the last couple months....

YEAHHHHH!!!! So, it's almost summer and track is over, so I actually have some free time!

I'm gunna post some random things that's happened recently...

First, in January (wow! thats been 4 months ago! Time flies...), we went to Florida!

The lizards were AWESOME!

Bros and cousins at the beach....

and my DARLING girl cousins <3

I just love this pic...

This was the last day of my co-op CHESS. Miss these girls:(

Another highlight.  I went to TeenPact the end of April/beginning of May with Megan and Ashley Crutcher.  It was an AMAZING experience!! The people were very passionate for Christ and we simply had just a fun time with Teen Pact Legislature, frisbee, hanging out and just learning about government!  I'm deffinately going again next year!

Our committee at lunch

OHHHHH and yes!  I made it to Districts with these amazing people!  I was on the 4x400m relay team and we ran a time of 4:03.9.  That was 1.5 seconds away from States!  And... I got my PR for my split! yeahhhhh!  It was fun hanging out with everyone overnight at Shippensburg and was a great way to end the track season. :(

And then, for the grand finale.  Andrew found a baby Mockingbird who couldn't fly yet but had its feathers.  So, we kept him for a week:)  We names him Bertie.

Him chowing down a worm haha

LOVE this pic of him. fair?!

And then, today, we let him go.  He flew into the woods :( 

*sniff sniff*

ohhh and a pretty Iris:)

Ok, so I know you've already seen these pictures below.... but I entered them into a National Geographic Student Photo Contest! The judging has begun and the finalists will be notified by Feb. 8.  I had to write a description describing adventure and what it means to you. :)

In her eyes one can see adventure.  Mischievousness. The love of life.  Spunk.  This describes adventure itself!  Adventure does not have to be  risky or gallant, it can be as simple as discovering the little things in life and enjoying every moment.

Standing in the middle of a colorful layered mirage was this fiscal cliff.  The contrast between the sandstone crag and the glorious seemingly never-ending Grand Canyon struck me as my camera’s lens captured the scene.  The panoramic view instilled in me the same adventurous craving I’m sure the early Spanish explorers felt as well.  A longing to to meet head on with unknown perils, sights, beauty, and to discover yourself!

My breath was taken by the exhilarating sun bursting through the clouds which shed a glorious light onto the Grand Canyon 2,000 feet below.  Modern aviation allows adventurers to see the vastness of the Canyon from a new vantage point: that of like an eagle’s.  Indeed I did feel like an eagle flying over the Grand  Canyon; adrenalin coursed through my veins as I was literally shocked into an awed silence at the celestial view.  Time seemed to stop as the moment was engraved into my mind and heart for forever.  

The Pritchard family descends deeper into the Grand Canyon’s very core, beholding the stunning colors of layered rock right before their eyes.  The sight of the misty purple Canyon before me, combined with the hiker’s audacious spirit, left me pondering true adventure.  Adventure is truly a sense of awe, an essence of the soul which sparks an enthusiastic spunk brought out by an exciting experience.  This experience in particular stirred in me a realization that we are just a small part of this extraordinary creation!

In the busy whirlwind of our lives, ones eyes can just pass quickly over a great deal of true, hidden beauty.  The delicate, unique, floating butterfly, sparkling water droplets on a flower, and the trills of a songbird.  In this picture, the mysterious playing of shadows on the velvet tulip petals adds a sense of magical enchantment.  Adventure does not need to be searched for methodically, it can be found right in our backyard!

Hope you enjoyed that!!!!!! I really enjoyed writing flowery writing instead of like essays and all that boring stuff... :)

more favorites

Ok- so here are some more favorite/cool pictures of mine (that I don't think I've posted) :)

my catch up post :)

Yeah.... so I've been really busy... and at first couldn't even find my blog page!!! but anyway- here's a post that will me extra long (not that I've posted a lot anyway :)

yes.... Andrew throwing leaves at me

this was from a while back... when we went to Colorado in... I think March or so

Natalie, my cousin :) I entered it into the fair and it won 1st in the adult category!!!

                                              And... for this one below... no comment :) I just love it

 And this was a firework... but again- just cuz i like it :)

(for some reason my computer wont let me put my comment ABOVE the pic... so this is for the pic above :) OHHHH YEAH!!! here our small plane is flying over the GRAND CANYON!!!! This has gotta be my favorite picture!!! Hopefully I'll get to enter it in a National Geographic contest :) We went to GC in October 2012... it was SOOO amazing!!!

(ABOVE) Again flying over the GC... in this one you can see JUST A LITTLE BIT of GC!! it's amazing!

(ABOVE) The fam at Hoover Dam

(ABOVE) and we finally actually make it to the Grand Canyon!!

(ABOVE) hiking a wimpy 3 miles :) the next day, we went down the Bright Angel Trail all the way to Plaetu Point! We thought we wouldn't have enough time to make it back up if we had kept going to the end of the trail to actually look down at the Colorado river... so we hiked back up.  We ended up doing half the time we took to go down!!! In total, we hiked about 12 miles.. yes. I was SORE haha

(ABOVE) a beautiful desert plant

(ABOVE) the Canyon at sunrise... it was SOOOOOO stinkin' cold!!

(ABOVE) a chickadee :)

(ABOVE) Sedonna... this was at the Slide-rock Sate Park... and yes, the name explains all.  (it was ICE-COLD! 50 degrees!! we were hypothermic afterwards! 

(ABOVE) I just like this pic :)

(ABOVE) the boy's praying mantis :)

(ABOVE) and yes! the Balloon was THAT close to our house!!!!

(ABOVE) our gigantic tree :)

(ABOVE) Andrew and I :)

(ABOVE) Let's just say... I was... experimenting :)

(ABOVE) my gingerbread house this year! It won 2nd place and i received a $75 gift card!! woohoo!

(ABOVE) Toby... an eastern Grey Tree Frog that my grandma gave to us when she found it in her indoor plant!

(ABOVE) I guess I'm a little too dramatic about the cold lol

(ABOVE) Christmas day!

(ABOVE) my little cousins in Ohio :)

(ABOVE) I know it's not a GREAT quality picture, but i like it :)