Seven Wonders of My Life

Afton's latest blog listed the 7 wonders of her life (read it here). Since I want to be Afton, I thought I'd do the same. We were missionary companions in Alaska and a few of her "wonders" are also mine. These are in no particular order.

1. Bald Eagles in Homer, AK
A local lady used to feed the eagles all winter on the Homer spit. We LOVED to go down and see the eagles. I think this is what sparked my interest in bird watching.


2. Northern Lights. My first night in Alaska we went out to Earthquake Park to see a beautiful display of Aurora Borealis. It was an eerie green curtain that moved around the sky. They put on a regular display up in Alaska. Sometimes just a red glow around the horizon and sometimes all kinds of colors shooting across the sky.

One night, when I was serving in North Pole, I was having a particularly difficult time. I was kneeling at my bedside praying for strength and when I opened my eyes, there were Northern Lights just outside the window. It felt like a tangible answer to my prayer, a physical display of God's power. I don't know how, but they seemed so close that I could touch them. We walked outside. My companion commented how, before we knew about solar storms, people thought they were a sign from the gods. Truth is, even though we know the science behind them, I still see them as a heavenly sign.

Last week, I saw a video posted online that was recently taken of the Northern Lights. I couldn't find it again, but I did find a good one here that resembles how I remember them.


3. Mont Saint-Michel, France. When I took French in high school, my friend, Alisa, had a poster of Mont St. Michel in her room. We would sit on her bed, stare at the poster, and dream of going there one day. I don't know that I actually believed it would ever happen. When I finally went to France, I had the choice of spending the day at Mont St. Michel or Versailles. No contest in my mind. It was everything I imagined it would be. I love those moments when I fulfill my childhood dreams.



4. Angkor Wat, Cambodia Oh how I love Cambodia. Aunt Janet and I toured Asia on our way to visit my parents who were serving a mission in Borneo. We spent a few days in Cambodia and hooked up with family friends serving a mission there. All of this country is incredible and I hope to return some day. Angkor Wat was like going back in time. Magical. (You can link to my Asia journal on the side bar.)

(Wonder # 4.5 is when I Googled pictures of Angkor Wat and MY photos pulled up. How'd that happen?)


5. SCUBA Diving with Manta Rays

I've done this twice. The first time was in 1999 right after I certified. It was amazing. We did it again last summer because I wanted Rick and the boys to experience it. I didn't have quite the same experience because the dive has become so popular. Too many people. It almost felt like we were paying to see a show rather than observing nature. It still was incredible to see these huge creatures swimming around us.

6. Five Sister's Falls, Belize

Swimming in this lake fed by 5 rolling waterfalls is one of the best memories of my life. Whenever I'm stressed out, the memory of swimming here is my happy place. It calms me down. We sat on those rocks and the waterfalls would massage our backs. It was completely surrounded by jungle and exotic birds were flying all around. Heavenly.



7. Living in Utah
Not to be too cheesy here, but I think Utah is incredible. I remember coming home from a trip where I hiked beautiful, exotic places (I can't remember exactly where I had been now-maybe Costa Rica) and going on a hike to Lake Blanche in the Salt Lake Valley. It was a profound moment for me when I realized that, if I didn't live in Utah, it would be worth traveling great distances to see how beautiful it is here. The mountains around Salt Lake are so accessible with such a variety of things to see.

Lake Blanche

Southern Utah with its alien-like hoodoos.

Goblin Valley

And we can't leave out the Great Salt Lake with the Bear River Bird Refuge.

Yep. I love it here. I often remind myself not to let the extraordinary landscape here become ordinary for me. It is a beautiful place to live.


Thanks Afton, it was fun (and hard) to make this list. Honorable mentions go to the Lake District in England (felt like I was in a Jane Austin novel); working with school children in Africa (I couldn't figure out just one "wonder" from the experience for the list); and Tikal, Guatemala (this would be #8 on the list).

Places I hope will make the list one day are: The Great Barrier Reef; cycling tour to Ireland; and Machu Picchu.