trees and dwellings

i think it might be fair to say that one must live in a certain place long enough to see its seasons in order to really appreciate it.

seeing flagstaff through the end of her summer, the entirety of her fall, and now into her winter has awakened my innards to her beauty. and she certainly is beautiful. take, for instance, the lovely little tree outside my bedroom window. i wish i had a photograph of him from every day since i've been here...my, what a journey he's been on! when we first met, he was a bright, happy little green guy. gradually he faded with fall into yellow-greens and oranges until BOOM! one morning i awoke to find him wearing the deepest shade of crimson. not only has he since shed his garments, but they are all now buried beneath a few feet of jack frost's breath.

of course, this is not at all what i wanted to talk to you about.

i took advantage of my first saturday back in flagstaff by visiting montezuma castle and tuzigoot, two national monuments found in less than one driving hour of our house. here's proof:

exhibit a: montezuma castle. one of the first four national monuments (as declared by teddy roosevelt in 1906). a 20-room sinaguan cliff dwelling, 5 stories high, overlooking beaver creek.

and here's tuzigoot. fun to say, fun to see. an ancient 110-room sinaguan pueblo excavated as part of the new deal, providing jobs to out-of-work copper miners.

how amazing it is to see what humanity is capable of! as i gazed upon these homesteads, i couldn't help but continue to think on communal living, something that's been rattling around in my brain and heart for a few years now. i can't imagine the joy, love, growth that would befall lifetimes and generations of 20- to 110-room dwelling places; i've learned so much simply living with three "other" people, just one "other" family, for these last five months! we humans have so much to teach, so much to learn from one another! i cannot help but wonder if something similar to this native american model was not what Christ had in mind for his people...a place where there is no room for the poor, because all are housed under one roof. a safe place where members of the community seek to be of unified mind, heart, and ownership...

autumn leaves...

on the occasion of mama's birthday...a visual ode to one of our favorite songs.

(and one of my favorite sights.)

a lake and a three year old

a couple of highlights from a beautiful last few weeks:

stephen, i, and three friends got the chance to spend a couple of days on lake powell two weekends ago, canoeing and camping. words cannot tell you how amazing this place was. it's right on the border of utah and arizona, a result of a dammed colorado river...sandy banks, clear, calm water, desert-like surroundings. perfect conditions for a night under a billion stars and a day on water 560 feet deep.

our other half, looking mighty professional...

and stephen, looking mighty handsome in the midst of a pretty cool rock formation.

last weekend was also quite a notable one...we celebrated a certain liliana's third birthday with a tea party! the guest of honor couldn't have been more honorable...and the menu was decadent to say the least. i'm still munching on the lavender shortbread, though i've restricted my intake to 2 per day so as to make them last longer. :)

at the party...with miss lilabelle, the aester, and sweet karen.

and just in case you haven't filled your quota for cutest kid in the world pictures lately, here's one from last sunday. liliana wore her bike helmet around all day (a vital safety precaution for a sunday afternoon if you ask me), and i caught her here drinking mama's tea.

visitors!

just wanted to share some pictures from the end of last week and this weekend...it was quite exciting as two pieces of home found themselves in arizona!

trinity and jason made a stop in flagstaff on their way from texas to their new home in seattle...stephen and i got to share a meal with them thursday night, and then friday morning before sending them on their way, trin, jason, and i visited two of arizona's most stirring sights...

bedrock, complete with 5 cent coffee and the once-in-a-lifetime chance to drive a car with a trailer hitch from the stone age, and...

the grand canyon, complete with a picnic breakfast (a la stephen's generosity), and a whole bunch of "ohmagosh"s!

then saturday i was lucky enough to be able to drive down to gorgeous sedona to spend a wonderful, relaxed, saturday afternoon with lauren, rob, and her sweet family!

just can't tell you how often i'm pulled back into gratefulness.

a few things i've learned

during my first eleven days living in flagstaff:

1. "the human mind plans the way, but the Lord directs the steps." i found out quickly upon arrival in town that i wouldn't be able to attend school this semester as i had hoped. feeling overwhelmed and pretty defeated, the job search began.

2. the Lord provides. next wednesday, i'll start part time work at a montessori school that's a literal two minute walk from the home i'm living in. (still also in the interview process with a few other organizations, in both health care and social services.)

3. planet earth is arrestingly beautiful.

4. figuring out something to eat three times a day that is creative, healthy, yummy, and reasonably priced is difficult. this is not a new discovery, but it is a thought that i continue to be very familiar with...

5. children's laughter holds all the joy the world has to offer! i get the privilege of living with two children, ages two and six, and their gracious, sweet mom. they are so full of innocence, love, glee...and stand as a constant reminder of what's important.

thank you all for thinking of me and praying for me during this transitional time...stephen and i have been having a wonderful time in the midst of our busyness...we spent this morning in oak creek picking blackberries! this place is beautiful, and full of kind, interesting people...there is much to be thankful for, and i am thankful indeed!