Such a "love"-ly day

Yesterday, Andrew and I celebrated Valentine's Day together in a way that would only seem romantic to a specific set of people. We hiked up the mountain together! We started out on the trail and then decided to walk along the riverbed for awhile. It was beautiful! We talked about our future...what we'll be doing in the next couple of months, goals, and different scenarios; just "planning" knowing that the Lord is in control. We walked along the river bed for quite some time. The terrain was quite rough and we had to feel our way as we went. Eventually, we decided we should find our way onto the trail. We walked along a well-traveled trail for a little while, then noticed a smaller trail that forked off towards the mountain top. So, we took it! We hiked along for a little while when the trail seemed to disappear. I just kept following Andrew. It was really tough. Andrew encouraged me along the way and we held hands on occasion, which helped a great deal. In a short amount of time we'd found another trail. It wasn't well traveled, but we hoped it would lead us to a paved road that led directly to the top of the mountain. Sure enough, after about 30 minutes? of intense uphill hiking/climbing we met up with the road. This entire time, even in the midst of conversation, my mind couldn't help but think about the incredible word picture we were walking out. Following Christ is so much like this! Sometimes the path is nice and smooth, it's comfortable and we're really certain of our next step. We're confident, certain we aren't lost. Other times, we're on a really rough trail. Our footing is unsure, and we have to pray that our feet are set on a firm foundation. Still other times, we're on a trail and all of a sudden, it seems to be gone. It's then that we walk by faith and our confidence is in the Lord's leading. We trust that the Lord will even lead us to another path. As we were walking along Andrew starting quoting one of his rap songs saying, "Follow me as I follow Christ..." I am so thankful that God put such an amazing man in my life. Andrew is an incredible leader. He spurs me on to know Christ more and fills me with encouragement. I know that if I wasn't with Andrew I would be on a completely different path. A much less exciting path. I'm certain I would stick to the path that I know...I wouldn't venture off and risk getting lost. I'd go the way that has worked for so many people, I'd see the same views they'd seen, and I wouldn't have to trust the Lord as much to set my feet on a firm foundation. It's not bad, it's just safer. Anyway, at the top of the mountain Andrew found a nice place for us to sit and grab a drink of water, and he began reading scripture to me. He said some really beautiful things to me and encouraged me and I got to do the same for him. He didn't give me flowers or a candle-lit dinner, but he showed me love. He brought joy to my spirit and filled me with awe and wonder at the mighty God we serve.

A view of the river bed.

A lizard, the first "wild life" we've seen!

A view back at where we'd come from...it's good to reflect.

We hiked up the slope to the left of this river bed
to meet up with the trail.