I was up at 5:45am Sunday morning. It was still dark outside, and I tried to go back to sleep, but to no avail. It was the first morning at our Hot Springs, Arkansas VRBO rental, and I wanted to see the sunrise. I pulled a jacket over my pajamas and headed down the back steps to catch the first rays of sun peek out through the tall pine trees.

The rest of the family was still snug in their beds, but I got to enjoy the majesty of the dawn.

The sunlight lit up the mist on the lake, and I watched the ducks glide by.

We were still in the shade, but the sun hit just beyond the neighbor’s dock.

Then it lit up the shore like a fire.

And the whole neighborhood turned golden.