I am grateful for ... so many things!!

Wow, just had an amazing weekend FULL with new experiences!!! I love new experiences, who doesn't right?

We have just come back from a trip to the the Great Lake Taupo, yet another beautiful part of my world. Sometimes when I look around this beautiful country I feel like I am in a lost paradise, of course I am not, of course it is quite a populated lost paradise ... ok maybe it is not a lost paradise as much as it is just paradise! What makes it even better is being able to share it with family from back home. (of course my weekend away will explain why I am late with the blog - so keep stay tuned later this week for the next in my mobile photo challenge).

Here are some of my weekend away snaps ...

First one up is a just because kinda photo ... I would love to be a bird, the freedom to roam and explore where ever and whenever!

Next up ended up being somewhat of a pic by chance, I was out on the deck one night taking a pics of the lake, the full moon had turned the lake into a beautiful silver, anyway, I turned my camera upwards just to see how many of the stars I could actually capture, I slowed my shutter speed right down to a couple of seconds, and as it happens a plane flew right through my frame ... what are the chances when you are in the middle of nowhere? This photo reminds me of that song "lets pretend that aeroplanes in the night sky are like shooting stars ... coz I could really use a wish right now ... "

These stones stacked up could resemble anything really, most things hang in the balance .... that aside it is really pretty :-)

While walking through the trout farm this spiders web caught my eye, we have a lot of these fine little webs ALL over the place, they even form on your car!!

Here is another ...

This wooden shed in the middle of nothingness reminded me of a book I once read "The Shack"

Here is another that reminded me of a book I read ... this one called "This property is condemned" ... I read it ages ago in school.

Again with me and my sunrises!!! How amazingly beautiful is this one? Yes yes they are all so amazingly beautiful in their own right ... but this one is from Easter Sunday, just seemed so fitting to me :-)

A beacon of light, showing us the way ... this I took during a fishing excursion, my first time fishing, it was a great morning, and yes we caught dinner :-) No toasting "to the one that got away" for us!!

Last and certainly not least, in my weekend FULL of highlights is the ultimate ... I got my first flip in a helicopter. Thanks to cousin Ashton, and along with Kim! It was AWESOME!!!! This was taken at the aero club while waiting for Ashton to arrive.

My girls are most certainly lucky too, here I am 34 years old and fishing for the first time and finally getting my life long wish of a flip in a helicopter and at 7 and 5 yrs they get to do both! I am truly GRATEFUL FOR the chance to share these experiences with them.