Autumn Again!

Well, I was rather troublesome and have not done a blog post for, well, quite some time. This summer has been a wonderful season and I was quite busy with work and other things. My youth group went on a mission trip to Joplin, Mo. and that was definitely a highlight! Also, I am now engaged! :) This happened way back in July, so it is probably not news to most people. Soon I am planning on trying to take some pictures of my ring, so we shall see how that turns out. This weekend my fiance and I are having our engagement pictures taken. :)

Currently life is very busy with coaching two soccer teams, girl scouts, and junior high youth group taking up most of my out of work life, but I will try to update this more often!

This post will be rather random, full of tidbits that happened this summer. First up are some pictures of the bouquet the Fishers sent me at work after Jacob proposed!

Flowers are possibly my favorite subject to photograph! You can do artsy shots with a lot of blur and also more of a still life type of shot. Up next are some photos of a the wind turbines they built north of town this summer!

Obviously this last photo I just recently took. It was fun to watch the process of them going up! Yesterday we went to our friend's house to ride horses! Here are a few photos of the fun!

Okay, I think this is enough photos for one post! Hopefully you have enjoyed this post! I am looking forward to what God has in store for this my favorite season! I will be going to Les Miserables again! (However, no pictures are allowed :( ) Also on the calender for this season is a overnight trip to the Omaha Zoo! :) I expect to get lots of pictures out of that trip!! Thank you for reading and looking!

The Smell of Dirt

Hello! I have been meaning to make this post for quite some time now, but as usual life is busy, busy, busy! To me one of life's greatest pleasures is planting things and watching them grow. I love the way the dirt feels, the way it smells so rich and earthy, and I love digging a hole with my bare hands and placing a beautiful flower inside! Here are the flowers I planted for my mom for part of her Mother's day present!

Here is the tub I plant every year.

Look how well you can see the drops of water on the petals!

A different view of the Daisies.

I adore the rich colors!

I am very pleased with the way this photo turned out! The way the drops of water are so focused in, and the rest is blurred.

Flowers bring me evidence of The Creator! How He designed them to be beautiful and delicate yet they can stand up to the sun, wind and rain. They way they function with all their different parts. It amazes me!

Thank you once again for reading! I am in the middle of a craft project to give to my best friend when she gets home from college, so I had better go and finish it up. I already have ideas as to what my next post will be. Here is a hint: It might be musical!

Spring Happenings!

Whoops! I let almost two months go by without doing a blog post. That is what happens when it gets warmer. I spend as much time outside as I can! Today is Drizzly and cold, so I am sitting here in my favorite overalls and making myself do this! I have had pictures to put on here for a while now. I am actually in the middle of a photography project that you will have to wait to see! I have taken a few of Daisy's senior pictures as well.

Here is our Flowering Crab Apple tree in the back yard. Pretty!

Some time in March (around St. Patrick's day I believe) my Grandma took me, my littlest sister, and one of my cousins to a bird show at an senior assisted living center. They have a program where they pick a resident to honor by granting their wish. This lady loved birds, and so the center brought in this woman who has all these tropical birds. It was a blast!

I had the HARDEST time trying to get a picture of these four birds. It was worse than doing little kids! This is not a good photo of the birds themselves, but the colors in it are beautiful! That is why I have included it.

Not the greatest photo, but check out the red feathers under it's tail!

Sometimes if I like a picture and it is blurry, I make it into black and white. It helps mask the blur, and turns it into an artsy looking picture.

Well everyone, thank you for taking the time to read this! I hope it has put a little smile on your face to see some still frames of God's creation, both from right here in Iowa, to exotic birds! My little pea brain cannot fathom God's creativity! Hopefully my next blog post will be a little sooner this time!

Bald Eagle! :)

Hello all! This is going to be an exciting post for me! I saw, for the first time in my life, a Bald Eagle! In real life! It wasn't even an hour ago, so I am still super excited! Here is the story:
Me and my aunt went to Sister Act (coolest store ever) in Ellsworth. On the way home she suddenly starts slowing down. She says "A Bald Eagle!" and I say "where?" I see it, then exclaim, "and I don't even have my camera!" She says, "Yes! you do!" (I had just been at my sister's craft fair, and she wanted me to take pictures.) I then proceed to freak out. I quickly get it out and put together. She rolls down the window so not to make noise. I am snapping pictures like crazy. We slowly back up to get a better view. Then, it flies! Wow. What a breathtaking experience to see an eagle in flight! It was so close! So big, and powerful! Eagles have a six-foot wingspan. Wow. It flew across the road. I hop out and take off after it. I quietly ran across a random person's yard (If you are reading this, thank you!) and I found it again. I got a picture or two, then it flew again! This time I got one decent one of it flying. The most ironic part of the whole deal is that I was wearing my Decorah Eagle shirt.

I have no words to describe what a privilege this was.

Look! It has it's eye closed!

This has to be one of the most majestic creatures in God's creation!

This picture gives you a good idea of how huge these birds are!

Here is the eagle flying off into the distance. It is hard to spot. Look closely and you will see it! Look how big it's wings are!

 I am so thankful I was able to capture these. I am thankful God had it all worked out so I would even have my camera with me! Wow.

Iowa State University Wildlife Care Clinic

As most of you know, me and my sisters are homeschooled (well, technically I am not anymore since I graduated, but I still consider myself homeschooled.) Anyways, I have had a few days off work recently and our area homeschool gym day fell on one of my days off! It was fun to be able to go. There was a presentation by the Iowa State University Wildlife Care Clinic. People can bring injured wild animals in to them and they fix them up and release them! However, in some cases, their injuries cause them to be "non-releasable" so they bring these with them during their educational programs. I thought this would be a good opportunity to get some up-close and personal photos of some native Iowa birds, that perhaps I would not be able to get otherwise. I know they are not in their natural habitat, but I hope you enjoy these photos of God's beautiful creation!

This is an Eastern Screech Owl named Screechy. He has been at the clinic for 12 years.

He is mostly blind, but still has a very good sense of hearing!

This one is an American Kestrel named Kessie.

As you can see, she only has one wing. She had so many injuries, they had to amputate her wing. (Which has since been made illegal. If a bird has that bad of injuries, they have to put them down) It is amazing to me how she has learned to balance and live with only one wing.

This is a Barred Owl named Kali. She has something wrong with the lens in her left eye. You can almost tell in this picture.

She is so beautiful!

A Great Horned Owl named Harvey. He only has one eye.

This was his first show. You could tell he was not as comfortable as the others with all the people.

Last, but not least, a Red-Tailed Hawk. (for whatever reason no one in my family can remember it's name! please comment if you know!) Her shoulder was dislocated and now she cannot fly well. As you can see, she also does not sit quite like a normal hawk, which is because of her injuries. (her right shoulder was the one that was dislocated)

So beautiful and fierce!!

The power in these claws is amazing!

I cannot resist a black and white or sepia photo!

All of these birds are raptors. Another bird in the raptor family is the American Bald Eagle. Have you heard of the Decorah Eagle Cam? It is a project from Raptor Resource, and I am definitely addicted! We began watching last year, and it is one of my favorite things to do! Here is a link! Some people find it boring. To me, what could be more interesting and awe inspiring than watching Endangered Birds in their natural habitat, unhindered by man. One of my favorite moments was a late snow storm last year. Both parents were huddled together, snow covered on the nest to keep the babies warm. (Usually only one parent is there at a time) It is amazing to see how God provides for these creatures, and if He cares for them, how much more does He care for us- His children!

Well I had better finish up now. Mayhaps I can squeeze in an episode of MASH before our weekly Veggie-Tale watching, popcorn eating, family time! God Bless!