The Grand Canyon :: aka Wow

This is incredibly indicative of my nature, but I worried about our Grand Canyon plans for weeks before leaving. We would only have a few hours there, and I didn't want to blow our opportunity to really experience the natural world wonder. I was concerned that we would have unrealistically high expectations and be disappointed after viewing it from the parking lot or a crowded overlook. Thank goodness we're only about a 4 hour drive away, so we should be able to visit again.

After our Arizona road trip and a stop in Las Vegas, we finally made it to the Grand Canyon. Everyone says it, but it really is one of those places you need to see with your own eyes. I also tend to say this about a number of places, but pictures and videos really don't do it justice. I hope my pictures do this beautiful place at least a little justice or maybe even make you want to visit for yourself!

The night before our Grand Canyon visit, we spent the night at a hotel in Tusayan, Arizona. It's just a couple miles south of the southern entrance gate. It killed me being so close to the Grand Canyon and having to wait until morning to actually leave the hotel and see it. Patience may not be one of my strengths, especially when it comes to travel. What can I say? I want to do it all and with a limited amount of time.

Driving into the Grand Canyon from the south, we were pleasantly surprised at the number of trees and how lush the plant life seemed. I guess I have no idea what we were expecting. You tend to imagine Arizona as simply a desert filled with cacti, dirt, and various other shades of brown. However, you'll find the landscape varies tremendously, especially in the northern mountains of the state. The 48th state has been surprising us since we moved here.

We drove into Grand Canyon National Park, purchased our National Park annual pass and proceeded a parking lot near the main visitor center. All along we're wondering when are we going to see this incredible canyon. We made a stop at the visitor center and gift shop before proceeding down the trail to one of the many overlooks.

We wound our way through the trees and followed signs to the canyon. I couldn't help but wonder how much further until we could see it. (Patience is a virtue.) Then all of a sudden the trees ended and, bam!, there it was. There we were standing in front of the Grand Canyon itself. I can honestly say it took my breath away. Even our 16 month old could sense the wonder of it, because he repeatedly hollered "wow" with amazement. All my worrying about where to park, hike, overlook didn't matter anymore. We were there standing in front of one of the grandest sights in all the world. It was incredible.

Utilizing all of your senses is a must when visiting the Grand Canyon. The sound of the blowing wind next to the giant chasm is indescribable. The sound masks all the noises of daily distraction. No horns honking, planes flying, or phones ringing. When the wind blows and you're standing next to the Grand Canyon, all you hear is the thoughts in your head. That can be a good or bad thing, but I think it helps you really take in the sights.

I wish we would have had more time at the Grand Canyon. That tends to be a theme when we travel. There never seems to be enough time. Such is life though. We enjoyed the little time we did have. Even the littlest adventurer among us seemed to enjoy shaking fences while shouting his amazement into the canyon.

It blows me away that we heard multiple different languages and accents while walking the canyon trails. People from all over the world stop to get a look at this wonder, and all too often we take these types of places for granted. They are right underneath our noses, and we often don't make the time to see the beauty of our own country.

Every now and then we caught a glimpse of the Colorado River down below. It's sometimes too easy to forget that a river, plenty of passing time, and the forces of mother nature shaped this place. The Grand Canyon doesn't give credit to any human for shaping, creating, building, or forging it. Man has designed and built some pretty spectacular things, but natural wonders like the Grand Canyon exist outside of man. Quite simply, it's a place to be enjoyed and experienced.

We walked a rather small portion of trail along the canyon rim, and it's shocking to think that plenty of people make the hike down into the canyon each year. I'm sure that experience is something completely different and one for the record books. Maybe some day we'll tackle the trails leading down into the canyon, but for now we have visions from atop the canyon seared into our memories. Our little guy probably won't remember our visit, but we have pictures to prove he was there.

Thanks for reading!

If you've never visited the Grand Canyon in person,

I hope you'll get to see it some day.

When Pelicans Attack!

My mom recently visited from Michigan, and we explored quite a few places around the Gulf coast. One of those places just so happened to be the quaint little town of Dunedin. My husband was at work, so my mom and I had a girls day out. Pelicans stole the show.

After browsing the shops in Dunedin, my mom and I worked up an appetite. We grabbed lunch at the Olde Bay Cafe which is next to the Dunedin Fish Market. The cafe's covered seating area overlooks the marina and gives you views all the way to Caladesi Island. The Olde Bay Cafe is a great place to enjoy a meal, beer, and a lovely view.

Adjacent to the Olde Bay Cafe you'll find a boardwalk that takes you to a small pier. It's a great place for a stroll after filling yourself with fresh seafood from the Olde Bay Cafe. My mom and I walked out onto the pier, which we shared with fishermen, locals, tourists, and birds. We came within inches of pelicans, and I had no idea I would ever come so close to a live pelican in my life.

These pelicans were a little too comfortable with humans.

I'd been taking pictures of one pelican (see above photo), when it took flight. That bird's flight path included the space where I just so happened to be standing! I experienced one of those slow motion moments, where you have time to think about what's happening and you're not sure what to do. After images of being impaled by a pelican beak flew through my mind, I ducked as quickly as possible while back pedaling my way out of the pelican's flight path!

My mom still laughs about the stunned look on my face in that moment. I can only imagine it was one of shock, horror, and amusement all at the same time. This pelican came inches from my head. I'm still not exactly sure what that bird was trying to do! The attempted attack on my head was either premeditated, or that pelican had bad eyesight. We may never know.

I hope you enjoy this video!

Awesome But Gross!

After the sad tone of yesterday's blog post,

today I have a little something to lighten the mood a bit.

Whataburger = awesome!

calories = gross.

But this blog post isn't about unnecessary calories.

It's about something quite possibly more scary than that!

Do creepy crawly things gross you out?

Well then you just might not want to view the images I'm about to share.

We recently visited the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in Naples, Florida.

We went there for something to do together in order to celebrate our recent anniversary.

You might find yourself asking why we would surround ourselves

with trees and wildlife and not go out to a fancy dinner.

One.

We went there on our honeymoon & thought it would be fun to return two years later.

Two.

We splurged at Bern's Steak House in Tampa for my husband's 30th birthday.

Three.

Did I mention that I love to birdwatch?

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Now are you ready for the creepy crawly

thing we discovered while we were there?

It was sort of mesmerizing watching this arachnid work.

Here is the spiny orb weaver we discovered hard at work

outside of the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary restrooms.

Below is a close up

of the spider in action!

It was pretty amazing watching this spider's little legs grab a thread of web

and attach it onto an existing thread. Pretty cool.

(Or maybe just something that an architecture major would love?)

After watching this spiny orb weaver work for a while,

I started to feel like my skin was crawling a bit. "Bleck!"

Have you ever seen a spider like this one before?

{ p.s. Don't even get me started on black widows! I'm really grossed out just thinking of them }

Sawgrass Lake Park

Two days ago we visited Sawgrass Lake Park which we found 'sandwiched' between some very busy roads and a large interstate to the east. We never would have known it was there, okay maybe we would have eventually found out about it, but thanks to our new Florida road trips book we enjoyed a lovely day among some wild "friends". That is if you count squirrels, alligators, and turtles as friends.

As if the humans that occupy Florida's most densely populated county aren't wild enough, we decided that a day wandering through 400 acres full of actual wildlife sounded like a good time. During our walk across 1.5 miles of boardwalk and dirt, we spotted multiple turtles and alligators, woodpeckers, spiders perched on giant webs, and we even saw a snake in the underside of some tree roots. Those are just a few of the creatures we spotted during our walk. We actually had a rather relaxing day spending time among wildlife. Who knew that wild could be so calming?

Sawgrass Lake Park is apparently one of the premier birding spots in the country. I can see myself becoming the binocular wielding, safari hat wearing kind some day. Something about birds and their seemingly simple lives keep me interested for hours. Every time we visit the beach or a park, I find myself spotting birds and attempting to identify them. Hey Santa, if you're listening, I could use a pair of binoculars this Christmas. Thanks. I'll consider myself more of an expert when I can identify the local birds without seeing them first.

Sawgrass Lake Park had plenty of offer in the wildlife department. Not to mention all of the plants and trees that formed canopies over our heads for the majority of our time there. For some reason though, I just cannot find myself getting as interested in the trees and I do the alligators and birds. Next time we visit Sawgrass Lake Park, I hope to be sporting a stylish pair of binoculars and possibly even a zoom lens for the dSLR camera. That second wish is a bit of a stretch, but I'm a dreamer.

I hope you enjoyed our photos from Florida!

(New) Favorite Florida Beach

A few days ago, my husband and I found our new favorite beach in Florida! A manager at work told me about her favorite beach, and I just knew we had to give it a try. Previously, our favorite beach was Siesta Key in Sarasota. However, after visiting Fort De Soto Park a few days ago, we have a new favorite. Move over Siesta Key. There's a new beach in town!

Fort De Soto Park gave us the beach we had imagined in our minds since moving to Florida. We found nature at its finest, and there were plenty of wildlife sightings to top off our day at the beach. After parking at the North Beach, we planted ourselves on the beach for an entire day. There was not an umbrella or beach chair within about a hundred yards to either side of us. It was almost like we had the place to ourselves! We did not notice any buildings from our spot on North Beach, and that was just the way we like our beach. In my honest opinion, I love beaches for their natural beauty. I feel especially relaxed when I look around and see dolphins, birds, and sand instead of high-rise condo buildings and cars. Fort De Soto is our quintessential Florida beach.

Aside from abundant natural beauty and perfect beach weather that day,

there were also a couple other firsts that made our day at Fort De Soto Park extra special. 

Remember all of my failed attempts at finding a whole sand dollar? Well, I finally found a whole sand dollar. It's small, but it is my very first whole sand dollar!

Even more exciting than finding shells, we found two hermit crabs slowly making their way along the bottom of the Gulf. I found the second one after stepping on something hard while wading through waist deep water. We named him (I'm making assumptions here) Herman the Hermit Crab. Poor Herman. His shell was covered in barnacles. I think it's time he finds a new shell-ter. (Sorry I couldn't help myself.) I sort of wanted to take Herman home, but I'm sure he would be much happier at Fort De Soto park than he would in our tiny apartment any day.

After enjoying a day at our new favorite beach, we stayed for a gorgeous sunset.

If you ever get the chance, I highly recommend trying to see a

Florida sunset over the Gulf of Mexico.

You won't regret it. Promise!

Happy Tuesday

Tonight we're enjoying a nice dinner out for my husband's birthday!

Happy Friday, Friends! Take a Look Around You

Lately I've been in a bit of a funk. I don't blog nearly as often as I used to, and I'm having a hard time dedicating time to brainstorming and writing new blog posts. Not to mention, our lives don't feel all that exciting or blog-worthy lately. We both have irregular work schedules, and we hardly know what tomorrow, let alone next week, will bring. I doubt you all want to hear about what tasteless and cheap meal we threw together a couple of nights ago, and you could probably care less about what television shows we watched on our day off together. Right?

No matter how boring our lives have been lately.... let's remember that today is Friday! Even if you have nothing exciting planned and your life may seem boring, look around you and realize there are so many things to be thankful for around you! Sunsets are free, and they take place every night. Walks around the neighborhood are a nice way to wind down after a long day too. There's always something to do.

My husband and I may not have tons of time on our hands to do fun and exciting things, and we surely don't have tons of extra money laying around to pay for visits to Disney World and Busch Gardens. However, one thing we have time and money for is a little sunset 'show' at one of our local beaches. After all, we live in Florida now. We might as well take advantage of the good stuff.

Enjoy!

{ never mind the child making noises in the background... lol }

Happy Friday!
Enjoy what life has to offer.

A Whirlwind and Life Goes On

It's really hard to believe that we've been living in Florida for almost 3 weeks now. Where did the time go? It seems like just yesterday we were loading a Uhaul truck in Denver, Colorado. Now we live in the Sunshine State, and it's still hard to grasp that we aren't on vacation here.

We love the beaches!

These past few weeks in Florida have been consumed with finding our way around a new place, my husband flying to all new places, choosing a place to live, unpacking, organizing, finding new places to eat and enjoy a drink or two, viewing a couple of sunsets, consequently taking tons of photographs, visiting Ikea for some home organization needs (more on that tomorrow), and adjusting to life in Florida. Whew. Did that make you tired? I sort of get tired just thinking about everything that has changed for us.

Sunset near Tarpon Springs

We're slowly, but surely, getting settled in the Tampa Bay area. The pace of life seems a bit slower here, which is fine by me. We're surrounded by water on practically all sides at all times. The abundance of water, and the life it supports, is just incredible. There's something to be said for seaside locations and their ability to remind you of what's important.

We see reminders of life everywhere we go. Crabs dig on the beach at night. Small crustaceans wash ashore with each wave on the beach. Birds fish for food during low tide in the Gulf of Mexico. Lizards search for food in the landscaping and wood chips. With just about every step you'll find something carrying on with its life.

Even though we've been really busy and consumed with our "to-do" list, we realize that life goes on all around us. Sometimes you need a little reminder to slow down. So far, life in Florida has been a constant reminder to enjoy the little things.

Happy Thursday!

A Sunset for Saturday!

Yesterday we experienced our first sunset as Florida residents. It was pretty amazing. The couple that we talked with on the pier were really excited for us and hopeful that we will love Florida. All in all, we had a nice night and a lovely sunset to top it off!

Instead of talking about the sunset, I'd like to show you.

Here goes.

The sunset was beautiful, and I hear that no two sunsets are alike. We have a lot to look forward to here in Florida.

Where have you witnessed the best sunsets?

Was it on vacation, or was it right outside your back door at home?

Goodbye Winter, Hello Life in Florida

Hey there friends! I'm taking a little break from unpacking and hanging clothing in closets to play a little blog catch up. Yes, I know we've had days to get organized in our new apartment, but we just haven't done it yet. Today you'll hear me saying, "Goodbye North Face fleece" and "So long warm and comfortable winter boots".

You see. Since we just relocated to Florida from Colorado, we won't be seeing much of our winter gear any time really soon. I've stashed most of our cold weather gear in the spare room. You know, where most of the unwanted things like uninvited guests winter jackets and old blankets belong. Actually, we plan on using this extra room mostly as on office space and a room for visitors. The only visitors I ever had in Colorado were my parents and a couple of friends for our wedding. Other than that, the people visiting Colorado were few. I think that maybe living in Florida will bring more visitors, but we'll see!

Currently the closet in our spare room looks like purgatory for winter clothing. We're not quite sure what to do with all of it. Do we give some away, keep it for our future trips to see family in Michigan and Colorado, or do we just hang on to it and hope for major snow in Florida this winter? Ha! I'm only kidding. We're not going to leave Florida to visit anyone this winter, so hopefully it dumps buckets of snow here this January. All kidding aside, we have tons of winter gear, including skis and snowboard, and we have little use for it all now. Until we can make up our minds, it looks like the spare closet is going to be packed full for a while.

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Just yesterday we ate at a restaurant called Molly Goodhead's in Ozona. The fried grouper sandwich was pretty amazing, and at that moment I realized that we really need to get fishing licenses and learn to fish for some dinner!

After eating our delicious dinner, we took a little drive and came across a nice little park and pier overlooking the water. The breeze made the humidity bearable, and we enjoyed watching the wildlife before sunset. We saw everything from small crabs to an assortment of birds. I think I could get used to this. Watching wildlife just might be one of my all-time favorite things to do!

While waiting for the sun to melt into the horizon, we met a really nice older couple who talked to us until the sun had made its exit for the evening. They had also lived in Michigan, which is where I grew up, and not to mention they knew of the lake that I grew up on as well. It's rare to find people who know of my hometown since it's so small. Talking with this couple was really comforting, because they really took the time getting to know us. I find that sharing commonalities with strangers is so comforting, because it really reminds us that we're much more alike that we think at first.

I have plenty more pictures where these came from.

Stay tuned in the next few days for

more photos from beautiful Florida!

p.s. We get our own internet next week. Thanks to our neighbor "Sampson" for unknowingly providing the internet service that made this blog post possible. (:

Memorial Day

This morning I was thinking about Memorial Day and what it means. They kept flashing pictures of soldiers from Colorado who have lost their lives. I can't help but being sad for those who have lost their lives fighting. However, I think that we should remember those we've lost but continue to be thankful for everything that we do have as well.

Over the past few days, my husband and I have been in the car for over 16 hours. When you cover vast amounts of this country by car, you realize how amazing and resilient this land and its people can be. We have seen so many different types of landscapes and economies. From the dusty deserts of Nevada to the lush green springtime mountains in Colorado and back to the agricultural plains in the east. While driving across this gorgeous state, I could hardly keep myself from tearing up at the thought of leaving, but I am also really excited for new experiences that lie ahead. The fact that my husband and I have the freedom to choose as we please and move across the country for new opportunities and excitement is something I am incredibly thankful for today... and most every day.

This morning I was in the mood for the Zac Brown Band song "Chicken Fried" so I thought I would share!

 

Today we're in eastern Colorado, and we're going to watch my husband's grandfather take part in the Memorial Day events. It's a bittersweet time to remember those who we've lost but to be thankful and honor those who have served and are still with us today.

Hoping you have something to be thankful for today!

Sunny Days

I actually woke up to sunshine this morning, but the weather in Colorado lately has not been very Colorado-like at all. The weather has actually felt more Michigan-like than anything. My home state of Michigan is usually the cloudy and cold that has been Colorado as of late. Needless to say, I am ready for some sunshine!

My mom recently flew in from Michigan, and she wants to go back home because it was much nicer there! She is shocked at our snow and clouds, because she was expecting sun and heat. Me too.

In the past week it snowed at least 4, it might have been 5, times, and I think I saw the sun for about 2.5 hours in the last 7 days. Seriously. Not cool, Colorado. Not. Cool.

This is what it looked like last week. It has since melted, but it's supposed to get cold again this week.

Last week I spent some time visiting my husband in Las Vegas, because my husband is still there training for his job. He's been there over a month now, and I have been missing him like crazy. The time apart, even though I'm having a tough time with it now, will be worth it. My husband's new job will have him home every night, and I am looking forward to more time together.

For now, I enjoy visiting him in Las Vegas, because it means I get to escape the Colorado snow and clouds.

Here are a few of pictures from Nevada, and I hope they make you feel warm inside. I know that I could use some warm sun right now.

After not much longer we'll be moving to Florida! I recently read online that the area where we're moving holds a record for most sunny days in a row at 700-something days. Needless to say, I am thrilled to be moving somewhere so sunny and warm!

I hope everyone is having a lovely spring!

Has the weather been nice to you?

Diversity

Spur of the moment, Nate and I took a little day trip to the Denver Zoo. The experience was a lot better than any other trip we've taken to the zoo before. Part of that might have been due to us visiting on Friday afternoon only a couple of hours before closing time. The crowds were minimal and the animals were active. I swear I've been to the zoo previously on days where the animals are sleeping/hiding/in the back rooms eating/snoring/flat out ignoring visitors. I might ignore people though if I was stuck in a small cage with only a couple of toys too?! However, on this trip the animals seemed to frolic, play, and just enjoy the nice weather. Kind of like Nate and I did. Well, I might have been the one frolicking (I really like that word), and Nate enjoyed the nice weather... and a concession stand hot dog.

I made friends with a gorilla while at the zoo!

Sleepy sea lions.

We did encounter some sleepy animals at the zoo, but for the most part... they were out and about on the beautiful day. Nate and I had a good laugh at the geese and peacocks that wandered the zoo freely. One peacock came within feet of me as if I was in its way. I'm convinced it was mad that I did not move aside for it. The geese also made their way along the zoo's pathways. I wonder what their favorite zoo exhibit is? We did cross paths with them near bird world. Hopefully they were not taunting the parrots. Nate and I both wondered if the other zoo birds get jealous of the geese coming and going as they please. We may never know.

Visiting geese.

I definitely got in the way of this beautiful bird.

A security guard ushered us out of the Tropical Discovery building, because it was closing time and they wanted us to leave. We did get a chance to see some fun things though before that happened. The mudskipper gobies really amazed me. It's not every day that you get to see a fish with "arms". I wanted to see the little guy (at least I think it was a boy) move, so I blew on its face. Not sure that was the nicest thing to do, but I wanted to see that little thing scoot along the sand. Sure enough, I blew some air it's way... and it blinked a few times. I blew again, and that little mudskipper scooted along with its arm-like fins. That might have been my highlight of the day. It's hard to choose though, because I was pretty amazed the entire time we spent traveling through the zoo.

My cute little mudskipper

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It's probably easier to just go ahead and show you the pictures of the animals we encountered while at the zoo. Hope you enjoy them too.

curious horseshoe crab

 mighty lion

birds swimming

monkey with a mustache

majestic elephants

gigantic giraffes

interesting bird

warthog pacing

camels resting

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There is an extraordinary uniqueness to every creature on this earth. The zoo serves as such a great reminder of diversity. There's so much to learn from our differences. The zoo would be such a boring place if every animal there was a zebra. Incredible!