the mountains

Denver is known for being a city of transplanted citizens.
people move from all over the country
just to live near the Rockies.

i count myself blessed to be one of those people.
especially on a hot summer day
when i'm HOT and SWEATY and HOT
and only a couple hours away from sweet relief.

we don't make it up to mountains as often as we would like.
but this past weekend, i made my escape.

to Estes Park:
Gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park

where i met up with three friends from high school.
well, from PRE-school actually
but who is counting the years :)

we spent a couple nights at the local KOA
and all day Saturday hiking

you can almost SEE the silence in this picture.
i l.o.v.e.d. that.

we hiked UP for three hours.
and then the path and trees
opened up into




it was beautiful.
and worth the grueling hike.

we ate lunch


and crawled out onto some boulders where we could nap in the sun
i wanted to get to this one
but we all know how i feel about water creatures.
we're not bff's.

so i settled for a much smaller boulder that was closer to shore.
i fell asleep listening to nothing but the water lapping up against the side of the rock
and it was glorious.

there was a mountain stream emptying into the lake
i was determined to get some good pictures
which required me crawling through some crass and flowers.
after i snapped the photo,
i noticed that i was surrounded by butterflies

they were ALL over.
sucking the nectar
so they were peaceful and still.
sigh.
it was great.

God's handiwork was all around me
and i couldn't help but admire it all.

i found myself meditating on all the tiny details of nature
and how God knows ME and all the details of my life
in the exact same way.

incredible.

with all the changes of the past few months:
school ending. friends moving. new job. church.
especially church.

with all those changes,
it was good for me to remember how much God knows.
and cares.
and loves.

remembering that brings me peace.
and on most days, i can not have too much peace.

can you relate?

can you hear my soul resting
as you read this post?

i feel at rest all over again as I look at the pictures
and remember the day.

i hope that in some way you can rest for a few minutes, too.