Last week I stole away to Las Vegas to meet Simon for a few days of R&R and it was just what I needed after a pretty harrowing month. It’s been a few years since I’ve been and I’d forgotten how fab it is to hole up in a fabulous hotel room, lounge at the spa endlessly and window shop at all the fancy boutiques. Oh, and eat. Except … with the whole Weight Watchers thing happening, I made myself be REALLY good. Gold star for me. 😉

One thing I read about for this trip through our hotel was the installation called 7 Magic Mountains by artist Ugo Rondinone. Comprised of seven brightly hued towers of enormous boulders out about 10 miles south of the Strip, it was well worth the trouble to go rent a car and take off into the desert.  (We could’ve taken an Uber, but we kind of wanted to be on our own, exploring, which was nice for exploring. Cabs are soooo expensive in LV and sometimes you just want to go explore, right?)

The installation opened in May of 2016 and will be viewable for two years. You pretty much can’t miss it as it is right off the highway, surrounded by mountains. Please note that once you park, you will have to walk a ways to get there and of course, with it being the desert, there are plenty of signs warning you about snakes. WHEE! SEVEN MAGIC RATTLESNAKES! Also:- don’t be like me and wear wedge heels. ::ahem::

Sometimes Vegas feels so cloying, smoky and loud — three days is about my limit and with my emotions all over the place, I made a point to be more restful for this trip. Simon was in his conference all day, which was great because I needed relaxation, quiet, and lots of sleep. I set my expectations really low and took a stack of books to read, alternating my days from roaming a bit, eating lunch at my favorite places, to holing up in the spa.

Comfortable companionship with Simon and color out in the middle of the desert felt like all kinds of analogies to my life right now.  Throughout history, mankind has been leaving stacks of rocks as a memory, sometimes to mark a grave, but other times to make a statement on something that’s happened in life. The Bible makes several references to God instructing his people to leave a stack of stones in memory of a miracle or act that He has performed, as a way to take one’s children back and remind them of the glory of God.

I’m all for colorful reminders of God’s greatness in my life, rising out of the dry places. Beauty from ashes, like it says in the passage from Isaiah 61:

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,^a 2to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God,to comfort all who mourn, 3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.