My family drove up to Linville Gorge Wilderness to breath in the beauty of Fall. We could not have timed it more perfectly on purpose bursting onto the scene as the leaves were at the peak of their spectacular beauty. We climbed up the Hawksbill trail and broke out of the trees onto a sea, rippling and flowing with vibrant reds, yellows, oranges and so forth. If you stood on the top and did a complete 360, you would lose your breath at the magnitude of color lying beneath you. (PS. John did a 360 panorama from the top, let’s see if we can get him to do a blogpost. 
)
Of all the many, many things I miss about the Rocky Mountains, there’s nothing quite like an Appalachian Fall…
To purchase the photos as artwork click HERE.
… when every leaf is a flower. -Albert Camus
To purchase these photos as artwork click HERE. 100% of profits go to help people in need through World Vision.
To purchase these photos as artwork click HERE. 100% of the profits go to help people in need via World Vision.
To purchase these photos as artwork click HERE. All profits go to help people in need through World Vision.
The lovely restaurant where we ate delicious fresh seafood! Crabcakes… coconut shrimp..
My lovely little sister sporting her new red TOMS..
We arrived at the beach just a few days after the 4th of July, so we caught a little fireworks display over the beach!
The moon over the water…
A peak of the sunrise the next morning.. more coming tomorrow!
We had a Detweiler family reunion this past weekend! John’s parents and youngest brother came up from Florida and his sister and brother-in-law came down from New York. We spent the weekend in Grayson Highlands, VA, which was lovely. The weather was nice and cool, allowing for lots of campfire time, yet not too cold to prevent a plunge or two into the creek!
Extravagance. The word leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Images rush to my head of .. opulence. Ridiculous expensiveness.. wasteful.. excessive..
But the word has been redefined for me.
I was having my morning alone time with Jesus and was reading in my devotional book about the widow who gave her two last coins. I’ve read the story countless times, heard messages preached and illusions drawn. But it hit me in a fresh way. A radical way.
Get this.
“She gave extravagantly what she couldn’t afford – she gave her all.” (Mark 12:44b The Message)
That’s how Jesus described her to his friends.
It was a praise.
Extravagance.
Suddenly, the word is beautiful. Giving more than she could afford.
Risk.
Trust.
That’s what Jesus is asking of us. To not just give enough that we feel better than the next guy.
To not just give our all.
He wants EXTRAVAGANCE.
What we can’t afford.
That’s it.
I’m so tired of living a life centered around my trio of most important people.
ME.
MYSELF.
I.
I’m tired of just being a great Christian. Tithing, serving, faithfully attending church.
I’m gonna give what I can’t afford. I’m gonna live an extravagant life.
I’m gonna climb out of my cozy,comfy boat and stagger onto the waves.
Radically take risks, join the war.
Follow the One who is the Light.
{beth}
We love sushi. Both of us. It’s definitely on the top of our favorite foods. It was actually the one thing I craved when we were in South Africa. Fresh sushi. We have some awesome friends who are fellow sushi fanatics, and they actually know how to make it! So on Sunday they came over and we had a sushi party. Made from scratch.
Smoked salmon.. crab.. shrimp.. avocados.. sticky rice.. cream cheese.. caviar.. seaweed..
Oh la la.
