#3 - Creative Card Challenge
#5 - Card Sketch Challenge
May 4, 2013
5/4/13 - NSD KLD Challenge #2
And here are the two card challenges I created. I decided to stick with the wedding theme.
#3 - Creative Card Challenge
#5 - Card Sketch Challenge
#3 - Creative Card Challenge
#5 - Card Sketch Challenge
5/4/13 - NSD KLD Challenge
For National Scrapbook Day I attended a crop at the Dallas Crafters Marathon in Plano, TX. Ever since I invested in Kiwi Lane Designs framing templates last year, I haven't put them down! I use them in almost every layout. KLD posted several challenges for NSD and here are the ones that I participated in. All the layouts are pictures of my wedding.
Challenge #1 - Motherly Love Layout Challenge
"Good Riddance"
This is a layout of my husband Dallas and his mother Sherri during the mother-son dance at our wedding.
Challenge #2 - Picture Perfect Layout Challenge
"All The Single Ladies"
This is a layout from the bouquet toss at my wedding. My sisters out on a show fighting over who was going to catch the bouquet. My middle sister Cara caught it!
Challenge #4 - Layout Sketch Challenge
"Me & My Girls"
This is a layout of the girls in my bridal party. Each one of them means so much to me!
Challenge #1 - Motherly Love Layout Challenge
"Good Riddance"
This is a layout of my husband Dallas and his mother Sherri during the mother-son dance at our wedding.
Challenge #2 - Picture Perfect Layout Challenge
"All The Single Ladies"
This is a layout from the bouquet toss at my wedding. My sisters out on a show fighting over who was going to catch the bouquet. My middle sister Cara caught it!
Challenge #4 - Layout Sketch Challenge
"Me & My Girls"
This is a layout of the girls in my bridal party. Each one of them means so much to me!
February 28, 2012
02/18/2012 - Vacation Day 9 - The Big Island
Today is our last full day of vacation in Hawaii :(. We got up really early to make the 95 mile drive to the Volcano National Park on the South side of the Big Island. The drive took a little over 2 hours due to the 1 way roads and slow speed limits. Our first stop was to the visitor center to get a map and figure out what sites we wanted to see.
We started out on the Crater Rim Drive, which is a 27 mile loop around the Kilauea Caldera Volcano Crater. We weren't able to go around the whole loop because almost half of it was closed due to high amounts of sulphur dioxide gas, and of course the area that was closed was where we had the best probability to see "live lava". We stopped at several lookouts to see the large crater and the very active main fume cloud. The best view we had was from the Jaggar Museum. I wish we would've been able to stay until dark because this was the place to see the red glow from the crater at night.
We eventually made our way to the Thurston Lava Tubes. These tubes were formed during a very active period of the volcano. It was really neat to see these in the middle of the rain forest. Next we hiked the Kilauea Iki Crater Trail through part of the rainforest onto the crater floor. It was really neat to walk and hike around old lava flows and to see fissure, from eruptions and earthquakes. We climbed up on a huge pile of lava rocks to see a large steam vent. We were able to find the main source and bend down to get close to feel the full steam coming out. It was definitely hot! On our hike back out of the crater it started to rain so our visit to the Volcano National Park was cut short. We did drive to a devastation trail and to see the lava runs from 1969-1974. It was a neat site with as far as you could see being nothing but black hilly lava runs/rocks. In some places vegetation was starting to come back.
On our drive back to Kona from the Volcano National Park we stopped a Punalu'u Beach. This is the famous black sand beach on the Big Island that is known for beached turtles. We saw a group of 5 taking their afternoon nap right near the water line. 4 of them were quite large, and 1 was considerably smaller. We walked around the beach a bit and saw 2 more turtles napping. And of course, I had my picture taken with one! :) I love turtles in case you couldn't tell yet. There were signs saying you have to stay 15 feet away from them. We were probably a little closer than that, but other people got less than a foot away from them and probably could've been bitten! The black sand beach was also a beauty in itself. It was made from years and years of erosion of the lava rock.
And now for our last adventure in Hawaii.... we ended off the evening with a manta ray night snorkel in Keauhou Bay with Sea Paradise. We tossed this idea around for awhile, but I left the decision up to Dallas so we kind of decided at the last minute. I was extremely nervous about this 1) for myself because the manta rays are very large in the wild (up to 16 feet wide we were told), and 2) for Dallas, as he has a fear of being in the open ocean, especially at night and if there is a possibility for sharks.
We had about 25 people on our manta ray night snorkel. The company provided the snorkels and wetsuits for us. Our boat driver, Eric, was very knowledgeable about manta rays. The ones we saw are specific to Kona and live only along the Kona coast. They have named a lot of the manta rays and keep track of them night after night when they do these snorkels. Once we had our manta ray education and safety briefing we got suited up and into the water. They have a flotation device with lights attached to it that they put in the water to attract the plankton (what manta rays eat), and for us to hold onto. We were each given a swim noodle and had to swim out to the flotation device, hold on to it with our hands, and put the noodle at our ankles so that we were completely floating on the surface. We were in the water for about 5 minutes before we saw our first manta. This one was HUGE! One of our tour guides said it was Melainah Ray who is about 14 feet wide. It was probably another 30 minutes or so before we saw anymore rays. It was chilly in the water, even with the wetsuits on. We did see trumpetfish all over the place. They were quite friendly swimming in and out of all of use. Right before it was time to get out of the water we had another 3 mantas swim under us. One female, Jana Ray swam circles underneath everyone. And then we think it was Melainah Ray that came back and was doing barrel rolls right underneath us, and got probably a foot from Dallas and I right near our face. It was very unnerving but completely awesome at the same time. It was definitely a neat experience and we are both glad we did it. We both had co-workers recommend the manta ray night snorkel and it is also listed as one of the top 10 things to do on the Big Island by travel companies.
NOTE: Click to enlarge the photos.
We started out on the Crater Rim Drive, which is a 27 mile loop around the Kilauea Caldera Volcano Crater. We weren't able to go around the whole loop because almost half of it was closed due to high amounts of sulphur dioxide gas, and of course the area that was closed was where we had the best probability to see "live lava". We stopped at several lookouts to see the large crater and the very active main fume cloud. The best view we had was from the Jaggar Museum. I wish we would've been able to stay until dark because this was the place to see the red glow from the crater at night.
We eventually made our way to the Thurston Lava Tubes. These tubes were formed during a very active period of the volcano. It was really neat to see these in the middle of the rain forest. Next we hiked the Kilauea Iki Crater Trail through part of the rainforest onto the crater floor. It was really neat to walk and hike around old lava flows and to see fissure, from eruptions and earthquakes. We climbed up on a huge pile of lava rocks to see a large steam vent. We were able to find the main source and bend down to get close to feel the full steam coming out. It was definitely hot! On our hike back out of the crater it started to rain so our visit to the Volcano National Park was cut short. We did drive to a devastation trail and to see the lava runs from 1969-1974. It was a neat site with as far as you could see being nothing but black hilly lava runs/rocks. In some places vegetation was starting to come back.
On our drive back to Kona from the Volcano National Park we stopped a Punalu'u Beach. This is the famous black sand beach on the Big Island that is known for beached turtles. We saw a group of 5 taking their afternoon nap right near the water line. 4 of them were quite large, and 1 was considerably smaller. We walked around the beach a bit and saw 2 more turtles napping. And of course, I had my picture taken with one! :) I love turtles in case you couldn't tell yet. There were signs saying you have to stay 15 feet away from them. We were probably a little closer than that, but other people got less than a foot away from them and probably could've been bitten! The black sand beach was also a beauty in itself. It was made from years and years of erosion of the lava rock.
And now for our last adventure in Hawaii.... we ended off the evening with a manta ray night snorkel in Keauhou Bay with Sea Paradise. We tossed this idea around for awhile, but I left the decision up to Dallas so we kind of decided at the last minute. I was extremely nervous about this 1) for myself because the manta rays are very large in the wild (up to 16 feet wide we were told), and 2) for Dallas, as he has a fear of being in the open ocean, especially at night and if there is a possibility for sharks.
We had about 25 people on our manta ray night snorkel. The company provided the snorkels and wetsuits for us. Our boat driver, Eric, was very knowledgeable about manta rays. The ones we saw are specific to Kona and live only along the Kona coast. They have named a lot of the manta rays and keep track of them night after night when they do these snorkels. Once we had our manta ray education and safety briefing we got suited up and into the water. They have a flotation device with lights attached to it that they put in the water to attract the plankton (what manta rays eat), and for us to hold onto. We were each given a swim noodle and had to swim out to the flotation device, hold on to it with our hands, and put the noodle at our ankles so that we were completely floating on the surface. We were in the water for about 5 minutes before we saw our first manta. This one was HUGE! One of our tour guides said it was Melainah Ray who is about 14 feet wide. It was probably another 30 minutes or so before we saw anymore rays. It was chilly in the water, even with the wetsuits on. We did see trumpetfish all over the place. They were quite friendly swimming in and out of all of use. Right before it was time to get out of the water we had another 3 mantas swim under us. One female, Jana Ray swam circles underneath everyone. And then we think it was Melainah Ray that came back and was doing barrel rolls right underneath us, and got probably a foot from Dallas and I right near our face. It was very unnerving but completely awesome at the same time. It was definitely a neat experience and we are both glad we did it. We both had co-workers recommend the manta ray night snorkel and it is also listed as one of the top 10 things to do on the Big Island by travel companies.
NOTE: Click to enlarge the photos.
Steam vents from the Kilauea Caldera Volcano.
The main crater and steam vent.
One of the seismographs in the Jaggar Museum.
Inside the Thurston Lava Tube.
The beginning of the rainforest trail down to the crater floor.
One of the many fissure we saw on the crater floor.
Dallas and I by the large steam vent in the crater we hiked around.
One of the several devastation trails.
Punalu'u Black Sand Beach - 5 of the 7 napping turtles we saw.
Me with one of the other napping turtles.
This was the only picture we took during the manta ray night snorkel. We realized that pictures weren't going to do anything justice as it took a lot of photo editing to get the photo this far. So Dallas switched the camera to video mode and we have the entire thing recorded with our waterproof digital camera. We are working on getting the videos imported to my computer to share on the blog. Right now they are only on facebook.
February 25, 2012
02/17/2012 - Vacation Day 8 - The Big Island
Today we rented a double kayak for the day from Kona Boys. We kayaked across the Kealakekua Bay to the Captain Cook Monument. This land is very sacred to the Hawaiian culture and is only accessible by water or a long difficult hike down a steep hill. We even had to get a "landing permit" to beach our kayak once we got there. I was a little nervous at first, especially getting in because the water wasn't exactly gentle at the loading dock. But there were guys there helping everyone get in and out. Once we got away from the loading dock the water wasn't bad at all.
I believe we had to kayak ~1 mile across the bay to get to the monument. The water was so blue it was unreal. As we were coming into the landing area we saw a lot of people snorkeling and a couple of boat tours. Once we got into the shallow water we could see colorful coral and yellow fish everywhere. We beached our kayak and got ready to join everyone snorkeling. The water was a bit chilly, but the scenery was AMAZING! This is the best snorkeling we have ever done on the 4 islands we have been to. The water was very clear and ranged from 2-20+ feet deep where we were snorkeling. The coral itself was a site; very colorful and a big variety. We saw tons of fish and even a couple of schools, but no turtles :(. The coral was huge and never ending, and even the sea urchins were the largest we have seen.
After a couple hours of snorkeling and soaking in the sun we decided to head back across the bay. About half way across Dallas spotted spinner dolphins up ahead. We quickly rowed closer (the law states that you must stay 100-150 feet from them) to get a better view and take a video. Of course dolphins have a mind of their own and they came as close as 10ish feet from our kayak. It was so cool but also a little unnerving considering we were a lot closer to them than in either of our boat tours. They swam around and showed off for a few minutes before following some boats that were on their way towards the monument. This was the first time either of us had kayaked and we had a lot of fun!
NOTE: Click to enlarge the photos.
I believe we had to kayak ~1 mile across the bay to get to the monument. The water was so blue it was unreal. As we were coming into the landing area we saw a lot of people snorkeling and a couple of boat tours. Once we got into the shallow water we could see colorful coral and yellow fish everywhere. We beached our kayak and got ready to join everyone snorkeling. The water was a bit chilly, but the scenery was AMAZING! This is the best snorkeling we have ever done on the 4 islands we have been to. The water was very clear and ranged from 2-20+ feet deep where we were snorkeling. The coral itself was a site; very colorful and a big variety. We saw tons of fish and even a couple of schools, but no turtles :(. The coral was huge and never ending, and even the sea urchins were the largest we have seen.
After a couple hours of snorkeling and soaking in the sun we decided to head back across the bay. About half way across Dallas spotted spinner dolphins up ahead. We quickly rowed closer (the law states that you must stay 100-150 feet from them) to get a better view and take a video. Of course dolphins have a mind of their own and they came as close as 10ish feet from our kayak. It was so cool but also a little unnerving considering we were a lot closer to them than in either of our boat tours. They swam around and showed off for a few minutes before following some boats that were on their way towards the monument. This was the first time either of us had kayaked and we had a lot of fun!
NOTE: Click to enlarge the photos.
School of Yellow Tang (these guys were everywhere) with a Moorish Idol
L to R (Damselfish, Bird Wrasse, Ornate Butterflyfish)
Captain Cook's Monument
I believe this is a type of Parrotfish, but can't quite tell at this angle.
A large school of Hawaiian Flagtail
Dallas getting a closer look at the coral.
If you look closely in the lower left of the photo you can see a Mongoose sticking it's head out of the rocks. We saw a couple of these near where our kayak was beached taking advantage of food people left behind.
Dallas powering the rear of the kayak.
Me setting the pace in the front of the kayak.
Captain Cook's Monument about half way across the bay.
Looking forward across the bay, we are headed toward the loading dock, close to the black rocks in the middle of the photo.
Flat-Tailed Needlefish
02/16/2012 - Vacation Day 7 - The Big Island
Today we got up really early to go on a whale watching tour with Captain Dan McSweeney. I was really excited about this, especially after our lucky boat tour in Kauai. We probably saw around 15 whales but none of them were very exciting. We saw maybe 2 tails, and no breaches. Besides humpbacks, we also saw 2-3 dwarf sperm whales. On our way back into the harbor we ran into a small pod of spinner dolphins that showed off for a bit. Our captain gave us a very knowledgeable tour, but we were kind of disappointed. Apparently we got really lucky on our boat tour in Kauai.
After whale watching we decided to try a snorkel spot near our hotel that was recommended by a couple we sat with at the luau. We headed to Keauhou Beach, were there were quite a few people snorkeling already when we got there. This beach turned out to be a pretty good spot. When we were coming in to take a break after snorkeling for awhile, a lady hollered that she saw a turtle, so we put our masks back on and swam around following the turtle for a bit.
We took a break for a little bit and got snow cones while we watched people nearby learning to surf and paddle board. When we went back out to the reef again, we ran into a different turtle, so of course we swam around with it again. While following this turtle (which was huge), we ran into a "baby" turtle! It wasn't itty bitty, but significantly smaller than the adult turtle. We had a good time snorkeling on this beach, and I'm always happy when we see turtles! :)
NOTE: Click on the photos to enlarge them.
After whale watching we decided to try a snorkel spot near our hotel that was recommended by a couple we sat with at the luau. We headed to Keauhou Beach, were there were quite a few people snorkeling already when we got there. This beach turned out to be a pretty good spot. When we were coming in to take a break after snorkeling for awhile, a lady hollered that she saw a turtle, so we put our masks back on and swam around following the turtle for a bit.
We took a break for a little bit and got snow cones while we watched people nearby learning to surf and paddle board. When we went back out to the reef again, we ran into a different turtle, so of course we swam around with it again. While following this turtle (which was huge), we ran into a "baby" turtle! It wasn't itty bitty, but significantly smaller than the adult turtle. We had a good time snorkeling on this beach, and I'm always happy when we see turtles! :)
NOTE: Click on the photos to enlarge them.
One of the few whale tails that we saw.
A pretty good shot of a whale spouting.
The ocean crashing into the lava rock near the shore.
Spinner dolphins showing off.
Spotted Boxfish
Green Sea Turtle #1
A small school of what I think are Hawaiian Sergeants
Dallas and I hanging loose
Green Sea Turtle #2
"Baby" Green Sea turtle
02/15/12 - Vacation Day 6 - The Big Island
Today we played golf at the Big Island Country Club. Getting there was an adventure after google maps led us ~25 miles in the WRONG direction on the highway. Thankfully the staff worked us in a few tee times later. The course was beautiful and in great shape. When you drive in, you see hole 17, which has an island green.
While warming up on the driving range we heard a laughing sound. I originally thought it was a couple of old ladies on the hole nearby cackling. I just thought "hey they are having a good time!". But we soon discovered it was actually a bird. They are called Erkle Francolin. It was pretty comical because they sounded exactly like a real human laughing hysterically. We also saw lots of other random animals on the golf course, several species of birds, goats, and turkeys.
Neither of us played that great, but Dallas mentioned to me on Kauai that I wasn't swinging very strongly, so I changed my swing a little bit. Once I did that I was hitting the ball amazing, so I hope I can keep it up back home!
After golf we got ready for the Royal Kona Luau (at our hotel). We went to a luau on our honeymoon in Maui but Dallas wanted to go to a traditional Polynesian luau. I personally liked the one in Maui better; the food and the entertainment. But this was my first time seeing a fire dancer. It was pretty cool to watch the guy dance and spin the fire around.
NOTE: Click on the photos to enlarge them.
While warming up on the driving range we heard a laughing sound. I originally thought it was a couple of old ladies on the hole nearby cackling. I just thought "hey they are having a good time!". But we soon discovered it was actually a bird. They are called Erkle Francolin. It was pretty comical because they sounded exactly like a real human laughing hysterically. We also saw lots of other random animals on the golf course, several species of birds, goats, and turkeys.
Neither of us played that great, but Dallas mentioned to me on Kauai that I wasn't swinging very strongly, so I changed my swing a little bit. Once I did that I was hitting the ball amazing, so I hope I can keep it up back home!
After golf we got ready for the Royal Kona Luau (at our hotel). We went to a luau on our honeymoon in Maui but Dallas wanted to go to a traditional Polynesian luau. I personally liked the one in Maui better; the food and the entertainment. But this was my first time seeing a fire dancer. It was pretty cool to watch the guy dance and spin the fire around.
NOTE: Click on the photos to enlarge them.
This turkey was putting on a show for all the ladies.
This is the Erkle Francolin bird that made the laughing noise.
Dallas teeing off on hole #17, the island green. This picture doesn't really do the hole justice.
Hole #17 from the front entrance.
Sounding the conch shell, to signal the start of the luau.
Getting the Imu out of the "stove" at the luau.
Luau dancers.
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