california... we're here

i'm sitting here in my mother-in-law's kitchen, on don's computer, while the rest of the house is still asleep (except for don). it seems surreal. i've always marveled at how you can be in one place, physically and mentally, and a few hours later be in a whole different place, again, physically and mentally.

california is so different than colorado. it smells different (thanks to the ocean breezes) and it looks different (a little more, tropical... a lot more people!). but most of all, it pulls at my heart strings. it's a place of years gone by, where memories come flooding back at every turn the car makes or as i sit here in this house where i spent so much time as a teenager.

but it's good. and i love being here. sandwiches from our favorite deli were waiting in the car for us when we landed and we went straight to the beach to have dinner on the sand at sunset. jake's girlfriend is with us and she had never been on a plane before or traveled too far from home. i have tried seeing and experiencing everything through her eyes and perspective. i would see this whole trip as an incredible adventure. i hope she does.

i was lucky enough to get a window seat on the plane. i spent most of the time looking out the window, down upon the ever changing landscape. mountains with snow still on the peaks, vast desert that seemed to go on forever, winding rivers, and finally, civilization - the metropolis know as los angeles (it goes on forever, too). i couldn't help but stare out in wonder and awe at God's magnificant creation. He is truly an artist and He is worthy of all honor and praise. thank you, God, for the beauty of this earth and all that you give us.