beauty for ashes

my brother went home last night. it was a really good visit. surreal and yet normal. he really fit in with the culture and our team. he said it was the best two weeks of his life. that gave me warm fuzzies.
for the last 3 days of his visit we went on safari. there were plenty of things that did not go as planned.
things like having a vehicle that was too small for our 6 adults and 2 kids.
like our family sleeping in one bed.
all you co-sleepers out there? props, man. i don't know how you do it but i do know that it's not the strickland family's first choice. but i am slightly proud that we did it.
like neither jamie nor i bringing jude's bunny on our afternoon boat tour {after having woken up early that morning for a safari} and a very sleep-deprived jude screaming for 1 hr and 45 minutes of the 2 hour tour. another lesson learned. {don't do too much in one day. and always bring bunny.}
but there were things that made is completely awesome and worth it.
like this view when we pulled up to our hotel {even though i was suffering yet another migraine}:

and the fact that i went on a safari in africa with my brother:

there were times i had a bad attitude. when i wasn't embracing both good and bad. when i didn't take the time and ask Him to help me find things for which to be thankful. to open my eyes to the splashes of glory.
but
He does promise that if i seek i will find.

so Jesus? i'm seeking. help me to find the beauty in the every day, no matter if things are going the way i thought they would or not.

{also, a pedicure and a massage also work wonders.}