I like it here.

I am officially back from my trip home, friends.  It was a long day of driving and flying, but I made it through alive.  I certainly have some more photos and stories to share (like... hiking, a little photoshoot, and a newspaper article, plus more), but tonight I just want to share a few thoughts I had when I was driving today.

The Texas state flower is the bluebonnet.  This time of year, the Texas countryside is cloaked with pretty blue flowers.  When I was much, much younger, my mom would take me down to the fields of bluebonnets and have me pose for pictures amongst the wildflowers.

It's been a long time since I've returned to take pictures with the bluebonnets.

Blue is my favorite color.  A field of blue flowers is a beautiful sight and it brings back so many good memories. 

I had a stressful time of traveling alone today, I was anticipating a very stressful next couple of weeks ahead of me, and seeing the tranquil scenery unfold before me while I drove through the Texan countryside gave me such a peaceful feeling.

I couldn't help but think to myself: the Lord made that beauty.  He did that.  Wow, He is an amazing God.

Do you think my mother looks like me?  (She's the one holding toddler me in the picture above)

I'm not one for planning my wedding before I'm even engaged (and I don't usually care about the minute details of my wedding, honestly), but after sitting in thought for a few hours while driving past fields of bluebonnets, I think I may want to incorporate that flower into my wedding.  Somehow.

And finally, I'd like to re-share a poem I wrote for Ali a little over two years ago.  I actually wrote the poem in a matter of minutes during Spanish class to show her how easy it can be to write poetry when you think of one simple theme.  However, it deals with blue flowers (the ones I had in mind were Texas bluebonnets), so I think it fits. 

Blue Flowers

She walked through the field of blue flowers,
Barefoot, with her eyes all aglow.
Her pretty black hair shone in the sun,
As she sat and watched the flowers grow.

He sat by the gurgling creek bed,
All tousled hair and freckled cheeks.
Eleven years old; a long, lazy day,
By those flowers, he fell fast asleep.

They met when he was but eighteen,
And she a mere sixteen years old.
They wandered the fields with a rod and a reel,
And they watched all the blue flowers grow.

Three years passed, and they wed in a chapel.
She wore pretty blue flowers in her hair.
They were young, with no cares about them,
And love lingered in the sweet summer air.

He built a snug cabin soon after,
Nestled right in the midst of the flowers,
With a porch out in front, so when babies came,
They could sit out and rock through the hours.

Many years and the children had all gone,
From the cabin and peaceful, old land,
But the two stayed in the field of blue flowers,
Telling stories and holding hands.

Texas is a lovely place to live.  

Blue flowers, gentle countryside, friendly people.

I like it here.