The Preparations Continue

My head is spinning just a bit right now as I plan my beautiful American cross-country road trip for next year.
The hours invested into all this planning will hopefully bring less headaches as I actually live out these plans when the times arrives, I hope. :)

Little by little I've been accumulating the many things I'll need for my road trip. Next on my list is definitely going to be investing in a new pair of hiking boots and working on breaking them in. With all the National Parks I plan on visiting I also plan on doing loads of hiking. It's going to be worth it when the pictures start filtering back through. You wait and see!

But for now, I am working, and planning, and preparing. The wait is hard, but I believe with all my heart that it will be worth it.

Walk in the woods

I have the priviledge of meeting up with a friend whom I haven't seen in several years. We enjoyed an afternoon walk and here are some of my favorite shots from the day.

A set of twins was playing in the woods near their mama. One came not 25 feet from our trail and looked at us for a bit, and then scampered along again.

I adore chipmunks, and we saw many during our 5 mile walk.

This one was the most photogenic, and quiet enough for me to capture this picture.

Saw a couple turtles too.

Blue Heron. Laughed so hard at this one!

Niagara Falls, Memorial Weekend May 25, 2014

   I had the priviledge of seeing the beautiful Niagara Falls for the first time this May. It was a long day, about 12-14 hours of walking and taking loads of pictures, but worth the three massive blisters on my feet all the same. (I gotta get new boots!)

   I also walked over to Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada that night and was lucky enough to get to see fireworks over the falls as well. It was a short, little show but totally worth the wait! I even met a sweet couple (in Canada) who were from Ohio, USA, and we chatted while we were hogging our "spots" and waiting for the fireworks show to begin.

   Around 3pm I left Goat Island, and the State Park and headed over to the Whirlpool State Park. I didn't end up walking down the 2.2 mile stairway, but that was cuz I was already a little bit sunburnt, dehydrated, and I also saw how exhausted everyone coming back up the stairs were. I decided I'll conquer those stairs next time and enjoy the view on the rocks at the bottom beside the rapids... next time. ;)

   And lest you think I made the trip alone, I wasn't completely alone. I plan to take my little "traveling buddies" on the many future trips I intend to take. Be looking for these little guys in the future. :D

 

"Cowgirl" & "Princess" my little traveling companions.

 

 

 

 The view of the Horseshoe Falls on the American side.

 



 The American Falls, from Niagara Falls State Park.

 

The Horseshoe Falls at night, from Ontario, Canada.

The American Falls as seen from Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada.

The Memorial Day fireworks over the falls!

"To the Moon and Back"

"I love you to the moon and back." I've heard this phrase said several times, though not to me specifically, and always thought of it as a very sweet sentiment.

But what does it really mean?

The Moon is approximately 238,855 miles (384,400 kilometers) away from Earth. If I could drive there in my car, driving 65 miles per hour, non-stop, it would take about 154 days (3,675 hours) to reach the Moon.

Would you honestly drive non-stop 24 hours a day for 308 days, to the moon and back, for someone you love? Yeah-- not s'much!

Yet, when I think about the sacrifice Jesus did for me when He gave up His life and was crucified on a cross... FOR MY SINS! It blows me away. "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16

Matthew 5:14-16 (KJV) says, "Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father with is in heaven."

The Moon, and stars and planets, were placed in the sky as a light for Earth. So we would be able to see at night. I love the analagy that the moon reflects the sun, so are we as Christians created to reflect the light of Christ in the world around us, each in our own way. <3

This past week is the first time in my life that I've ever gotten this close to the Moon, in my pictures. I am pretty excited about it too! [I had a hard time capturing the eclispe earlier this year in April.] I am amazed at the depth and light spots that the Moon holds, and I can only imagine what it must feel like for an astronaut to walk on its surface for the very first time.

I hope you enjoy my pictures of the Moon I've posted below for your enjoyment.

It's Saturday, June 21st, 2014 at 9:38PM EDT. This morning was the first night in, oh, six nights that I wasn't up chasing the moon, the stars, or the lightning late into the night, only to rise again early the next morning. That doesn't necessarily mean I got up and got to work on time, but oh well! :)

I had 11 calves to feed, and then still get all my other jobs finished at the dairy and I arrived a bit late, at 4:45AM. :/

The highlight of my day, however, was when the sun broke through the clouds in the east, setting off the most beautiful rainbow in the southeastern sky I'd ever seen. It was also the first time I'd seen a rainbow BEFORE it rained. Fancy that!

I was smart enough to have brought my Canon PowerShot DSLR to work today and I ended up getting pretty good pictures of the sunrise and rainbow. <3

I look forward to sharing more photos in the future. This is hopefully the first of many in a line of fabulous blog posts, on my first blog ever. :D

 

 

This photo, with the sunset through the heart was taken on Wednesday evening, June 18th. I love how it turned out! <3