The Colorful Country of Guatemala

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I’ve only been out of the United States a handful of times – Fiji, Mexico, Canada, The Netherlands, Belgium, Iceland (well, the airport) – but by far, Guatemala was the most colorful country I’ve visited. Every tourist market was filled with gorgeously ornate hand-woven blankets, purses, clothing, and dolls. Exotic animals, like macaw parrots and…

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Guide to Mexican Riviera Cruise Excursions

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Look at us – so happy, so sun-kissed. Planning our holiday cruise nine months in advance, we had plenty of time to research and pre-book our excursions, pocketing those sweet sweet discounts along the way. But how could we choose? Wading through beautiful photos of swimming with dolphins, guided city tours, ATV off-road adventures, zip-lining…

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Mt. Hermon Christian Retreat Center

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Situated among the ancient redwoods of the Santa Cruz mountains, Mount Hermon has served as a peaceful retreat for more than 100 years. Anyone and everyone are welcome to reconnect with creation and the Creator through fellowship with friends and family, great food, and beautiful greenery. I visit Mount Hermon every fall with my church’s…

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Ostrich Land – Wild Muppet Dinosaurs

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I still can’t believe we found this place. On my way to Santa Barbara with Brandon and my brother Josh, we planned to stop by Solvang, the adorable Dutch town in the mountains about 45 minutes away. But passing this sign for Ostrich Land USA, we did a hard double-take. A place to feed real…

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Sleeping In The Santa Cruz Redwoods

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Brandon knows how much I love treehouses. I talk incessantly about building one in our front yard and living in it. What’s more magical than being high off the ground and surviving like every moment is an adventure? While Brandon does not share my desire to actually LIVE like Robinson Crusoe, he was happy to…

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iFly – Skydiving Your Mom Approves Of

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Yep, that’s me, smiling like an idiot, floating four feet above the earth on 130 mph winds. All those Peter Pan dreams finally came true! Our indoor skydiving session at the iFly in Union City was an experience I wish we could re-live every day. Indoor skydiving is obviously a zillion-times safer than jumping out of…

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Scaling Foggy Fremont Peak

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This is my brother Josh. He’s modeled for my camera for years and is always a good sport about bringing his A-game brooding model face to our photo shoots, even on a chilly mountain top at 6 am. On this Saturday morning, we drove up to Fremont Peak bright and early, hoping to capture a…

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Workin’ it in Ensenada Mexico #selfietrip

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*Disclaimer: This was a #selfietrip. Sometimes when photographers go out into the real world to have real experiences, they leave their fancy cameras and lenses at home to enjoy the little moments as they happen. This was one of those trips. Feel free to excuse yourself now if you can’t handle looking at two people,…

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