Polka Dots and Pineapple: Life of Family P

Blessed to be a blessing...

Sunday, August 26, 2012

a GRAND adventure

Two years ago today, Josh and I arrived in Charleston to call it our home after our whirlwind move from Kentucky.  We weren't sure where we would be living, so we were thankful to spend our first 30 days living in a hotel.  Josh started his job the next morning.  This info has nothing to do with the blog post other than I wanted to document and reminisce on the time because it truly was the start to the great adventure we are now living. :)
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Last month I attended a work conference in Las Vegas, NV.  The conference was great - very informative and challenged me to think in new ways for my job.  I am so glad that I attended! However, I do not love the city of Las Vegas.  I had been three times prior and while glad I had seen and experienced that city to check it off the list, it's just not a destination I cared to revisit.  My precious husband had never been to LV before, so we knew this was the time.  But let's be honest, a week in LV is not an ideal vacation destination, so we decided to step it up a notch by flying out a couple days early and renting a car to road-trip it to the Grand Canyon.  This proved to be the best decision and highlight of our trip!  [Sidenote: We may have never before looked forward to a trip more than this one!  We were both giddy with excitement in the days and weeks leading up to our departure.  This is mainly due to the insanely crazy work schedule my dear husband is working.  I might share more on that later.]

We left Charleston early on the morning of Saturday, July 21.  Gaining three hours from time zone changes, we arrived in LV in time for lunch.  After many giggles, we loaded our luggage in a four-cyclinder convertible sports car (good thing it was just the two of us because the suitcases filled the car - ha!) and set the GPS to a local In-n-Out Burger where my husband checked an item off his bucket list since he'd always wanted to dine at this west coast fast food burger joint.

I made him pose for these pictures to capture the moment.  He does not always appreciate my camera in his face. :)


 
 (In his defense, this tray is holding our entire order - not just his meal!)

After lunch we hit the pavement for the start of our road trip to the Grand Canyon, which was over four hours away.  The scenic views were nice!







I had been to the Grand Canyon once with my family in high school.  I recall it being really awesome, but this trip I appreciated God's creation even more than I remembered!  It was absolutely breathtaking and we had the greatest time!
 
After our fun road trip, we finally arrived at the Grand Canyon!  We made reservations at a lodge inside the national park so that we would be right in the midst of it all.  It was worth every penny!  Once we arrived and  checked in, we hit the trails to see the sights of the canyon and sunset.  

 













 
We walked the trails for quite a while and then enjoyed a southwestern dinner at a restaurant in the park.  Later that evening when we were going to head back to our cabin, Josh noticed an elk in the grass not far from us.  We watched for a long time.  I attempted many photos but they didn't turn out well in the dark. [I've ordered a flash attachment for better range.]




 

 After only a few hours of sleep, our alarms woke us up so that we really hit the trails early and well before sunrise.  On our way to the canyon, we enjoyed watching more elk free-roaming through the park.






 We were pretty big fans of the wild elk! :)

We hiked the trails for miles and enjoyed the lovely sunrise!










Josh and I had the greatest time together!  Although we were only there for a very short time (15 hours total including sleeping, if I recall), we had the best time and now we're kind of addicted to National Parks and want to visit more! 

3 comments:

Ashley said...

So glad you guys enjoyed your trip! Did you go to the north or south side? Drew's parents live in Las Vegas so we are there a lot, and we only go to the strip one day. We spend the rest of the time hiking and doing fun outdoor stuff. If you're ever there again let me know and I can send you some fun things to do there that might be more up your alley.

Jill @ Bluegrass Belle said...

These pictures are so beautiful! Glad you enjoyed your trip! My husband wants to go to yellowstone...but is having a tough time convincing me :) I'm with you on Vegas. Glad I've seen it...and thats good enough, ha

Liz said...

Gorgeous pictures! I can't wait to go! (You guys look great too, btw.)