God’s Gift to the World

Now if you read this title, and since it is also around Christmastime, you will think that I am most certainly going to talk about the birth of Jesus Christ. As the Grinch says while he waves his finger, “Wrongo!” Although I undoubtedly believe that JC is God’s gift to the world, I must say that Yosemite National Park was, you could say, a baby shower favor (one that was given to every human being alive I might add)! Moving on, yesterday, I took a much needed trip to YNP with Vicki (I think y’all remember her! If not, Vicki and I go to SMC together, and we were also able to spend a month in South Africa together this past January).

Vicki has never been to Yosemite before, as she’s from out of state. Her 21st birthday was in October, and you could call this my gift to her! We left from Moraga at, what I like to refer to as the ‘ass crack of dawn.’ I apologize for my profanity as I do not use it often unless it is truly needed. This was just one of those said moments. Now it’s a 4 hour drive from Yosemite which is just part of the reason as to why we needed to leave so early! We made it right before noon and had the rest of the day to enjoy the beauty of the park. I forgot to add that Vicki brought her GoPro with her yesterday too, and we quickly began our hunt for what is known as a ‘selfie-stick’ (a handheld stick to take pictures of yourself with for those that are new to the term ‘selfie’). Well Walmart was unsuccessful, but I don’t think Vicki thought so. Our Walmart has a built-in McDonald’s, and you could say Vicki was hungry. She will probably kill me for showing the world this photo of her, but she was just so excited to get her McGriddle and smoothie.

It was a beautiful day in Yosemite–only 55 degrees throughout our entire journey! I easily could’ve worn shorts and a t-shirt and had been just fine! And that’s exactly what ‘Vick’ did. Clearly, I wasn’t as prepared as I thought I was! Once I showed her the Lower Falls, we both decided that we had to make the trek to the Upper Falls as well. Although we were twenty or so minutes away from the very top, we decided to turn around as the sun was supposed to set pretty quickly! I was so exhausted from the hike. It definitely kicked my butt, and I just knew I would be sore in the morning (as I was)!

Needless to say, I am glad that we took the trip yesterday. It was amazing to see someone’s reaction when they witness the beauty of Yosemite for the first time. Truly remarkable. I kept saying to Vicki, “If people don’t believe in God before they come here, I don’t know how they can leave without believing in Him after!” Although I am saying this out of jest, I find myself in utter awe every single time I come to one of California’s treasures. I am blessed to have something so beautiful exist so close to me! I couldn’t have had a better day in Yosemite than I did yesterday with the best of company. Love ya Vicki!

Check out some random photos of the day below!