Twelve things about this trip

For those of you who don't know, I'm in California with my family to visit my grandparents for Christmas. Our trip went very well, and we are at Grammy and Papa's house. These are a few highlights of the trip so far:

1. The sunsets. I have seen a beautiful sunset every night since we left! The first night,we were near El Paso--the sunsets are the only thing I like about West Texas! When we're in that part of the state, I always hope for a great sunset--and I wasn't disappointed. That sunset was glorious, dazzling, and splendiferous. [Prepare yourself for adjective overload] The clouds were amazing all day, being composed mostly of feathery plumes and goosedown ripples against a deep, rich blue sky. We were driving toward the west, and the clouds flanked us to the north and the south like triumphal banners. As the sun dipped toward the horizon, the clouds took on an unequalled radiance. To the north, the clouds were a greyish-purple color with fuchsia highlights. I have never seen such a bright pink! To the south, the clouds were orange, peach, lavender, and rose, the softest colors imaginable. The contrast was amazing--the sight took my breath away. I have never seen anything more glorious!

I was amazed. Sunsets like that always remind me of the glory of God, inspiring me to worship. Maybe that's why God made beautiful sunsets. I can't even understand how someone could stand and watch a sunset like that and say that there is no God, that the glory and beauty is simply an accident. No, God is, and was, and will be. He is great and glorious.

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his
handiwork.
Psalm 19:1

Bless the Lord, O my soul!
O Lord my God, you are very great!
You are clothed with splendor and majesty,
covering yourself with light as with a garment,
stretching out the heavens like a tent...
May the glory of the Lord endure forever;
may the Lord rejoice in his works,
who looks on the earth and it trembles,
who touches the mountains and they smoke!
I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praise to my God while I have being...
Bless the Lord, O my soul! Praise the Lord!
from Psalm 104
(all Bible verses ESV translation)

2. The scenery. We drove through four states to get here, and I enjoyed the scenery so much!

3. The mountains. More on those later--I have pictures to upload.

The little things...

4. Riding in a rented car (a 2008 model, nonetheless!).

5. Honey Nut Cheerios in the mornings (my all-time favorite cereal).

6. Reading Les Miserables--a book that is extremely long, but extremely wonderful.

7. Hearing Aaron's sermon again.

8. Visiting cousins I haven't seen in five years.

9. Hanging out with my family.

10. Arriving at Grammy and Papa's. I am so blessed to be here!

11. Getting ready for Christmas. By the way, the embroidery is coming along really well. I'll post more pictures when I get home--I didn't bring my camera cable. By now you are probably sick and tired of me and my embroidery!

12. God is good. His love is overwhelming. His grace is unfathomable. There are no words to describe his goodness--our measly human language doesn't go far enough. God is so, so, so good.


If I don't blog again in the next few days, I wish you all the best of Christmas seasons. May our eyes be opened anew to the blessings of Christ, our Immanuel, who is God with us.