A Cure for "The Uglies"

On Wednesday morning, I woke up with a bad case of "The Uglies". Do you ever get those? You know, when everything about you seems a thousand times frumpier than the day before? I'm especially prone to the uglies the day before my "cycle", so I was feeling grumpy about the probability that I would soon get the signal from my body that we have not yet achieved our pregnancy goal. This made me feel not only ugly, but somewhat of a failure too. Needless to say, a cure was in order.
I arranged with Jason to have the car for the afternoon. I put Rudy down for a nap, and took a luxurious shower. I dressed in some comfortable, but unfrumpy clothes, styled my hair, and prepped Rudy's and my hiking pack. When Rudy woke up, I whisked us both up into the mountains for some fresh air and fresh perspective. Sigh. It works every time.
We had a great time enjoying the beauty of the world our Father made for us, and I couldn't help but feel a part of all the beauty. My self image began to recover. As we hiked and played in the woods, my heart softened and opened to the idea that God loves me, that He is aware of me, and that He has my best interests at heart. I began to remember to trust Him. Funny how the woods can do that to me-can remind me of eternal truths. Rudy and I dawdled at the beginning of the hike, basking in the vibrant life around us. Then it was time to strap Rudy on my back and book it up the mountain. I really wanted to see the Stewart Falls after all the rain we've been getting, and my deadline to get home in time to pick up Jason was fast approaching. Though I puffed and perspired up the trail, I felt strong, healthy, and full of life. With my mind no longer half occupied with keeping Rudy safe, I was able to fully concentrate on the peaceful, reassuring whisperings of the Spirit. I was reminded of the many mercies of the Lord our family has enjoyed lately. I was reassured that though our house hunting has hit several brick walls, it has not been a waste of time, energy, or emotion. I felt sure that God would help us to find the right home, the best home for our family. I remembered that He sees far more than I do. It was a really restorative afternoon, and just plain fun, too. I'm so glad that I live so close to so much beauty.

Making silly faces at each other.

Taking a moment for further inspection.

A very excited little boy pointing out the raging white waters of the Stewart Falls fed stream. (He's standing in a little eddy, a good 6 feet away from danger) :) I loved seeing the stream and thinking of what was ahead as we started the hike.

Taking a look at some more rapids. Rudy's holding onto my ear for security. :)

Safely away from the "water front" trail, Rudy's off on his own, sorta. :)

Taking a break to admire the canopy.

Inspecting an abandoned snail shell.

One of the many wild animals we saw on the hike. We also saw a snake, a lizard, a chipmunk, a bunch of birds and...

GIANT ants. Rudy loved them. He's trying to feed this one here.

Speaking of giant things, check out this flower! The rain has been good to the plant life along the trail, very, very good.

A peek at where we're headed!

What a beautiful, view, huh? Breathe deeply and pretend you can smell warm, moist earth, blooming flowers, and a hint of water, and you'll get a taste of what it was like to stand there. (Or you could just go there. That'd probably be better.) :)