NORAD Santa Tracker

Our Wedding Day - August 22nd, 2015

Mr. & Mrs. Gene Zvarick

I cannot describe my gratitude to every one who worked hard with Gene and I to make our wedding one filled to the hilt with joyous memories! It was hard, hard work, but we made it through and it was completely worth all the effort!
I just keep looking back in my mind to each detail and I can't say anything but, WOW! What an amazing adventure!
From the tree branch that fell 100 feet in the air to land directly on Gene's windshield, to carrying 23 4'x8' over-200-pound picnic tables across the park, all due to flooding from the heavy rains two days before... Yet, we couldn't have done it without all our dear friends and family that came alongside of us and gave us their helping hands. THANK YOU!
The weather on August 22nd, was PERFECT, too!


Thank you Giuseppe Scillia, for making such a beautiful photo of me as a bride!

Thank you A.J. for inspiring this photo!! 

Not only did I get to ride down to our ceremony's circle of straw bales on the back of a tractor, but we even had a special guest of honor attend our wedding! The jersey's name is Awesome, and she was such a good girl all day. 

 Thank you to everyone who shared their photos with us so far! We have thoroughly enjoyed reliving our day through these photos again and again.

Inspiration for your day

In the HEAT of the moment

The Fire: lending a hand

I decided I liked him and wanted to keep him around. I brought him home to meet my family, and then wanted to take him to the large dairy operation where I work to show him around. Since we both love cows so much. He'd shared with me one of his places of work the previous Saturday, and now I wanted to share my place of work with him as well. 

As we left my home and drove down the road a fire chief (SUV) flew past us. I had managed to find a tiny place to pull off the main road so the fire chief could go past. The fire chief turned right onto Fairview Rd, the road we were turning onto next. 

I drove down and up and around the curve until we came to the clearing and that's where we saw smoke on the right. It was an impressive, and gut-clenching sight. A neighboring farm's old barn was up in flames and thick white smoke filled the blue sky. 

Being a photographer by bloodline my first thought was, Ooh, photo! I reached to the back seat and grabbed my camera bag, asking my friend to open it and I grabbed out my new Canon 70D camera. I quickly took a photo, and continued to drive in the direction of the barn fire. 

My reaction was that, since the fire chief was 'on scene' I was sure the fire trucks would be close behind and I wanted to stay out of the way.
"I just want to take a picture," I said. My friend instantly answered, "NO, we have to stopped. I can't just drive by, I have to help." "Okay," I said, and pulled into the grass, out of the way of the driveway. In milliseconds of me shifting into park he flew from the car and was gone.
I jumped from the vehicle and ran around the front of my car. I knew I'd regret it later if I didn't pause and take a picture... I took two as the roof burst into flames, the red/orange flames highlighting against the white smoke filling the air. Then I literally tossed my camera onto the passenger seat of the car and ran to help in anyway I could. 

As far as we were told, from someone on the scene, there weren't any animals in the barn (I learned a few days later the only animal, a pet calf, had been removed to a safer place earlier). We started to haul everything from the heavy farm equipment to any small stuff we could grab from the large equipment shed, which was closely attached to the burning barn. 

Flames were flying up beside us in the old barn as we worked to haul grain wagons, drill (seed) wagons, combine heads, and other sorts of farm equipment, plus some construction equipment as well outside into the fields. (Easily most of these items cost over $100,000 individually, and since this was an overflow shed to another farm it was a lot of odds and ends.) 

Fire trucks quickly appeared and neighboring people poured in from every direction to help haul out the equipment. (There was not a tractor on sight so we used either man-power, a gator/golf cart, a small little tractor and a pick-up truck until a better tractor arrived later on.) We spent nearly an hour removing everything from the shed while the fire men worked to soak down the old barn all around us. There had to be more than 6-8 fire trucks on sight, and several tankers around us. We worked around them and they (the fire fighters) worked to get the fire out in a minimal time. Yet, the barn was old and burned so fast, it was unbelievable. 

One time when a group of us were working in the barn at removing equipment, my friend, came up to me. He explained that he wasn't sure where I was for a minute there. It was also around the time that the wind had changed and the smoke began pouring into the shed for a while. It was a bit rough for breathing, to say the least. I didn't realize the level of panic I had put him under until we were sharing the stories with my family later, at home. I realized later how badly I had scared him in that moment. I had been so focused on "getting the job done" I hadn't realized he might not know where I was. There was people everywhere, though I didn't really know everybody, and yet for a few moments, I was missing in his mind. (He didn't let me get too far out of his sight after that...)

A large road paving machine sat in the front corner of the shed, still a safe distance from the fire, but there was always a chance the barn's fire could spread quickly into the shed and everything needed to be removed. The old machine had a hard time starting on a normal day with an hour jump-start on a battery. Several men worked on jumping the battery of the paver but nothing happened when they turned the key. (There's really no way to drag a 20,000-ton machine like that with the skid/tread-like tires... lol)
Three battery packs, a little battery jump-pack, and a pick-up truck later... and the key finally turned over. On the third or fourth try the machine started right up (I was praying like crazy!!) and we hauled everything (batteries, truck, etc.) out of the way and one of the men drove the paver out of the shed to an open place in the front yard. 

In all that we removed from the shed during the fire, a pipe from the back of a little grain wagon was the only thing that got burnt by the flames from the barn. That was burnt because the pipe was sticking through the wall into the old barn where the fire was. Nothing else (as far as I am aware) was damaged from the equipment shed. Praise God! 

There was, however, a newly-remodeled antique tractor sitting inside the old barn at the time of the fire, which was a apparently a great loss to the owner. I'm sure they are counting their blessings all at the same time. 

We were there for about an hour and once the fire was under control and we had done all we could the two of us left. 

We still went over to the farm where I worked, as we'd originally been planning, and I gave my friend a small tour. (We also took the time to wash the soot from our hands and arms before we went to find the cows.) An hour or so later we headed home and had a bit of fun sharing all the excitement of the stories with my family. 

Below are the photos I took with my new camera, the Canon 70D. I like how well these photos turned out. But more than anything I'm so grateful we were in the right place at the right time, and my friend had the sense to jump in and lend a hand, when I was focused on getting out of the way... 

(These two photos were taken less than an hour part! /\ \/ )

In closing: I learned the following week that the fire was caused by a heat lamp. Remember to keep a safe distance between a heat/light source and other objects. When lighting candles around your home, enjoy them, but blow them out when you are leaving the room, and don't let them burn down to the bottom of the jar (there is risk of them exploding the glass). Be smart, and be safe. Have a blessed week!!

Day One: The Journey

The beginning:

I began my day in a bit of a whirlwind, researching for a new laptop computer before my departure, waiting for my vehicle to finish it's (yearly) inspection & emissions, packing like crazy, and so on. I ran around all day.Thankfully my mom was able to drive me places until my car was ready to be picked up. 

I finished packing, saying goodbye to a few more dear friends, and then began loading my car with the help of my siblings. It was crazy, it was the first of April and I was trying to give myself as much time on the road as possible. 

I finally pulled out of the driveway, car loaded down for the unknown length of time I would be away (a few weeks, or six months, I still wasn't quite sure). 

I drove through three states that afternoon and evening, arriving in Detroit, Michigan around midnight. It was a long drive but well worth it. 

Saying goodbye is never any fun, especially when you don't know when you'll be home again. 

Here are some photos I took during the drive, just to get you started. 

The "trip of a lifetime" gets even better

The journey of a lifetime, 

begins with a single step. 

While sometimes in life we may think we are going one direction, 

God may say, "Turn here," and you find yourself on a different road 

driving to a new goal. 

All the while you are reaching the big dream God gave you,

but the journey you take to get there may be

 an entirely different one than you had planned for yourself. 

(Photo taken on the salt flats of Utah)

As many of you know I had planned a 12,000-mile, cross-country road trip for the next six-plus months of this year. However, God had a different plan for me. ;-) I'm so excited to share with you the 6,291 miles of adventure I was able to experience while driving to San Jose, California for a 15,000-attendee conference! The journey out there and back was so extraordinary that I am going to focus on sharing each story in it's own post over these next couple of days and weeks. It will be fun to go back and allow you the opportunity to drive through pieces of this road trip with me. 

Be sure to watch for new photos at: www.denaeamberphotography.smugmug.com,
as I'll be uploading more of my work onto my official website as well!

While I may not have driven the 12,000 miles I thought I would, or gone to places I had hoped to go to, yet... What did happen was my relationship with God grew stronger in those two and a half plus weeks, I found special little treasures along the way, saw several old and new friends and even family along my journey, and took thousands of photographs!! But the best part of all was watching God work in my heart as he built a special relationship with a very wonderful man. (I didn't mean to tell some of you about this story in this way, but for me, sometimes the best way to share my heart is through my writings.) 

From the beginning, this road trip wasn't just about me. Three and a half weeks before I set out on the biggest adventure of my life, God brought into my life a very special person. I was confused and overwhelmed, at first, by God's goodness to me.. Then as the journey continued I understood what God was doing more and more. I realize I'm not being very specific... but just wait and I'll tell you more. 

In conclusion, I just have to note that since the beginning of January 2015 until today, April 22, 2015, I have driven a total of: 9930 miles
This silly little dream of mine to drive 12,000-miles this year, isn't quite what I thought it would be. Yet, I believe God is still allowing my dreams to come true, and it's only going to be better!!

I am so excited to share that I received my new camera yesterday!!!

It's a wonderful privilege to be holding such an outstanding device and know that I can continue to expand my photography skills even further as well as capture even better photos throughout my cross-country adventure! 

A beautiful world awaits to be seen and experienced! I look forward to sharing my work with all of you as I experience it firsthand.

Pieces of my world

Happy International Day of Happiness!!

Happy First Day of Spring! 

I know so many people are probably complaining about all the beautiful snow outside and I am not one of them! I love snow. I love snow falling, specifically. And it's great to have one last snowfall before it all melts away into spring. (At least for those of us in southeastern PA)

In no time at all I'll probably stop posting photos of cows and cats and chickens and begin posting photos of places around the country. I am still packing and working like crazy to get ready because March 31st is my last big day at my current job and that means I'm only a few days out from this great adventure. (See more at: www.denaeamberphotography.smugmug.com/Cross-Country-Road-Trip)

But for now, here's some recent photos I am happy to share with you.

Barn cat named, Dandy

Morning light sparkles

Baby chick on alert

Sunset at Sight & Sound Theatres

Looking back and looking ahead but always forward motion

I took this photo in April of 2008, during my first trip to D.C.

I was browsing through older photos today and just thought I'd share this. 

I had the pleasure of returning to Washington D.C. in December of 2014. 

I got lost seven times in and out of that city that day, until I finally took a snapshot 

of the Washington Monument with my cellphone and said, Now that's the 

LAST time I am going to see that today! As much as I enjoyed seeing it 

from EVERY ANGLE, I was ready to head home. 

I didn't see it again that night. And I actually made it the whole way home 

without getting lost again. 

My first 10-hour day of driving in 2015. I went somewhere and came home, 

and not once did I get lost. 

Now, I've definitely had plenty of other times since then having trouble 

finding new places, but it hasn't been half as bad. 

I count this as a blessing and seeing growth in my life. It's also a very good

thing as I'll be visiting A LOT of new places very soon, and for the rest of 

the year! 

BRING IT ON! 

Crashing waves are but a moment...

     I've got a lot that's happened in the past couple of months. Some small, some massive. But all just stepping stones to where I am going to be next month, and the next, and the next.
    Things still look pretty bleak at times, but I keep pressing onward and upward. To be more specific, the transmission needed replaced in my 2008 Escape last month. [That was a hard blow. It probably doesn't help I've put quite a lot of miles on it (just 3,000 since Dec, which is a lot considering it's 3 miles to work in the morning for me) and we've had some pretty hard winters on this side of the country the past two years.] I'm grateful for my family and friend's support to get me through that ditch in the road and that I can still head out on my road trip soon.
    Another thing that I have been considering for, oh, about two months, was when and where I should begin my journey. I originally was going to leave for my trip in May, and head south. Than plans changed and I was going northwest, mid-April. Then I joined an amazing company in late December (Nerium International see: www.denaeamber.nerium.com) and realized I COULD NOT miss going to the life-changing conference in California in April. So once more I've changed my plans around to meet my current agenda.
     My last day at the dairy (where I've worked for the past 9 1/2 years, minus two) is March 31st. So crazy to be heading out and so excited for what's ahead. I'm capturing as many moments of my darling bovine friends to treasure while I'm away... ;-)
     So, prayer request: that my car will quickly and easily pass its inspection on April 1st, so that I can depart as soon as possible and get on the road! (Thank you in advance for all the prayers!)

     That's all for now. Although there's so much more I could share, I thought I'd keep this post short because there will be plenty more coming in the VERY NEAR FUTURE!! YAY!!!!

     For more current photos, go to: www.denaeamberphotography.smugmug.com

Foggy roads

Sometimes in life, the fog gets thick, the road gets narrow, and we don't know what will be around the next bend. 

Know what I do? 

"Trust in the Lord with all [my] heart and lean not on [my] own understanding." Proverbs 3:5 (My understanding is, what I think I know, what I think I believe, what experiences, good or bad, have taught me this far... He still knows more! I must trust my all-knowing Friend!)

He knows it all. He sees what's ahead. It's my responsibility to keep on keeping on. To fight the good fight. To not quit on what is important! To show others how to do that too. 

The journey has already begun!

I have already driven over 2,000 since January 1st, 2015!! 

Amazing! 

I love it! 

I'm already on my way to a 12,000-mile summer of driving and it's only February!

Backing up a moment to catch y'all up here, I was looking at a lot of ways in the end of 2014 to "make money on the road" this summer. Because you can't drive around the country for 6 months and not go into debt unless you've got a steady income coming through somewhere. 

I found an incredible opportunity from a friend in the company, Nerium International. Nerium Intl. is a biotech company in the skin care industry. With over 30 years of clincial studies to back up their products and the massive global expansion about to take place in 2015 I knew this was my ship and it wasn't leaving port without me! 

The past two months have been primarily working my regular job while applying myself the rest of my waking hours into my Nerium business. I love being about to sharing about these three incredible products and of course I must share a little bit here on my blog too! 

Left to right: 

NeriumAD night cream, NeriumFirm, and NeriumAD day cream

(Note: Night cream and NeriumFirm can each be bought individually. 

But day cream can only be bought as a night/day combo pack.)

Learn more at: www.denaeamber.theneriumlook.com

See how NeriumAD night cream reduced this lady's crow's feet around her eyes!

NeriumAD cream works on reducing the appearance of 

fine lines, wrinkles, discoloration, and pore size. 

NeriumFirm helps reduce love handles, cellulite, bat wings (flab under your arm)

and is a fantastic body contouring cream unlike any other. No really, it is! 

Learn more about the Nerium opportunity at: 

www.denaeamber.arealbreakthrough.com 

That's all I'll overload you with for now. ;-) 

But I will post more as time goes on because I simply can't help myself! 

On another note, 

Happy Valentine's Day!! 

Happy New Year!!!!

Congratulations, you made it to 2015!!!! 

I wish you all the best success this new year

and may this be your best year yet! 

Denae ~