Fall! Fall! Fall! What a beautiful world!

On Monday, Benjamin reported that he had a great field trip to the American West Heritage Center (in the rain and mud, of course) and then David reported that he was going on one as well this week. Samuel, the resident home schoolee, decided that we needed a field trip as well. Of course, let's add that between canning, cleaning, soccer games, lessons, more cleaning, homework, scouts, practicing, blah, blah, blah, laundry, more cleaning, laundry, etc.... you get the idea, I'm sure I'm not alone! So I finally said, what the heck, jump in the car and let's drive up the canyon and take some pictures of the leaves. So after rounding up the home schoolee and resident post-toddler-house destroyer and beautiful baby we drove up about 1 mile from our home and hiked up the hill. I began in my usual way of 'let's get the picture and get back to work', but my little entourage escaped from my photography session and I had to climb higher to round them all up. When I turned around I was awestruck----what an incredible sight! I looked up at the gorgeous fall array, the beautiful sky and I was lifted beyond myself. I looked down the road to where our house was around the corner---could I have really just been there in my little rat maze, running at breakneck speed trying to get everything done that never stays done, so dissatisfied, so ungrateful, so exasperated and now I was here looking at this incredible scene. We just sat there and soaked it up for an hour (all the time we could spare) and marveled. Who could have known that such beauty existed only 1 mile away? I wonder if Heavenly Father isn't trying to whisper sometimes when things gets so crazy, "Just look up, look out and beyond your own little mess---there's so much more then what you're seeing right now!" Anyway, never fear, I got right back into the rat race at breakneck speed as soon as we drove in the driveway--(amazing how we can turn right back to the mundane after experiencing the sublime---but duty calls!)--but thank heavens for a few moments spent in this glorious creation that we call home. We thought we'd share a little with you!