There are no words...

Grand Canyon is...

Monday morning Brandon and I headed out for the Grand Canyon National Park unsure of what to expect. We knew it was going to be beautiful. We knew it was going to be on a large scale. We knew it was going to be completely unique. We never imagined what we saw. There truly are no words that would give justice to the creation of the Grand Canyon; beautiful, incredible, and amazing just don't sound good enough. As we entered the park and found a spot to park the car our view was blocked by trees. After getting out and walking to the rim we both just stood in complete silence and in awe of what was before us. Once the shock wore off we continued down the rim trail only stopping every now and again to snap a picture or two or watch as tourists stared out with the same dumbfounded look that I'm sure we wore more than once while there. Despite spending 3 days at the canyon, every time I took a moment to look out over it all I still could not take it in. Never in my life have I felt so insignificant to my creator and His plan or stood in such complete awe of something.

The Grand Canyon was not made over night. The fact that God knew what the outcome would be as each year passed and the beauty it would behold atounds me. Over thousands of years God waited and watched as His creation was molded; I imagine Him anxiously awaiting for the incredible reveal when it reached it's full potential.

It was during out 12 mile hike into the canyon, which I highly recommend to anyone who has the energy and time to do while there, that I am like the Grand Canyon. No, people don't flock to come and see my beauty (what little I have) on a daily basis but I am slowly being molded on a daily basis. Christ is axiously awaiting for me to reach my full potential and patiently creating me into something He finds beautiful; something He is proud to look on daily. My hope is that people will be drawn to me as they are to the canyon. The beauty they find there, although some don't know it, is Christ. I hope that others are drawn to the beauty of Christ in me too just as they are to the Grand Canyon.

My husband laughed at me all three days for "glowing". He just couldn't seem to get over how much pure joy just radiated out of me while we were there. Even after 10 miles of hiking, extreme heat and exhaustion, and 2 miles straight UP to go I still "glowed".

As I've said there are no words that would give justice to the beauty that the Grand Canyon holds. It has always been a dream to go and to hike down into the canyon and I couldn't be more content to have fulfilled that dream. The hike was nothing like I've ever done before. Although my husband may not agree, I found it to be well worth the pain and exhaustion we experienced. It was one thing to stand at the rim and look down, it was something completely different to be 300 ft. from the bottom of the canyon looking up at it's walls. To be completely immursed within the rocks and see the formations and cliffs up close; there is nothing like it.

DAM

After spending a night in Vegas, off the strip, we headed out early for Hoover Dam. The drive out was enjoyable and... flat. Despite being in the desert, I was shocked at how dry and hot it really was. Even the wind was hot; it was like a heater blowing on you.

Although Hoover Dam was not really something on my list of must sees I was glad Brandon had us stop. We took the Dam Tour, which is their most expensive and longest tour. It was well worth the extra money and we highly recommend it to anyone who has a spare hour while at Hoover Dam. The Dam Tour guides you through the original tour from when the Dam first opened; it's all glammed out with subway titles, marble floors, and brass elevators. We got to go through the maintenance tunnels, see how they measured the settlement of the cement, and learn that they OVER built the Dam by 70%; that's a lot of unnecessary concrete!

It was definitally an experience and we had a lot of fun. After doing all the Dam had to offer we headed out for Williams, AZ in search of our bed and breakfast. The drive was HOT and most of it I had to cover myself with a jacket to keep the sun from burning my legs and arms. It was incredibly windy and the car, a small economy rental, kept being pushed out of our lane. We actually had to slow down so the wind would stop blowing us off the road. Brandon was relieved when we finally got into the mountains and some of the wind died off. When we pulled into Williams, AZ we found it to be almost an exact replica of the town in Cars. The town was so old and cute you couldn't help but think of Cars.

Our B&B, The Canyon Country Inn, is on Route 66 which added to the ambiance of it all. The town was just too cute; however, we would not recommend anyone staying at the Canyon Country Inn. Our experience was not horrible it was just not what we would expect from a B&B. For example, the B&B had rules. You were not allowed to take a shower before 5:30AM or after 11:00PM. You were asked to conserve hot water because there was not enough to go around (?!?!?). Breakfast consisted of store bought muffins, fruit, yogurt, and coffee. Needless to say, we were NOT happy. The bed was very comfortable and we did have a fridge and microwave; that was really nice since we had plans to pack lunches. A major problem was if someone else was taking a shower you lost water pressure. The more people using the shower the less water pressure you got; at one point during the week the shower head was only dripping. If or when we ever go back to Williams we will not be staying at the Canyon Country Inn; we've also learned to ask more questions of a B&B before booking a room.

Vegas Baby!

For three months my hubby and I have been planning a trip to the Grand Canyon using the tickets we got at the Chocolate Dreams charity event. Finally the day came where we hopped on a plane and headed for Vegas.

After a short stop in Chicago we landed in LasVegas, NV in just under 6 hours. After picking up the rental and making sure to get directions and a map to the hotel we headed out ready to check in and hit the strip. We followed the directions Enterprise gave us and found ourselves hopelessly lost in the middle of LasVegas. Luckily, my freakish organizational skills came in handy as I pulled out the LasVegas city map I had brought along. After looking at the map I realized that the road we wanted was actually split up into 3 different sections that did not connect. We, of course, were not on the right part of the road and it was ridiculous to get to where we needed to go. Using the map I was able to guide us straight to our hotel and we were able to check in. For those that know me, I am HORRIBLE with directions and was glowing with pride when we pulled into the hotel parking lot!!! I was so proud of a job well done I texted my parents to brag about my success. :)

After checking in we took a shuttle down to the strip and spent the day perusing the casinos and shops on LasVegas Boulevard. I must admit I was not impressed in the least. I always hear how great and impressive Vegas is; I found it dirty, smelly, and boring. Not being one to drink excessively or gamble I guess I would. The architecture used to draw people into each casino was fun and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the fun decor of each casino; however, the smell of each casino and the hooker cards that littered the streets were unnerving. I found myself very uncomfortable the entire time we were in town. I'm glad we went and took the opportunity to see it but I doubt that we will ever go back or want to.

One thing I found amusing while there is that people in Vegas dress for the occasion. Everyone thinks they are hot simply because they're in Vegas; men sit on the side of the street watching as the women parade by. When I walked by a guy pointed at me and stated: "She's dressed for comfort." I was in a pair of green cargo pants, a veggie tales t-shirt and had my hair in a pony tail; we had just got off a plane and I'm not one to primp. Well, I guess I disappointed him. LOL.

Despite the sleaze; we did take some time to put some money in a slot or two and made sure to stop and watch a few rounds of roulette and craps. It was an enjoyable stop on the trip; however, we all to happy to move on the next morning.