Good and glorious Autumn morning to you, my sweet Siestas! Would you believe that it is actually under 112 degrees here in Houston? Everyone in the city is in such a great mood. Even at a four-way stop, drivers wave for you to go right ahead and turn in front of them. No one even tried to run me – the leading cause of road rage in America – off the road for my slow driving. The first few days of cool after a long, hot, humid summer in Houston are like Heaven on earth. All 3 million of us are so happy.
I’ve been on an excursion since I last talked to you. My man and I had planned a four-day getaway to our favorite place on the planet for this past weekend but the evening before our flight out, he had to cancel over a work issue. I was heartsick. My son-in-law Curtis felt so sorry for me that he told Amanda he wanted her to book a flight and join me. We couldn’t find available seats on Thursday so I went ahead and she joined me on Friday.
The Teton Mountains are my happy place. Years ago a group contacted the ministry and said that if I’d come and speak, they couldn’t provide an honorarium but they’d put me up in a modest condo for a week. I’d never been to Wyoming before and I asked a well-traveled friend about whether or not he thought I should go and he answered me with one question, “Are you out of your mind?” So I went. I had one of the strangest sensations of my life when I stepped off that plane for the first time. I felt the word “home.” I still can’t explain the feeling but I get it every time I go and those visits are now way more than I can count. I wasn’t raised in the mountains so it doesn’t make sense. Don’t get me wrong. I know what beautiful looks like. I was raised in the rolling hills of Arkansas in a home perched amid the piny woods. My older sister and little brother and I practically lived in a tree house built between two tall pines by our Dad and our Papaw. When our feet touched the ground, we shaped rooms out of pine needles in our imaginary house. We never played in doors in those days. Such good memories of bag swings and beetles. I love my home State. But for some reason I have the soul of a mountain girl.
So do my daughters. As my plane began its final descent into Jackson Hole on Thursday afternoon, I – a consummate rule-keeper – longed so much for Amanda and Melissa to be with me and feel the thrill that I – yes, I – slipped out my I-phone and clicked a picture (on airplane mode) from my window seat. It was this:
Michelle had made my flight and rental car arrangements. I’m not much of a car person and usually don’t know one make from another but it was so much fun to walk out to the designated spot down the Avis aisle and discover a cobalt blue mini hummer. I didn’t get a picture of it but AJ did later in our trip. Maybe she’ll insert it here later.
I drove straight to Albertsons and got a few necessities then drove out to Teton Village and checked into a hotel. Things can be really fancy out there and art work is a pretty big deal. For some reason, though, this piece of fine art in our hotel lobby amused Amanda and me. Sorry it’s not centered better. I was getting ugly looks while taking it.
Hmmmm. A fine piece indeed.
You don’t go to the Tetons to sit in your room so as soon as I dropped my stuff off, I headed straight into Teton Park. God was so sweet to me. I was sad that our plans to spend a long weekend in the mountains together (Keith and I) had not worked out but God went out of His way to tell me He was there. I’m not exaggerating when I tell you that within 20 minutes I’d seen a juvenile bear, a female moose, and several bull elk. I tried to get pictures with my cell phone but it was nearly dark and, needless to say, I couldn’t get close enough to get them to say “Cheese!”
The next morning I headed to my favorite bagel place in the area. It’s in Wilson, Wyoming and they make their bagels and stir up the cream cheese right there on the premises. They scorn toasters and hang a hand written sign on a chalkboard that says “We don’t toast our bagels. We serve them (all caps like this) FRESH.” OK then. I won’t have mine toasted. I love to get a Honey Sunflower bagel with Honey Walnut cream cheese and sit out at one of the picnic tables in the back to eat it. I took this from that spot:
I kept an eye on my watch while I ate my bagel and drank my dark roast and gave myself plenty of time to head to the airport to pick up Amanda around noon. I was the kind of happy to see her that you are when you haven’t seen your loved one for a year. It had been one day. We were hungry so we headed into town to eat at one of our favorite little restaurants. It’s called “Sweetwater” and the cranberry chicken salad sandwich on toasted raisin bread could almost give you a lump in your throat. We paid out then walked the square but weren’t really in shopping moods. The woods were calling. But, we did see these in one store and reflected on them for quite some time. There are times when the only word that comes to you is “Why?” The hand model is AJ.
We dropped Amanda’s stuff off at the hotel and headed straight to Jenny Lake. I cannot count the times I’ve hiked around that gorgeous place, often alone and other times with Amanda and Melissa (Keith is not quite as taken with hiking as we are. Maybe because I can out-last him in the altitude. He’s very athletic but I have him there. No brag. Just fact). Melissa was a dizzy mixture of happy and sad while her sister and I were in the Tetons. She’s wanted to join us so badly but couldn’t make the schedule work. She kept texting us with messages like, “Send me a pic!” with tandem feelings like, “No, don’t! Yes, do!” These spots on the hike do NOT do justice to the scene but I’ll show them to you if you’ll magnify them in your imaginations by about 100 times.
Yes, that is the Grand. She’s far more powerful in person.
It is already autumn in the Tetons.
The next day we hiked again a much longer way and had the greatest time. We love to eat at Signal Mountain Lodge after a good hike and watch the sun go down over Jackson Lake. I don’t have a picture of it because I’ve taken a thousand of them over the years but imagine it lovely. It’s main attraction is Mount Moran. On our last evening after dinner, Amanda and I decided to take a little stroll around Teton Village and see some of the houses that had been built since our last visit. We got to see a house we’d rented for Thanksgiving several years in a row way back when and also stood in front of the house where “When Godly People Do Ungodly Things” was taped. It brought back so many memories. Some good. Some painful. It’s just painful material. While we were walking (in a housing development no less) we somehow got into some mud. Amanda kind of freaked out and bolted from her shoes lest she perish in Teton quick sand. Don’t scorn her for not wearing boots at this point. We were taking a stroll through a neighborhood. Not climbing the Grand.
This is her in the aftermath before I braved the quicksand and retrieved her shoes. She looks like she did when she was about five years old in this picture.
While we were on that very walk with no expectations but to gaze upon dreamy mountain cabins, God had delights for us.
Foxes. And, yes, that close to us. It was getting really dark when I took this one and I had to enlarge it and crop it for you to get the idea. It’s not really post worthy but I might as well show it to you. They were just chillin’ at this point.
It was not the trip I had planned but it was a wonderful trip nonetheless. God was so gracious to us and the weather was spectacular, the sights restoring to our city souls. Thank you for taking a stroll back through it with us.
So, that’s my happy place. What about yours?
You were in my happy place! My husband and I have been there three times now and want to go back! Next time you’re there check out Schwabacher’s landing. There’s a bench by a beaver dam that is the absolute best place to watch the sunrise ever!
Mrs. Beth:
It has finally cooled off some here in North Carolina. And we were blessed with RAIN Sunday and Monday, the first in over 5 weeks. My happy place is the lighthouses on our Outer Banks. I’ve only been 1 time, but I want to go back.
Donna
That’s my second favorite place, the first being the Blue Ridge Mtns, and both are in our state! How blessed are we.
What a beautiful place!! I hope to go there one day. But my happy place is either Destin Florida or Orange Beach Alabama. It’s heaven to me and I think I should go whenever I wish. 😉
Autumn in Peace River, Alberta,Canada. I grew up here and take for granted the beauty of the Peace River Valley, but autumn always seems to remind me again just how beautiful it really is. The colors are amazing. We always have deer in our neighborhood down on the river, the occasional moose who has taken a wrong turn and we can watch the beavers at work on an evening stroll.
I have several happy places – to name a few: Muerren, in the Lauterbrunnen Valley (Switzerland), Millennium Park in Chicago, and Kaladi Brothers Coffee Roasters in Anchorage Alaska. Like Beth, I love mountains, too – I also love Chicago – and coffee! I do some of my best Bible Studying in a good coffee shop 🙂
That place sounds awesome! Glad you got to get away with Amanda. My happy place is in Pentwater, MI. My family and I have camped there every summer for almost 40 years. Thanks for sharing your trip with us, Beth!
I loved hearing about your trip and imagined how wonderful it would be to return to a place that you love so much.
I have two happy places, as different as night and day from one another. The first is New York City. Born and raised in the Midwest, I somehow found myself living with five children on the Upper West Side for 3 years and I have to say that from the first second I put my foot out of a cab and on a dirty street, I felt like I was home. We left 9 years ago and I’ve only been able to return once, but I do love that dear city.
The second is Prince Edward Island. I grew up reading the Anne of Green Gables series, over and over and over and…you get the picture, but it wasn’t until 2000 that I finally visited the island and oh it is everything I always imagined it to be. I’ve not been back since then, but unlike many of the other places I’ve only visited once, it still feels very near.
Also, when you posted about being gone my first thought was, “Oh gosh, will that be hard for Melissa?” Can you tell I have two daughters too? Glad to hear she was just fine.
I am not in a happy place. (Haven’t been for quite a while now)….But I love reading about yours. Sometimes I wish you were my flesh and blood sister, and we could just sit over a cup of coffee and talk it out. I would love your opinon. 😉
Blessings to you…enjoying God’s nature and Amanda.
(How is Amanda doing since Guatamala? I am having such a hard hard time coming to terms with our culture and its luxuries and places like Guatamala, Uganda, Ethiopia…I am quite undone. )
Sandee-
Praying for God to work in your life and that even though you aren’t in a happy place right now that He would give you moments of joy amidst the tough times. I’m finding that’s what he’s doing for me…and even though I am only taking one day at a time…I’m grateful for the joy and laughter that is sprinkled amongst my sorrow.
In Him,
Andrea
The beaches of North Florida. It is becoming a yearly trip even though it is super far from where we currently live (NC). What is so funny is how I take loads of pictures every time because I cannot get over the beauty (and my kids are always cute in them too)!
We are going to one of my happy places next week, Chipoakes Park in VA. It is close to Williamsburg but on the quiet side of the James River. Love the gardens and plantations in this area. Autumn is definitely our favorite time to go there.
This probably seems odd, but right now my happy place is either on the soccer field watching my 13yr old son, Todd play goalie/midfielder for his jr. high team or in the gym watching my 11 yr.old daughter Jodi play volleyball. It’s a hard season right now, but I am determined to find joy in the little things. Sports played such a huge role in my life growing up and God has been good to include it in my kids life as well. I feel like time if FLYING and I have so little of it left with them. I pray I will have the relationship with my kids when they are grown that you have with Amanda and Melissa. It’s inspiring and refreshing!
Cindy
Today a special “visitor” arrived (Is anybody with me?!) bringing all the typical issues with it. Right now, my happy place is snuggled up on the couch with a warm mug off hot chocolate and marshmallows. I’ve got to run because my movie is about to begin… Thank you God for an afternoon in my very own favorite living room! =)
Anytime I can be still and shut my eyes and sense His presence within is my happy place.
Honestly, as much as I love mountains too…I am so growing tired of this world as we know it and so long for His Kingdom to be manifested in the earth. Nothing really does it for me anymore. As much as I love creation I know that it is just a shadow of the REALITY….the reality is what I groan for.
My daily heart cry is ‘Let your Kingdom come in the earth as it is in Heaven…let your will be done’.
Oh how all of creation is groaning too…
Come quickly Yahshua….
His love and peace to you.
I relate to you so much–feeling the presence of Jesus really is my happy place anywhere! I am thankful to have traveled in most of the states and 15 foreign countries in my lifetime, because God has made so much beauty in this world. But it really is a shadow of what is yet to come, and I look forward to that reality so much!
Okay, I’ll confess that whenever I go to Target, I think, “This is my happy place!” It’s probably just advertising, and the fact that we don’t have a Target in our small town.
Loved your reply….be blessed today beloved daughter of the King.
His love and peace to you.
Hi Beth,
I was just thinking about you this morning, and how the praise reports of two names added to the Book of Life of The Lamb are as much a part of your legacy as they are of mine. I’ve had both of their names on my salvation prayer list for some time, so I’ve been praying God’s Word over their lives for their salvation. I learned Sunday that prior to the gentleman’s homegoing, he met with one of our pastor’s who led him to the Lord. The other is a co-worker of one of the members of our Bible Fellowship family. In a very short span of time, her brain and body have been ravaged by cancer. Her body may not be responding well to the treatments, but a kind soul led her to Jesus just last Saturday so she is now ready to meet Him.
As to my happy place, since I am literally in the midst of being healed (of years of loss, fear, and pain)by God’s Word, and I’m taking my first wobbly steps into the unchartered territory of freedom, I don’t venture far from His heart. The most impressive part of your post to this sister who has spent the better part of her life bound by fear, was that you rented a mini hummer and went driving all over the place in another state all by yourself. Maybe one day I’ll be able to do that. Until then, I’m going to enjoy my present happy place of sitting with my husband, our two sons and their wives and worshipping together on Sunday mornings, and having this mother’s heart thrilled even further by my grown children’s serving together in the Special needs ministry of our church.
To all who read this, I hope your day is blessed.
Patti Hayes
I am so glad you enjoyed some unexpected time with Amanda. How I hope my girls will want to spend time with me when they are adults 🙂
I am a mountain girl. I live in the mountains of East Tennessee and I love everything about it. I have been to Jackson Hole and it is beautiful….our mountains are much more rural. I can see why you love it, because one thing that seemed so weird to me about Houston (I visted in Jan. for the SSMTC) was that it is F L A T. Isn’t God so creative?
love you
I wished I lived closer to come visit your East Tennessee mountains. 🙂
My favorite place… this is a hard question I love many places but one stands above the rest in my mind right now. It is my friends parents house in Wyoming. They have a huge wooden cross on their land. We make our way out there and write what we need to lay before His cross on a rock and leave it there. It was a powerful thing for me. I have been there five different times and God always does an AMAZING work in me there. Not to mention that the family that we stay with is so kind and loving. I have now become a part of their family and I would want it no other way. I wish I could add pictures to here but you will have to take my word for it: It is AMAZING there.
That looks so beautiful Ms Beth! God-willing, I will get to go to Wyoming for a visit this year or next year. I have been invited there by Becky (Ms Rosie’s daughter who also went to Israel). So sweet of her. Can’t wait!
My happy place for now (before I discover more) would be Kaua’i (aka The Garden Isle). It has a variety of geographical terrain to enjoy: beautiful beaches, fields, a desert with a canyon, mountains to hike (some beautiful waterfalls too), beautiful valleys, and woods to explore. (Btw I share your love for hiking. It is so uplifting to body, soul, and spirit.) Other things I like about Kaua’i: it is one of the less tourisy islands, there are no snakes on the ENTIRE island (such freedom to roam!), it has tropical fruits to enjoy like mangoes, guavas, pineapples…just heavenly to me!
My sister and I met and became friends with a sweet sister in the Lord there who owns a beautiful home with an incredible view. She hosted us for dinner one night and we became fast friends. I was so thrilled to have a place to escape to whenever I could catch a cheap flight… but she just left to be a missionary in Kenya this summer!!! I am proud of her but secretly wish I still had her place available to visit. I feel bad for being so selfish but I am just being honest. She tells me she has a guest room waiting in Kenya. God-willing, that is on my list too.
Oh, Miss Beth, I am so excited that you and Amanda made it to WY! We went to Yellowstone and Jackson Hole there for the first time this summer with my family to celebrate my daddy’s 60th birthday. The Lord blessed us with an AMAZING and most memorable time that had His hand prints all over it!
Your post sent pangs in me longing to go back and repeat it, or even just the deep longing to go back again! Your sweet Amanda was so kind to give me recommendations on where to go and what to do, and just like me and my momma sat on the patio at Sweetwater this summer, I can imagine you two chatting away there this past weekend. How thankful I am for that place and the memories, a new happy place of mine ! Bless you, sister!
Is there anyone out there that lives in the Richardson/Plano/Wylie/Garland area?
Thanks for sharing about your happy place. Mine is Grand Marais, MN – only miles from the Canadian border along the north shore of Lake Superior. Beautiful, peaceful and home to my soul.
Totally agree!
The North Shore/Grand Marais/Artist Point are at the top of my “short list” : ) Followed by sitting on the deck in our back yard, enjoying a cup of coffee with “my man.”
Fun to hear someone else who enjoys the lovely shores of Lake Superior : )
My happy place is the beach. There is nothing I love more than to sit and do my quiet time by the ocean…. One of God’s most awesome creations. To think about the complexity of it; the tides, the sands, the living creatures under the surface makes me want to sing How Great Thou Art!!!! How can anyone say “there is no God”! Just look around!
My happy place is Carmel-By-The-Sea. Last summer as I was walking, the most amazing sense of peace washed over me and I felt a serenity that was so comforting that I felt like I had come home. This summer as I was walking, I passed an older couple. The woman was a stunning white haired woman, and as I looked into her eyes I felt a strange sensation that this was the place I would grow old.
I have know idea why a girl who grew up in the wide open spaces of the Texas panhandle would love a cold, damp, foggy place. But I adore it.
Thanks for sharing Beth.
My husband & I love Carmel-by-the-Sea too!! It’s beauty is amazing! I love walking the length of the main street through the shops with all their quaintness then end up on that breathtaking beach! We spent many Thanksgivings there while stationed in CA. in the Air Force. Thanks for reminding me of those warm memories!
Because life has taken us to separate continents, my happy place is home in South Carolina with my daughter in the nest. I sleep like a baby when I know she is there in her room; feel most at peace when we get to worship together at our home church; and love to share meals and movies curled up on our designated spots on the comfy old sofa. It doesn’t happen often, but it never loses its wonderfulness to me!
I’m from GA and I love GA. When I go back I feel a thrill of familiarity and memories and home. And now I live in Texas and I really like Texas. It’s big and cool (not the temp) and I like the low, gnarled trees and the people and all the mexican food. But my happy place is New England. My husband and I went there in 2003 for a trip – I was sick of summer and in early Oct we drove up to Newport, Rhode Island (hometown of Jackie Kennedy.) I am in love with it – the cobblestone streets, the history, the ocean beating against the Cliff Walk, the huge mansions that were built in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s and the seafood. I just love the ocean and the history and the glamour and the clam chowder. I would love to vacation there every other year and that is my prayer request – just kidding.
Hawai’i. I’ve been there twice and my soul says the same thing, “home”. I’ve gone so far as to look at job postings and rentals to see if I can maybe really afford to live there instead of just in my imagination. The beach, the weather, the people, the attitude, the place. Is it possible to have a place as a soulmate?
Currently, I am a senior in college. So it’s very difficult to find a “happy place” when my world consists of English literature, Australian literature, 17th century art history, and Spanish. However, my roommate (who is a psychology major..eek!) and I are skipping 3 days of class in a few weeks to escape to Colorado Springs and spend a long weekend of relaxation, refreshment, and renewal among God’s beautiful mountains. I’m ecstatic. Let the countdown begin!
Oh sweet Beth-
What a delightful place. I know what you mean about the mountains. I was born and raised in the flat prairies of Minnesota, and lived in Colorado for a year…I loved driving into the foothills everyday for work…so beautiful. Something about the mountains almost brings me to tears everytime…and I don’t know why either! Just love em!
In Him,
Andrea
Hi there mama Beth thank you for sharing with us that is one beautiful place. Glad that you took time away and with Amanda the one with her shoes left on the ground reminded of the rapture when we go to heaven that was awesome.
My happy place is at home when I get up in the a.m. and look out my front door and see the Sandia Mountains and see the sunrise and the many colors in the sky Our God is a Wonderful Artist and then in the evening when the sun is settings all I can say is wow! My other happy place is my scripture verses to be able to read them and say them when I go to bed and my other happy place is with my dog and to cuddle with her and love on her.
Thanks so much for sharing love you to pieces.
Love Carol
Mountains are my happy place as long as my dude and my dogs are with me! We absolutely loved the Yellowstone/Teton area and dream of going back there some day. Moose, bear, elk, bison and some of the most wonderful God-made sights on earth. I think I’ll go drag out the 60+ rolls of film that I took on that trip and take a trip down memory lane!
Blessings!
It sounds corny, but it’s true, that my happy place is wherever I happen to be that is quiet — only the sounds of nature — and I have a view of the sky. The older I get, the more I find myself looking UP. Sometimes the view is simply from a rocking chair on the porch, or from the chair at my desk as I gaze out the upstairs window to see the sky through the swaying branches of our beautiful birch trees.
Thanks for sharing your view of nature with us today, Beth! So sorry your Man wasn’t able to join you, but how blessed you are to have a daughter who loves spending time with you, and a son-in-law who is both intuitive and selfless! I pray it was a sweet time of renewal for both of you.
Doesn’t sound corny to me at all! Oh how I love to be quiet and to look up into the sky too…and listen to the sounds of nature and feel the breeze against my skin…to ponder/meditate on Him and His ways and His goodness….truly it is a good thing to be LOOKING UP!
come quickly Yahshua…
His love and peace to you.
I grew up in the mountains of Montana and believe it or not my happy place is the beach, the Oregon and Washington beaches. Something about the sun breaking through the fog and the mist speaks to me. When the sun is out, is is magnificent.
This might sound crazy, but in this season full of hyper-schedules, my happy place is my home. We have just an acre on a corner lot in an older subdivision which is surrounded many apple orchards. I’m definitely happiest when my whole family is home together.
My favorite place is the Blue Ridge Mountains, especially on the Blue Ridge Parkway just north of Blowing Rock, NC. That’s nearest heaven for me. Maybe it’s the Cherokee blood in me.
Beth,
I know that feeling of ‘home’ you wrote about, I experienced it the first time I went to Atlanta, and more specifically Stone Mountain, Ga. I found out later it was a favorite ‘courting’ spot of my grandparents. Interesting:)
My happy place is Sanibel Island, Florida. I love shells and so when I am there I will walk about three hours at sunrise and a couple more before sunset just hunting for that perfect shell. When I look at them I think how much fun God must have had designing each one. The rest of the time is spent shopping or sitting in the sand watching the sea birds. Every evening I pull up a chair on the beach to watch the grand finale of the sun sinking into the gulf, the end of another day in paradise.
My happy place is the beach…love it, love it. The sand, the sun, the ocean. I can sit and gaze upon the ocean for hours. I love the sounds. How it soothes my soul. Beauty and power all rolled into one. And I’m headed there a week from Sat! Can’t wait!
Beth – I’m like you! I’ve not been raised in the mountains, but they draw me like a moth to flame! I’ve never understood quite why that is. . . . I have dreams of going to Alaska and want to drive thru Vermont in the fall.
Ah well. Until then I will continue to go out to Governor Bebb’s State Park in Okeana Ohio where they have cabins that are hundreds of years old.
God bless!
Tracie in Ffld Ohio
Mountains, oceans, rivers….outdoors IS my happy place. I visited Jackson Hole several years ago during the Christmas holiday. Rode snow mobiles through Yellowstone and cried silently in awe of our AMAZING God and his majesty. Orient beach in St. Maarten makes me cry also.
I am blessed to have a clear, crisp river flowing through my front yard. The sunrise some mornings turns the river pink, completely pink, I absolutely wail like a baby….God humbles me. I am sooooo blessed and soooo thankful. Sometimes, actually often, I feel guilty for so many blessings when others are suffering so much. Thanks for sharing, it was an amazing momentary trip via your blog. I love you peeps!
Dear Beth, I needed this today, so much.
My dad is suffering so much, that I am secretly praying him into his Happy Place, in the loving arms of his Lord. Please pray for my Dad and our family. God has the answers.
I’m not Beth, but siesta you have my prayers. Like you said, God not only has the answers, he is THE answer. Honestly, seeing a loved one go home to be with the Lord is a beautiful thing to behold. I pray God give you HIS peace in the days to come.
In Him,
Vickie
Praying right now, Sandy. I so get that. May Christ cradle him in His arms soon. Let us know.
Thank you, Beth, Vickie and all “Siestas” very much. Like I said, only God knows. He may perform a miracle and heal him to live longer on this earth. I know that my Mom believes he will get well. Some of us just believe that when he talks about wanting to go “home”, he is truly talking about Heaven. He is still being cared for in the hospital tonight. Thank you for your prayers!
Sandy, I’m praying with you and for a peace to settle on you when God wraps you in His loving arms!
Praying for you Sandy and your Dad
Carol
Thank you!
What a beautiful spot! I have to confess I was raised in Florida, so mountains are still “new and exciting” to me. Jackson Hole is definitely on my list of places to go to!
My happy place is a stretch of private beach right next to a state park in Clearwater, FL. The sand is like sugar, the water is clear (go figure) and if you sit and watch the waves come and go you just might see some dolphins playing in the water. Living in Waco, I don’t get to go there much anymore, but whenever I picture it in my mind I get happy 🙂
My happy place is the beautiful mountains of western North Carolina. From Hendersonville through Asheville up to Weaverville and on to the Tennessee state line is an area filled with sights and tastes of the goodness of the Lord. It’s only a little over an hour away so we escape there as often as possible. Tons of our favorite memories have started with just getting in the car and heading “up the mountain” with no plan other than being together. 🙂
I would normally have to say the beach is my happy place. I do love mountains as well. I am suddenly inspired to take off to Wyoming.
Wrangell, Alaska has to be the best of both of those worlds. It is an island in south east Alaska. Some of our dearest friends followed God’s heart for that city and are youth pastors there. I have a pic of me and my daughter (she was only 4 months at the time), we are both in short sleeves, in July, the sun was shining, reflecting off the ocean w/snow capped mountains in the background. It’s bliss!
Someday I will get to go there! I am so happy you got to spend time with your sweet daughter and see such beauty.
Lawan
Phil 4:8
Hi Beth! I just received an e-mail from the Captain at our happy place…SNUG HARBOR, WA! My hunk & I were graciously given this gift of a vacation just this past July by God! We spent 5 days in a wooded cabin, like on “Little House in The Prairie”. Small, but w/ a loft bedroom that overlooks the Haro Strait AND Victoria Island, B.C.!! Capt. Jim took us on an Orca tour. MAGNIFICENT display of God’s creation. Capt. Jim sends us e-mail pic updates weekly. I rec’d one this morning, e-mailed it to my hunk at work. He replied: “WAY COOL! LET’S GO OVER EASTER VACA!”
Ya baby let’s go!
So glad God gave you a trip to your happy place! Looking forward to going to ours soon.
Little Monkey’s Mama
Ohhhh—the beautiful mountains! My husband (a Colorado native) and I (who lived most of my life in Colorado)raised our two children in that beautiful state and dearly love the Rocky Mountains. Our happy place is Pagosa Springs, CO, near Durango. We enjoy taking long hikes and then soaking in the natural hot springs to relax our stressed and weary muscles. We moved to Florida five years ago, and while we enjoy the beach, we are VERY homesick for our mountains, especially this time of year. The pictures of Jackson Hole were awesome, thank you for sharing them, but I am now even more homesick! 🙂
Tami! I love Pagosa Springs. It is one of my happy places. Years ago, I read a novel set in that area and always wanted to visit it thereafter. Imagine my thrill cresting Wolf Creek Pass for the first time. Stopping at an overlook, I was giddy taking in the vista of the valley below, cut tranquilly by the San Juan River. Since then, we’ve been to Pagosa many times and have even looked at houses for retirement in the area. Last year, a few days before Christmas, we rented a luxury “cabin” in Pagosa and got snowed in; it was glorious! Few places move my soul and emotions like Southwestern Colorado.
My other happy place is Jamaica–yah, mon! From the people to the beaches, the food to the Blue Mountain coffee, this, too, is a place I wouldn’t mind retiring.
What is the name of the novel? I would love to read it. I understand that giddy-ness of cresting Wolf Creek Pass! The valley is breath-taking!
I agree with Tami! I would love to take the book with me this year. We spend the week after Christmas in Pagosa Springs every other year and this is our year!! Our whole family with our daughter’s in-laws will be together for skiing and fellowship!
Oh, the houses in the pine straw bring back memories for me as a child in Ga. only we had a two story because I had so many cousins. HAHA. a pretend two story with the bedrooms upstairs. It is funny how entertaining it really was. My favorite place in the whole world is the Atlanta Braves Stadium. My grandfather worked a day job and had a farm. We lived at church on Sunday but he always made time for my brother and I and Braves baseball. We had season tickets and listened to the game under the weeping willow tree in his front yard on away games. It is something I share with my son now. Thanks for showing the pictures from your trip. So beautiful
Wyoming is an awesome place. I don’t travel much but I did have the opportunity to go to Jackson Hole and visit Yellowstone Park. There are no words to describe the beauty I saw there.
While we were checking out “Old Faithful” a herd of Bison (I always thought they were Buffalo, but was quickly corrected) came so close we could touch them…didn’t of course…they were none too happy to see us. They had young un’s and were pawing and snorting. It was scary but awesome at the same time.
I have always lived in Indiana and if you’ve ever been here you know it is REALLY flat. It does have it’s beauty too but the mountains are so awesome and breath taking.
I guess I would have to say that my happy place is anywhere that I can just sit, relax, and take in the scenery (I love a good sunrise and sunset). God is so good to us, there is beauty everywhere if you just take time to look and listen.
You mentioned the study “When Godly People Do Ungodly Things” I am doing that study now…I have been so blessed by it. Thank you so much for sharing your life with us Beth, you truly are a blessing!
Montana. Flathead Lake. Big Sky Country. Absolutely breathtaking what God has created. Our family (my husband’s side) goes every summer. All 19 of us. Pure joy and relaxation. Sitting by the lake with coffee, watching the cousins jump off the dock, water gun fights, s’mores by the firepit, hiking Glacier National Park, no words can describe.
Right now, in dire need of a nap, my favorite happy place is bed. But oh shoot, I’ve been so busy since I crawled out, it isn’t even made yet.
No question for me, it’s Cocoa Beach, FL. Each time we go, I look at the waves, and smell the salt, and feel the sand and pronounce it “home”. Anytime of year. In the summer with as many family members as can come, for a few hours when in the area to visit my Mom, but especially in the early Fall, with just my husband, when it’s still warm enough to enjoy the water, the shells are numerous and varied and we sit on the condo porch after lunch and read and doze off, lulled by the sound of the waves. I am so blessed to watch my husband so relaxed, away from work, reading for pleasure, napping in the afternoon, and know it’s his “happy place” too.
A close second would be Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field, AKA “The Swamp”, on a football Saturday. Go Gators! 🙂
Girls … so glad you had a wonderful, beautiful time. Amanda … got so tickled at the shoes in the mud! My happy place would have to be Walt Disney World when the temps are cool, maybe sitting on the Peter Pan Ride and feeling five years old again. But my happy place this week … right here in Fort Worth, TX … house windows open with cool breeze blowing through, sipping on Starbucks. Glorious. I love fall.