Visiting Sedona Arizona and the Grand Canyon has been on my bucket list for years. The fabulous hotel – L’Auberge de Sedona, has been on my computer favorite tab for almost a decade. We just returned from a phenomenal vacation where I experienced more than I bargained for.
The awesomeness of the grand canyon is almost impossible to describe. The peaks and valleys of the carved rock; the way the sun hit the sides of the canyons at different times of the day; the sheer vastness of it; the magnitude of beauty. When hubby and I first arrived at the Grand Canyon National Park, we both agreed to experience the grandeur all at once rather than get a glimpse here and there – we didn’t want a tease. We walked a path to the canyon which was not far from the Visitors Center. My expectation was that we would walk down a flight of stairs to a lookout of splendor. God would appear before me and I would be lifted to another dimension. I would find my purpose in life and be raised to a level of consciousness that I never could have imagined. I guess when you wait so long to do something, expectations can get the best of you.
When we arrived at the lookout, the view was magnificent, that much was true. Beauty as far as the eye could see – breathtaking. But to get to the lookout we had to squeeze through a crowd of spectators. It wasn’t serene like I envisioned, it was noisy and chaotic. One woman yelled to her husband ‘HAL, YA SHOULD SEE THE VIEW FROM OVA HEYA!!” Hal was only a few feet away from her and my ears were in between them both. The yelling, people blocking my view, children jumping and screaming off the rocks gave little to no chance of me hearing from the Creator Himself. In any other place this activity wouldn’t bother me as much, but for some reason I thought it would be a sacred spot where beauty was respected in SILENCE…. or at least a place where people used their indoor voices. I can’t say I was disappointed in the view because it was incredible, I just wished the grandness would have swept me away. I just couldn’t get in ‘the zone.’ Although I did find the zone in some other unexpected places……
– The feeling of free falling while on a helicopter tour of the Sedona canyons; my knuckles were completely white but the swooping in and out of the canyons was exhilarating
– Watching a squirrel run up a tree repeatedly, popping a nut in his mouth and digging little hiding places in the ground for his food storage
– Smelling the Sedona pine trees as we were driving with the top down in our very cool, slick, black convertible (yeah baby)
– Laughing till my side hurt when my hubby jokingly suggested I buy a long scarf when we slid into the convertible (remember Isadora Duncan?)
– Having superb service from Matt, our waiter at L’Auberge, who was the ultimate professional. Each day I would receive a cloth napkin that matched the color of my pants (black napkin on black slacks – white napkin on white pants). A simple, yet thoughtful gesture so I wouldn’t get mis-colored fuzzies on my clothes
– While visiting an energy vortex – I opened my eyes to see a woman coming out from the red rocks riding a handsome spotted gray horse (literally took my breath away)
– Viewing the full moon through a telescope on a crystal clear night in Sedona; seeing the moon so close up that the craters looked touchable
– Watching huge black birds soar solo above the grand canyon
– Feeling my lips and face jiggle as I stuck my head out of the doorless helicopter
– Walking on our balcony in Sedona each morning and saying good morning to Snoopy Rock (coolest rock ever!)
– Dipping my toes in the cool, clay-like bottom of the Colorado River – as the outside temperature topped 102 degrees
– Riding in the back of a jeep on a wildlife tour and seeing herds of gorgeous white tail deer. Looking through the binoculars and seeing their gentle wide eyes and big oversized ears. (I get chills thinking of their beauty and innocence!)
– Freezing while driving with the top down in the convertible gazing up at a nighttime full of glistening stars.
– Being welcomed by two adorable, starlet lookalikes at L’Auberge de Sedona – Alexandra and Katarina (who could easily be mistaken for Natalie Portman and Taylor Swift respectively)
– Eating breakfast by the bubbling creek, sipping my mimosa, and watching the relaxed lives of the many ducks that passed us by
– Sitting outside ancient ruins and watching a delicate butterfly have a rest on my arm
– Discovering a dime beneath my feet while visiting a vortex. Dimes have been a significant symbol since my mother’s death earlier this year. This dime was a spiritual comfort to me. (Thanks ma!)
After thinking about this amazing trip, I realize God’s beauty is in the big and the small.