In Absolute Awe

06/10/2017

This was one of the MANY amazing adventures we experienced in Queenstown, New Zealand. SUCH a blast. Highly recommend for anyone going down undah!

28/09/2017

🐝 U 🍵 ful (see what I did there?!😏) night with some lovely ladies in NYC! I may drool over views of green mountaintops, clear bodies of water and fields filled with wildflowers, but you can’t not love a good sunset/skyline pic. 😍😍😍

22/09/2017

Not gonna lie. It makes me super happy when I see a destination on INSIDER travel that I’ve already been to. Ahead of the tourism curve! 🙌🏽

Insider tip: Go at night to see the stars ✨ I’ve never seen more incredible stars than I did in New Zealand and Australia.

12/09/2017

These tortoises are what come to
mind when many people think of the Galapagos. Did you know there used to be 14 different species of Galapagos turtles and now there are only 3?! 😞

So grateful I got to see these giant beauties up close and personal!

🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢

07/09/2017

Oh. You thought I was finished with the Galapagos pics? NOPE!

We're moving above ground now so get ready...

Those who know me well are fully aware of the ornithophobia I suffer from aka an abnormal and irrational fear of birds. I can appreciate them from afar, but if they get too close, no bueno.

Luckily I was able to keep the fear at bay and witness these beauties in action... 🙌

03/09/2017

Free for all! Here are a bunch of beauties we saw. All cards on the table, some I know what they are. Others I have no clue, but they're amaaaaazing!

Again, 📷 credit to the amazing Megan Pasquina!
Galápagos

02/09/2017

SHARK!!!! 🦈🦈🦈

So I've seen a lot of sharks since I started scuba diving and friends/family who don't dive always ask if I get scared. It's hard to explain, but I'll try anyway... 🤷‍♀️

Scuba diving is one of the most peaceful, meditative things I've ever done. There's no voice in your head reminding you of everything you have to get done, doubting the decisions you've made or being self conscious about that thing you said to that person. You're in another world surrounded by awe inspiring species, who frankly don't care about you. If anything they avoid you, as they're just going about their day and (like you above sea level) have a lot to do without you getting in their way.

And guess what? Sharks are no different! Sharks actually can see the bubbles rising from your air tank and often change directions to avoid them when they see you. Unless you're being a jerk and getting all up in their biz, they're going to go along their merry little way and not give a crap about you.

Fun facts now:
1. The three most common sharks you'll see in the Galapagos are Galapagos sharks (first pic), hammerheads (in most pics), white tips (not shown here) and silkies (not shown here).

2. The white marks you may see on hammerheads are bite marks from the males to the females that happen while they're mating. 😬

3. Hammerheads hunt solo so when you see a bunch of them together, they're just hanging out with their friends and at this time, especially won't be interested in you!

📷 credit to the one and only Megan Pasquina
Galápagos

01/09/2017

Galapagos Sea Lions! (No relevant emoji 🙁)

These dudes were SO playful! Even more playful when you twirled around with them.

Sea Lions are one of the few underwater animals that will come right up to your camera lens for a close up. More likely because they see their reflection than them being interested in you (don't shoot the messenger!).

You do have to be pretty careful with them, as they have been known to bite if you get too close to them, especially on land. If they're playing with you in the water, they're not likely to bite, but people think just because they're AH-dorable, that they can be petted. They're still wild animals!

Another seal in the Galapagos is called a Fur Seal, which is smaller than the sea lion and has a shorter snout.

Let's name these lovelies. Comment on each of the pics with what you'd name them. I'll start.... 😜

📷 credit to Megan Pasquina
Galápagos

31/08/2017

😂😂😂😂😂

Tag someone whose face you'd want to see on your luggage!

Your airport experience is about to get much easier—and much sillier.

31/08/2017

🐢🐢🐢 Galapagos Green Sea Turtle time! 🐢🐢🐢

It doesn't matter how many sea turtles I see, the way they majestically glide through the water always stops me in my tracks.

Similar to the marine iguanas, sea turtles don't breathe underwater. Instead, they take a big gulp of air and can actually last anywhere from 4-7 hours underwater depending on what they're doing/how much energy their expending.

If you ever see a sleeping turtle, NEVER wake them up, as they'll need to go all the way back up to the surface to get more air. Ain't nobody got time for that! 💤

Check out the last pic - Marine Iguanas + Sea Turtles! Such an incredible moment to be down there seeing them both doing their thang in their natural habitat...

Tomorrow I'll show you another animal that made this particular dive so much fun....

Give me a 🐢 on your favorite sea turtle pic!
📷 credit to Megan Pasquina (These shots are the first time I'm not sharing my own photos and I just need to give Megan a proper shoutout, as it could NOT have been easy to capture these moments since the current in the Galapagos is no joke! I was busy making sure I wasn't being swept out to sea, but somehow Megan managed to not only hold on to her camera, but also take these beautiful shots. Thanks again, Megan!)

30/08/2017

Nope. Nope. Nope. Nopity nope! 👎🏼

Would any of you go here?! I feel like they're crawling on me after watching! 😫😧😳