It's my birthday!

Ok, so it was yesterday, but here's a recap of one of the best birthdays ever!

Scotty informed me last week of his plans to take me to Urmiri, a location in the middle of nowhere (literally, there is nothing for miles around except tiny agriculture fields) that boasts hot springs! We woke up early on my birthday, I made blueberry muffins from a box that my great friend Laura sent me, and we took off early enough to make it to Urmiri before lunch. The hotel that sits on these hot springs is a branch of one that is in town, so we made early reservations last week. They warned us that if there weren't 10 people staying at the hotel, they would not be turning on the electricity because it is apparently run by motor and too much trouble to deal with if there aren't enough people. But don't worry, they assured us, the hotel will provide candles. So, after a 2 hours drive through the altiplano (the plateau outside of La Paz that sits at 13,000ft.), we started twisting and turning down a dirt road into a small valley nestled between gorgeous, green mountains. We had prayed for good weather and God chose to bless us both days with sunny skies all day- something we haven't seen around here for months because of the rainy season. We popped out of a short tunnel and came upon the large, melon-colored Hotel Gloria. The hotel itself has charm, but is fairly old and basic. But the grounds have been taken care of and are obviously undergoing continuous improvement. There are flowers of all colors planted everywhere and springing out of large pots wherever there is room for them. The hotel has several different pools fed by the hot springs, and one natural pool where the water falls into from above, with a little stream of cold water piped in just so it is comfortable enough to stand. There are trails winding through the surrounding mountains leading to incredible vistas and other little grassy areas well-manicured by the hotel. I found a little stream on one of the trails and stuck my foot in the water, but it was too hot to even stand for more than a couple seconds! The awesomeness of God's creativity and beautiful creation really impacted us in this place. We spent the afternoon exploring, hiking, swimming and sunbathing- my ideal for a birthday (or any day, for that matter!). It turned out that we were the only guests that evening, so we shared a yummy dinner alone in the dining room, enjoying the attentiveness of the kitchen staff, and returned to our dark room (remember, no electricity) to watch a couple movies on a borrowed DVD player that had just enough battery power for that. Before movie time, we took a walk out to a covered picnic area, Scotty wearing his headlamp, that rested on the side of a mountain to watch the stars. I don't think I've ever seen so many stars at one time before. The sky was black and clear and it seemed that you couldn't focus on one spot in the sky without eventually seeing a star appear. It was breathtaking and a perfect end to a wonderful day. This morning, we enjoyed the dining room to ourselves, once again, for breakfast. We took a different trail up a mountain, led by two collies that live at the hotel, and spent some time in prayer as we looked down over a valley far below. What a merciful God we have to provide such creation for us to enjoy and to remind us how great He is. I'm thankful to be married to man who enjoys treating me to a short time away, celebrating my life and all that God has given us in marriage.