March 3, 2011
Truth Confirmed: God is the master artist. In nature we can heal...refocus...breathe...live.

This morning I woke up at 730 without an alarm clock after only a few hours of sleep. This ironically was a tender mercy. Dan and I were then able to be on the road by 8 am, heading into the mountains. We could already tell this was going to be a gorgeous day. We drove up to the trail for Stewart Falls. There had been an avalanche recently, so the snow was expansive, deep, and untouched. Snowshoeing paradise. The only tracks were evidence of rabbits and deer. As the snow crunched under our feet, I took in the beauty around me...and knew it was from a loving Father. As my thighs began to ache and my calves burned, the higher we climbed, Dan and I thought: if the pioneers could climb mountains in the snow without snowshoes, by george, we should be able to reach this silly frozen waterfall. Our goal to touch the frozen water became a tribute to those who have gone before, paving the road, packing the snow down, for us to live this truth that we know through the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that they also were blessed with beauty all around them, and other various tender mercies on their laborious treks to remind them of God's love and awareness of them. We are so blessed.

New Friend: Marcus. He is Paul's friend. Paul is my next door neighbor. We "couple skated" for .5 seconds at 80's ward skating night. Magical.