way so beautiful, don't you think?

The Grand Canyon was almost too much to take in from our tiny human vantage point on the rocky ledges. Shawn wanted to find a plane to soar through the landscape. I wanted to make my way down a trail to explore the colors and shapes and see that river up close. But it was good to stand there and be reminded of just how small we are, how Great is our Creator and how amazing that He would be mindful of us.

I don't really know how to sum up the trip except to simply say it was beautiful. From the landscape to the wedding to the hugs from friends and family and the breather it provided in this crazy month...it was marked by love and grace. Beautiful.

Exhale, return to packing...