Daily Photo Tour - A Place to Feel at Home

It's Sunday night. Monday is almost here. When the sun rises, I shall embark on what I expect will be an interesting week. It will be the last one with my employer of seven years. Soon I will be at a different school district. I'm excited. I'm pensive. I am bittersweetly retrospective. At 27, if I break down the numbers, I've spent a little more than 25% of my life here. The feeling is surreal. The change has come swiftly. It feels like a dream.

A very dear friend was sharing with me yesterday evening the importance of time, how it's the most valuable thing we have and how we can choose to give it to others. We can use it to show people that they are worth something, that they're accepted and loved. It's something I take for granted because I'm blessed to have some really amazing people in my life that make me feel those things on a consistent basis.

As I sat down with this picture earlier, none of this was on my mind. It was just me and Radiator Springs and I was wishing I was there. Then the word "Cozy" really started standing out. It's the perfect word for this place. Radiator Springs is one of those places with its priorities set right, where folks are accepted and valued. That acceptance, which leads to feeling cozy, can give you a place to feel at home, no matter where you are.

My new job means moving. Not real far but far enough to feel unfamiliar. Far enough for me to consider new ways to give my time to the people I love, people who won't be a few minutes away. Far enough that I expect I will meet new people to give my time to and people who will give of their time to me. I know that good things are in store. I know that God loves me and has good plans for me and that makes me feel cozy. When I wake from this surreality, there will be a new place to feel at home.

Daily Photo Tour - Gettin' Cozy on Route 66

Route 66 has been my route home for the past 19 years now. I've never felt more at home in California Adventure than I do now. The sun had finally set. Matthew, Michaela and I were smack dab in the middle of Cars Land. The moment had finally come. It was time for the neon to turn on. I don't want to spoil the surprise for you, but let's just say it was one of the most magical moments I've had in a Disney park. Ever. But, that is coming from a guy who loves the movie Cars. After this amazing moment happened I turned around and noticed a striking light blue hue over the horizon. It is truly mind blowing to explain how much this closely resembles the desert I live in. I set up and took a few shots of the Cozy Cone Motel. For a moment, I forgot I was in a theme park. I felt like I was standing on Route 66.