A Dream Fulfilled....for a 9 year-old little girl

Today (yesterday, by the time you read this) I finally completed something we have tried to do for a long time:

No, I didn’t loose the 25-30 pounds I have been trying to loose….

No, I didn’t plant a garden…..nothing grows here with my brown thumb anyway…..

No, Natty is NOT potty trained yet…..

But-YES! We did complete something big.

For a long time, Ana has wanted to scale the heights of our local attraction-Pike’s Peak, America’s Mountain.


So, today, I loaded up the girls, left Nat-Nat with Tía Shannon & did just that. With the van……no, not hiking-I just didn’t think Ruth’s little legs were quite up to an 8,000 ft elevation change-with a top of 14,110 ft!

Weather-wise…..it certainly could have been a better day. 35° & windy-with high clouds. We could still see for miles, though,-maybe even all the way to Kansas!! But, brrrrr!!! (& we were even cold WITH our coats!!!)

But, I still have to agree with Kathryn Lee Bates’ poem, America the Beautiful, which she wrote after seeing the view from the top of the mountain:

O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed His grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!

O beautiful for pilgrim feet,
Whose stern, impassioned stress
A thoroughfare for freedom beat
Across the wilderness!
America! America!
God mend thine every flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law!

O beautiful for heroes proved
In liberating strife,
Who more than self their country loved,
And mercy more than life!
America! America!
May God thy gold refine,
Till all success be nobleness,
And every gain divine!

O beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam
Undimmed by human tears!
America! America!
God shed His grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!

The look or wonder in Ana’s eyes as she took in all that splendor will forever be etched in my mind. (& so will the view of Ruth, hiding under her blanket any time thought the edge of the road was too close!!! Ha!)

Ana-it was a delight to spend the day with you…..& I loved watching you exclaim over so many new things to see! & Ruthie…..you were so cute huddled under you blanket-& worried about being blown off the mountain! (w/ 40 MPH wind gusts, I don’t blame you!)

Thank-You, Father, for creating such a wonderful world!!

Then God looked over all He had made, and He saw that it was very good!
And evening passed and morning came, marking the sixth day.
Genesis 1:31