65 days of clouds

Here are some raw thoughts from my journal during my recent visit to Denver...

January 29, 2009
"I am sitting in a blue, maybe it's green, vinyl chair in concourse A at Midway International Airport. I'm flying non-stop to the Mile High City - Denver. Today I'm flying to a place I may call home very soon and I can't help but feel that God has orchestrated this entire thing. If I didn't believe in God, I would most definitely admit that it seems some force is behind it. But I do believe in God and I know that He has His hands on the puppet strings of my life.

Interrupted from a call from my sister, I am now crossing over the prairie land of America, if I knew my geography better I would know which state - maybe still Illinois or Iowa. I see fields and long county roads, a stark difference to the towering, bustling city of Chicago. I am anxious for above freezing temperatures and mountains - oh glorious mountains. I feel it is time for a love affair with the mountains; well me and my bear bag. Yes I think the majestic Rocky Mountains and I will get along just fine. I am anxious to see them and embrace them, to run, hike, camp and... I say with MUCH hesitation, even ski. I suppose I will need my mountain fix through the snowy months. And while I look head at Boulder, and at my potential future there, I recognize that while I pridefully boast of my 300+ days of sunshine, I am well aware of the 65 cloudy, rainy, gray, bleak days ahead. When I feel very far away from family and miss out on events that don't warrant the pricey flight home. There will be days when I feel surrounded by strangers simply because the longevity of all my friendships can almost be counted in hours...

God is luring me to Colorado with the beauty of His creation that I get to enjoy. He is drawing me in with the promise of sunshine and warmer weather, of which I will take full advantage. See, I am a window-seat, windows open, natural light, front porch-sitting, run and walk-taking kind of girl. There is a simplicity and a divine presence in nature, wildlife, in the mountains that cannot be forged or matched in any man-made form. Not in a Yankee Candle, or a CD of nature sounds. Not in an Imax movie, coffee table book, National Geographic magazine or on Planet Earth. They are all tantalizing, unfulfilling forms of the original Redwoods or Grand Canyon. There is only one Mt. Everest, Victoria Falls and Rocky Mountains... and nothing compares.