I am grateful for a crisp, cool evening walk. This picture was taken last night on my phone, as we walked back to our hotel room. I am grateful for the smell of mountain air. I am grateful for the gift of breathtaking beauty that was so simple but so magnificent,

I am grateful for air conditioning in the truck that allows the windows to be up as we drive 75 mph across western Kansas today.

I am grateful for an audio cd of “Same Kind of Different As Me” to listen to while we drive home.

I am grateful for a field of sunflowers all pointing their gaze toward the light.

I am grateful for memories made this past weekend.

I am grateful for a picnic lunch in Rocky Mountain National Park accompanied by a cool breeze and a warm sun.

I am grateful for the unexpected pleasure of seeing a majestic elk, and then another, and then another and another and another…over 20, but I lost count.

I am grateful for my Private Quarters bag that holds lots.

I am grateful for silly moments that have been non-stop:

Max: That train sure is moving slow, isn’t it.

Sam: That’s a fence, Dad.

I am grateful for a good driver who doesn’t swerve and brake a lot.

I am grateful for back-to-school clothes ready to send to Oregon.

I am grateful for the challenge on a Saturday night to read text messages in German as we drove through the mountains in the darkness.

I am grateful for thick towels and a clean hotel with beautiful landscaping.

And I am grateful for a back end full of tile, a new project ready to begin.