It's raining...stars

Okay so about last night (the meteor shower remember?), it was...AMAZING! Four of us went out, Cally and I sprawled in the middle of the field on a sleeping bag, warm and snuggly under a blanket while Kaitlyn and Jen just stood and watched because they weren't planning on staying long. Of course, this sight attracted more people and Josh and Kenton soon joined us. Everyone chatted away as we stared intently into the sky, awash in the rather beautiful glow of that (annoying but too amazing to really be angry about) full moon. Jen and I saw one little one which was nothing really to get too excited about (we of course did anyways!) and then she went to bed, followed shortly by Kailtyn. The rest of us stayed out, still talking, throwing jests around and laughing beaucoup. Finally, Josh got bored I guess and went in, ironically, not 2 minutes later the MOST AMAZING meteor I had EVER seen blazed through the North-western sky and Cally and I burst out into screams of awe/joy/excitement. Kenton, who was wandering over to the campfire saw it as well and expressed his amazement. Poor Josh :(

Cally and I ended up staying out there chatting for another hour and seeing a couple more really fantastic ones along with a spattering of less extraordinary shooting stars. One that we saw, the best one of the night blazed longer than any other and left behind a soft glow for a few seconds. Seriously, it was so cool seeing them all. I could not help but be reminded of the ever popular Psalm 19:

The heavens declare the glory of God, the skies proclaim the work of His hands

So, though my toes were frozen stiff by the time we got in and the brilliance of the moon hid the majority of what we COULD have seen and not everyone stayed out for the party, it was a truly remarkable night which I am so glad I made the effort to see. I do believe I shall head out tonight for a bit to see if I am blessed with a few more.

Against all odds...

Tonight I shall brave the cold Wyoming darkness, defy the obnoxious glare of the full moon and drag my friends out with me as well! We are going to watch the Perseids Meteor shower against all odds if I have anything to say about it! The meteor shower happens every year (go figure!) from late July to late August, peaking TONIGHT...unless you are in Europe...then I think it's tomorrow...still a little fuzzy on that. Of course, the full moon also coincides with this fabulous peakage of the shower...makes things a little difficult and apparently its ultra fabulous glow is really going to make the show less than spectacular yet I am still determined to see this through. Kaitlyn and I have been planning and anticipating this for MONTHS. (If you will remember my class with Dr. Lisle - he told us about it way back then and we put a reminder in Kaitlyn's phone to make sure we'd see it! See Inner Woman #14 for more detail about Dr. Lisle's class.)

Anyways, not sure exactly when we are going to attempt this little shindig, perhaps sooner before the moon reaches the zenith (look at me and my fab words hehe) or perhaps we shall get up SUPER early after it is lower in the sky. We shall see but MARK MY WORDS, I will see this meteor shower!

I'll let ya know how it all goes!

Reflections: on leaving and returning and home

And wherever I wander - the one thing I've learned
It's to here - I will always....always return 

After two days of traveling, I have indeed returned to the Hole. The place this all started. The place that now has as a tight a hold on me as my hometown, a place I call home. But it's not as easy as that because I have another place that more surely is my home and will always be. But, well as people say, home is where the heart is, but what if your heart is in two places? 

I had the oddest feeling today as I drove away from my family, from BC, from Canada. For much of the trip, I felt that I was leaving, wandering away from home and all that I love. But then funnily I also felt that I was returning, coming home to a place just as beautiful and full of people that I love as well. 

I don't really know how to sort out all these things but I feel like Bryan Adam's song from Spirit applies oddly to two places for me. Of Abbotsford  and Jackson I can say that wherever I wander, I'm pretty sure I will always return to these places again sometime.

I hear the wind across the plain
A sound so strong - that calls my name
It's wild like the river - it's warm like the sun
Ya it's here - this is where I belong
Under the starry skies - where eagles have flown
This place is paradise - it's the place I call home
The moon on the mountains
The whisper through the trees
The waves on the water
Let nothing come between this and me 

Cuz everything I want - is everything that's here
And when when we're all together - there's nothing to fear
And wherever I wander - the one thing I've learned

It's to here, I will always return

 I feel my name called from both Wyoming and British Columbia, the starry skies, the moon on the mountains, the waves on the water - its a description of both my homes. And both of these places offer me things that I want, need and love. And so, I'm learning that my home can be more than one place, though my family will always have the strongest pull on me, there is Someone who has more say than all my feelings and callings and longings and that is my heavenly Father. He determines my home and location day-by-day. For now, it's back in Jackson and I praise Him for giving me the opportunity to return, and I will praise Him again when I head back...home.

Find your innner woman 13: the Astronomer

It finally cleared up yesterday so we could go out with Dr. Lisle (our professor this week) and check out the night sky. As the sun dragged itself seemingly imperceptibly past the mountains, the sky deepened, the stars multiplied and crystallized as our night vision increased. I have to say, I was unbelievably excited to be studying the stars and such. My family will remember that phase of life when I was obsessed with stars and planets and constellations - begging for a telescope. Well, I never really lost that passion for this amazing part of God's creation. I mean seriously, the universe is out there, don't you want to know what it's like!?

We started out just looking at some stars which were rather unimpressive through the telescope, as it wasn't super crazy strong. Dr. Lisle pointed out a bunch of constellations, the north star, and the celestial equator. We watched Orion slowly set beneath the mountains and new constellations arise in the east. It was really magical, seeing the universe  revolve around us. We looked at some star clusters and even a spiral galaxy! People would randomly gasp and point out shooting stars. (Kaitlyn saw her very first one and actually squealed which was adorable. Poor Cannon missed every sighting.) Oh we also saw the international space station at around 9:30 and then at about 11 we saw it again! That's right - it orbits the earth at 17 000mph meaning it goes all the way around in 90 minutes!!!

My favourite part of the night was our last object - SATURN! It was the only planet out at the time and I could not have been more happy. I have been wanting to see Saturn through a telescope for a VERY long time. All night, I was anxiously waiting, keeping my eye on the glinting planet to the east. As it slowly rose, it reached its peak and we aimed the telescope in its direction. I didn't really know what to expect as I waited in line for my turn but what I saw was beyond what I could have imagined. It truly was beautiful: pale yellowish in colour, crisp rings surrounding, Titan and Rhea hovering nearby. It looked like a textbook image - so perfect. It was hard to realize the reality of what I was seeing and it was truly amazing. I can only imagine what it would have been like for those who first saw it through a telescope, having no idea what they were going to see. God is so amazing! The detail and care He puts into everything is unbelievable. When I look at the night sky, I see not only His unfathomable vastness and amazing power but also His creativity and His intelligence. Everything just works up there the way it is supposed to. I could just watch it all night long.

What a great God we have!