Photo(s) of the Day: Vacation Reveal

On March 19, 2013 By LindyIn photography, travel2 Comments

For those of you who have been following my blog the last couple of days, you may or may not have guessed where we traveled. The answer….

Atlanta, Georgia!

Amazingly, I actually won an Atlanta Getaway through Passports With Purpose. They raised over $100,000 through the raffle to install water wells in Haiti (which is a passion of mine). I spent $40 on 4 raffle tickets, and I chose this one because I love scuba diving/marine life. I have no idea what my chances of winning were, but I do know they were very slim. I figured the $40 would be a nice Christmas donation. I had no idea I’d actually win. The prize package included:

A two-night stay at a suite in the Omni Hotel (thank you Omni for donating the prize package!)
Tickets to the Georgia Aquarium and diving with whale sharks (the only place in the world you’re guaranteed to swim with them!)
Tickets to the CNN World Headquarters Tour
Tickets to the Coca-Cola Factory
A $200 spa credit at the hotel

It didn’t take long for me to find available dates, book the trip, and enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime experience! Below are a few photos of Atlanta. More photos of the trip to come.

Downtown Atlanta, seen from Centennial Olympic Park

The view from our suite inside the Omni Hotel at CNN Tower

A representation of 100 years of the Olympic games in Centennial Olympic Park

Photo of the Day: Under the Sea

On March 17, 2013 By LindyIn photography, travel13 Comments

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! After an incredibly busy couple of weeks, I’m back to blogging. Three days after we moved in to our new house, my husband and I took a road trip. Can you guess where we went by the photo below?

We got to have an up close and personal encounter with these “gentle giants” a few days ago. I’ll explain more in the next post. Do you know what these magnificent creatures are?

Project 52 Week 29: One of the most beautiful places on Earth

On July 29, 2012July 29, 2012 By LindyIn night photography, photography, travel14 Comments

I just got back from a family vacation to Glacier National Park! We flew to Seattle and took an Amtrak train to the park. I’ve traveled a bit and seen many beautiful places, but I think Glacier is the most underrated national park in the US. It’s so unique because of the way the colorful mountains were formed by glaciers, along with all the wildlife and flora. It saddens me to think that the glaciers will be gone by 2020, mostly due to global warming. We got so lucky with temperatures in the 70s, clear skies, and almost no wind. Today it was 105 degrees in Kansas City; I already miss it!

My nephew looks out the train window as we travel through Washington.

A three-mile hike through patches of snow lead us to a spectacular view of Hidden Lake.

This little lamb was just one of many sheep we saw on the Hidden Lake trail. The animals in the park clearly have no fear of humans, as they just grazed near the trail and ignored the hoards of people photographing them.

An early morning view of Swiftcurrent Lake in East Glacier.

There are many beautiful wildflowers throughout Glacier National Park; I thought this was one of the most unusual.

A view from the top of our four-mile hike to see Grinnell Lake. The hike was supposed to be eight miles and take us to Grinnell Glacier, but unfortunately half of it was closed due to hazardous snow and ice. The lakes in the park are turquoise due to the glacial ice melt and the sediments it leaves.

We woke up to a large black bear grazing on berries about 50 yards from our cabin! This was the third bear sighting of the trip.

The wide-open Montana sky led to the perfect opportunity for me to photograph stars (a first). I took this photo around midnight as cattle trucks were unloading cattle a few miles from the park.

A one-hour time exposure of stars passing over the Montana sky.

Tattoo, the guard llama at the alpaca farm were we stayed, blocked the driveway as we tried to leave the last morning.

Day 325: Seven Days of Thankfulness (Day 1)

On November 22, 2011November 22, 2011 By LindyIn photography

Day 1: I am thankful for my parents. Yesterday they returned from a three-week China tour. Aside from two very brief conversations, I had no contact with them, which that was more difficult than I expected. It made me realize how grateful I am for their honesty, advice, help, and unconditional love. I’m so lucky to have two great parents, and I’m very grateful they made it home safely.

As Mom and I were catching up, Dad was busily collecting luggage after their return from China.

Day 150: Home, Sweet Home

On May 31, 2011 By LindyIn photography

After temporarily losing my wedding ring, Jerod’s passport, our luggage, and our insanity – we’re back from our trip to Italy! Besides those emotional incidents, we had a wonderful time. Italy is such a beautiful country! I will post photos in a few days. In the meantime, I have to brag about how great my family is. Our flight home from Chicago was cancelled, so instead of getting in at 7:30 p.m., we arrived at midnight. My parents, sister, and nephew were all patiently waiting for us at the terminal. Best of all – they had done a thorough search at our apartment and found my wedding ring! (My cat had taken off with it and apparently dropped it under a bed the day we left.) They also went grocery shopping and bought us some essentials – including FRUIT! Fruit was in short supply in Italy, and I was craving it by the time I returned home.

fruit — Canon 60d, 1/40 sec., f/1.8, ISO 800, 50 mm lens, ambient light

Day 135: Leavin’ On a Jet Plane

On May 15, 2011June 20, 2012 By LindyIn photography, travel

Jerod and I are getting everything in order for our trip! (I know, I know – it looks like chaos right now.) I think Esme wants to join us, and surprisingly there’s probably enough room for her to fit in my suitcase. I think this is the lightest I’ve ever traveled, and the longest I’ve ever been gone. Actually I’m going to use the extra room for souvenirs. I even brought along bubble wrap. 🙂