hundred-mile sunrise

I know I said I wouldn't be back for a while, but my kids are still sleeping, a load of laundry is swishing in the washing machine and oatmeal is cooling on the stove, so I can justify it.

One of my sisters lives on a golf course in a quaint little city outside Atlanta. From the balcony in her back yard you can see acres of beautifully manicured grass, a silvery lake and a small forest. The trees took my breath away, each shaded with different colored fall leaves. And they were twice as tall as her house. I brought home leaves for my kids... some were bigger than their cute little faces.

As we drove around her neighborhood and city, I rolled down my window and literally hung out my head like a dog... and tried my best to keep my tongue in my mouth. I couldn't help but feel a little cheated for living in Vegas during this time of year. Vegas is so brown and flat and boring. As the plane flew over Georgia and then into Nevada, the contrast was astounding. It made me more depressed to live in such a blah, weather-never-changing kind of place.

And then I woke up. I woke up this morning around 5 AM and stepped outside. The sun wasn't scheduled to arrive for an hour or so. But the sky was preparing for the day. It didn't matter which way I looked, I could see the entire city. The little rocks that we call mountains were dark and behind them was the most beautiful orange backdrop. It went on for a least a hundred miles. The few clouds in the sky knew exactly where to go when the sun came up. As it peaked over the mountains, the clouds transformed into pink cotton candy. They covered the crisp blue sky and I almost felt like I could reach out and eat some. It was in that moment I stopped feeling depressed about living in such an ugly city and felt awe and wonder for the place I call home. There is beauty ALL around us if we choose to see it. And home is wherever my family is.

I am so looking forward to cleaning, cooking, playing, laughing, disciplining, reading, and being in my home today.