Still on a "YOSEMITE HIGH!"

After 3 days in Yosemite, I feel as though I am still on a "GOD HIGH!" WOW, WOW, WOW and WOW! If you've ever been, you know what I'm talking about. If you haven't, you need to make it a priority in your life. It is truly more than amazing! The splendor and glory of an Almighty God is magnificent. Everywhere you look, you "see" God. I would gaze from one view to another, constantly marveling at a God whose hand could be so mighty, so skilled, so perfect, that He could do what I was witnessing with my eyes. From the tiniest flowers on the ground and the most beautiful butterflies, to the solid walls of granite that towered thousands of feet over my head....I marveled and was speechless. (I know that MOST of you would not be able to believe that I could EVER be speechless...but I was.) All I could do was stand and stare, cry, and sing praises to God. Several times I just had to break out singing, "How Great is Our God" as I walked and gazed at the beauty of it all. I found myself hearing my son singing, "Indescribable" in my ear and thinking that those words to that song were so true....INDESCRIBABLE was what I was seeing. El Captain, Half Dome, Bridal Veil Falls....How did HE do it all? One day, face to face, I shall ask Him. God is a genius!!!!! My first view of Bridal Veil Falls was just breathtaking. I just stopped on the pathway in, gazed ahead and started snapping pictures. I'm posting pictures but they don't appear to post in the order I put them in, so what I describe probably won't be in order. The first one though, is my sister and I as we stood at the beginning of the walkway that takes you into the park and Bridal Veil Falls. I was so excited I could hardly stand it and couldn't wait to get closer to the falls and WE DID! Of course, the two of us decided we'd climb the big boulders, along with a lot of other people, and try to get closer. Next you'll see some of those shots. Following, is a couple pictures of Cathedral Spires, that actually is 2 pictures. One is of the spires and the second would be the right half of the cathedral span. Next you'll see a couple shots of Half Dome as well as El Captain. We also took a drive into the Mariposa Grove, home of the giant Sequoias. They are massive trees. If I remember correctly, there are only 6 places that these giant sequoias grow. Pretty impressive. Next you'll see some shots of the the wildlife/flowers/insects that I was priviledged to see. First, let me give praise to God!!! I asked Him to let me see a bear. Ok, ok....I know some of you think, OH GOOD GRIEF BARB....but I can't help myself. It appears that until I die, I will be a nature freak. Nature fills my heart with such joy and I always feel God's presence and glory through the creatures He so beautifully created. I JUST LOVE IT. Soooooooooo, I asked Him to let me see a bear and He DID! We were driving through Yosemite, which consists of thousands of acres of land, and there he was, off the side of the road! The only decent shot I got, wasn't too good, but it's of the bear! If you look closely, you can see it appears he was lifting his foot and maybe licking his paw or eating something off of it. He'l in between the two trees on the right side of the photo. You'll also see some of the gorgeous deer that are everywhere, some of their strange looking squirrels, a beautiful butterfly and a lovely and delicate purple flower in Tuolumne Meadow. I was in hog heaven with the variety of animals and plant life that I saw. Next you'll see me standing in front of Tenaya Lake. It's got to be close to what heaven is going to look like. The water in this lake is incredibly clear and blue. WOW! NExt is some pictures of some of the sights we saw on the about 1 hour drive through Tioga Pass. Tioga Pass takes you up, up, and further up to an elevation of over 9,000 feet ABOVE Yosemite, where you can view Half Dome and Yosemite below. It's incredible! The first is of my brother-in-law, Bob, and I at one of the pull off places, called Olmstead Point, where these amazing shots were taken. That's Half Dome, way below in the distance!
Gosh, I suppose that's enough pictures for now as I've been working on this for quite some time now! Hope everyone enjoys the pictures. Let me hear from you! I miss you all so much but know that soon I will be home again and will be able to look upon your sweet faces.
On the way back from Yosemite today, we stopped at the Jelly Belly Factory. OF COURSE I had to buy a pound of my favorite jelly bellies....Buttered Popcorn, Chocolate Pudding, Dark Chocolate and Cotton Candy! YUM!
Tomorrow we'll go watch the girls in the ballet class again, then we're going to play ping-pong with Bob and maybe the pool later. Gee...it's hard work, but somebody's gotta do it!!
To all my RRC family...thank you for your prayers...don't stop. I love and miss you and wondered how our services went Sunday. I miss being a part of our services. They're the best on this earth.
Love to you all. Remember to be thankful for that which God has given you and be thankful for ALL that He has given us ALL in the beauty of this world. We are so blessed and oftentimes don't even see it. Godspeed until I see you again. Will post again tomorrow. Oh yeah, by the way, it's a GORGEOUS 72 degrees here! Eat your heart out!
KEEP IN TOUCH!