January 3 A wonderful habit

Sunday:  Emma spent the night last night. We didn't actually arrive here until about 8:00. We relaxed a little bit, got on our pj's, and settled in to two episodes of "Once Upon a Story." We went to bed before 11:00 tonight and slept well.

We attended the 11:20, our usual, service at Calvary this morning. Pastor Tom began teaching about the Trumpet judgments from Revelation 8 and 9 ... a sobering message. We thought about how God is "full of grace and truth", mercy and judgment. It's always good to worship at Calvary.

After we ate lunch, we layered up, put on our warmest boots, and headed out for a walk. Since I had only visited Grand Rogue Park one time, I figured there was a lot more to see--more trails to walk that I hadn't explored the other day. Emma was all for it. I think she loves the woods as much as I do. It's so much fun to share this with her. We've continued a long-standing habit of spending time in the woods ... in a fresh snow, it's always somewhat "magical." 

I'm thankful we can do this together. I'm not too old yet (!!  though the time WILL come) to walk rugged trails--yes, I DO trip sometimes--but with no dire consequences yet. I just love to breathe in the fresh air. I love the stillness, the quiet, the immenseness of God in His Creation.
 

I also enjoy taking pictures of Emma, who for a very long time would NOT allow photos to be taken of her whatsoever! She is a very lovely person to photograph and poses willingly and with happiness too.

We probably walked near to two miles. In places, there were no other footprints and we rarely saw any other people. This part of the trails runs alongside the GRAND River.

Aren't Emma's new winter boots SO cute? They match her coat!

The picture below is my favorite of the day. I love Emma's smile in this picture and the natural-ness of her pose.

Grand Rogue Park is a very beautiful place! 

Isn't this a cool house?

And isn't this the coolest tree?

And look at these crazy roots?

The snow was so great for packing! Emma whipped up a few quick snowballs and hurled them into the river. The wind was low today--good thing--because it was about 33 degrees. We were dressed so warmly, though, we could tolerate being outside without much discomfort.

I'm so thankful we took such a nice walk today. God does awesome things for us!