Wow! I don't know what other word to use! Of course, we had some flight/luggage issues at the beginning of the trip, but we got here and finally got our luggage and it was time to head out for our safari!
Our first night on safari was spent at Tarangire National Park. The lodge we were staying at overlooked an amazing area and we all slept in tents. We went for an afternoon drive and saw a lot of elephants and some giraffes (along with other smaller animals). When we got back we had a visitor over near our tent...AN ELEPHANT!! I got some great video and pictures! This would be one reason why they didn't want us to go out alone after 11p. Oh, let's not forget the pride of lions that were relaxing in the dried river bed below...yes, they occasionally come up too!
This morning we left for a sunrise drive at 6a and it took a while before we came upon any wildlife. Once again we saw a ton of elephants and just a couple of giraffes. Tarangire is known for their large population of elephants, so this would explain why we saw so many.
After our drive, we packed up and headed out for a 3.5 hour drive to our next location. We are now staying at the Ngorongoro Serena Lodge on the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater. It is a World Heritage Site and a National Conservation Area. The only people living in this area are members of the Maasai tribe. You can spot them by the red clothes that they wear. Currently the younger males are going through the rite of passage to becoming a man and you will occasionally see them wearing black and their faces are painted white. We saw a few of these while driving. Approximately 25,000 animals live in the area with the black rhino being their main attraction. Zebras, Hippos and wildebeests along with some other animals also live here.
I hope this catches everyone up! I will try and update more often, but it truly depends on our internet connection. I will not be posting any pictures to the blog at this time, but am continuously uploading to my facebook page.
Cheers!
Meg & DJ
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
2011...continued
I'm sorry for the delay in finishing up our adventures of 2011 blog! It's been a little crazy around here and I'm sure it's going to continue until we get back from Africa!
So, I left off where I was coming home from my visit to the UK and Paris. Shortly after returning to the States, DJ & I headed up to the Bluegrass state to watch the Kentucky Derby with some friends. We had been to the derby once before, while DJ was medical school, but this experience was different! Our first time we were in the infield, which is more of a party atmosphere. This time we were in the bandstand right on the front stretch! I think I took over 1,000 pictures that day!! It was a great experience with great friends.
May also brought me the unbelievable experience to head over to the "Space Coast" and watch the last Endeavor Shuttle launch from Cape Canaveral. Growing up in WV & OH, I remember watching the launches on television. Once DJ & I moved to Florida we decided we wanted to go watch every launch possible. Unfortunately, DJ had to work, so I headed over with a couple of friends and had a great time.
June brought us a visit to Walt Disney World! Now, I love WDW, so it doesn't take much for me to head down, but this time DJ's sister, Lesley, and her family were coming down for vacation. DJ & I went down and spent a few days at the park and had a great time with Lesley, Shane, Nathanael and Nicolas.
July brought the last shuttle launch of the program and I was there to see it! My friend Jessie and I along with her two daughters left Gainesville early on the morning of July 8 to head to Titusville. We weren't sure what to expect, but had prepared for the worst. We managed to find a great parking spot a couple of blocks from the river (the launch pad was directly across the river). Once we made our way towards the river I made friends with a guy who had his pickup truck parked with the bed towards the launch pad. So, of course I was able to climb into the bed of his truck and got some amazing pictures of the Atlantis launch. It was sad to think that it was the last time we'll be able to witness such an awesome sight. It actually brought tears and cheers to many people watching. I am so happy that I was able to watch it!
Also in July, we flew up to WV to visit DJ's family for a couple of days before flying west to Las Vegas! Our trip to WV was full of fun times with all of DJ's family. We had a blast picking blackberries and apples!! We also roasted marshmallows and made s'mores one evening. Vegas was...HOT! I spent as much time as possible in a cabana by the pool with my friend, Jenn, while the boys were inside either gambling or sleeping!
August brought us a quick weekend trip up to Virginia Beach to visit my cousin, Melanie and her family. We had a nice beach day, lots of laughs and enjoyed some fresh crabs one evening.
August also took us up to New York City! We decided to take DJ's parents up for a couple of days since they had never been. We had a great time and great weather...until I left and it poured the rain! We went to see "War Horse" on Broadway, visited the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. We also walked down to the World Trade Center site and just sat and reflected for a little while. I took Wanda on her first subway experience and I was so relieved when I got her back to the hotel in one piece! :-)
I also went back to work full time in August! I currently am teaching third grade at Alachua Elementary! I have 19 kids that I enjoy spending my days with!
September took us to Morgantown for the WVU v. LSU game!! It was a whirlwind trip, but we had a great time (even though WVU lost). My parents drove up for a little while so we could see each other..it was great seeing them!
Also in September, DJ traveled to Germany to experience Oktoberfest!! I think he had a great time, but there aren't too many pictures to show! :-) I was so happy to get a text or email from him so I knew he was alive and well!
October took us to the Napa Valley and San Francisco! DJ has his annual Emergency Medicine conference every October and it's always fun to see where we're headed next! Neither of us had been to that part of the country, so we were very excited. We spend 3 busy days in Napa visiting numerous wineries with our friends, Charles and Lindsay. That was one trip I'm pretty sure DJ spent more money than me! :-) On Friday of that week we drove over to San Fran for a couple of days. We went over to Alcatraz Island and got to tour "The Rock". It was really cool and I highly recommend doing it and booking online early! We also rode the street car through the city and had a great time.
Next up was November and THANKSGIVING!! I had been looking forward to traveling up to WV because not only was my brother heading to the farm, but my sister along with Liam and Luci were flying over from England!! We had a great time at the Longanacre Farm on Thanksgiving day! We didn't have as many people as we have had other years, but we had close to 50 people. My cousin, Tricia and her husband, Doug, flew in from Olympia, WA and my cousin, Kelly, drove in from Chickasha, OK! We had a lot of people from far away...it was so great to see everyone! The day after Thanksgiving DJ & I drove up to Webster County to have Thanksgiving with his family. We had a great weekend visiting and had amazing weather! DJ's dad made some of his gorgeous homemade apple pies with apples from the farm...so awesome!!
December took us back to Vegas for Ben & Jenn's wedding!! DJ & I both were in the wedding and we had a great time! There were close to 40 guests and the ceremony took place in one of the gardens at Caesar's Palace. The weather was a little cool, but really nice overall. Once we arrived home from Vegas I was on Winter Break from school and DJ started an insane stretch of working! He has been quite busy between work, preparing for his Kilimanjaro climb and sleeping!! I know he's looking forward to a vacation!
It's now January 3 and we are heading to Miami tomorrow to watch WVU play Clemson in the Orange Bowl...stay tuned!
So, I left off where I was coming home from my visit to the UK and Paris. Shortly after returning to the States, DJ & I headed up to the Bluegrass state to watch the Kentucky Derby with some friends. We had been to the derby once before, while DJ was medical school, but this experience was different! Our first time we were in the infield, which is more of a party atmosphere. This time we were in the bandstand right on the front stretch! I think I took over 1,000 pictures that day!! It was a great experience with great friends.
May also brought me the unbelievable experience to head over to the "Space Coast" and watch the last Endeavor Shuttle launch from Cape Canaveral. Growing up in WV & OH, I remember watching the launches on television. Once DJ & I moved to Florida we decided we wanted to go watch every launch possible. Unfortunately, DJ had to work, so I headed over with a couple of friends and had a great time.
June brought us a visit to Walt Disney World! Now, I love WDW, so it doesn't take much for me to head down, but this time DJ's sister, Lesley, and her family were coming down for vacation. DJ & I went down and spent a few days at the park and had a great time with Lesley, Shane, Nathanael and Nicolas.
July brought the last shuttle launch of the program and I was there to see it! My friend Jessie and I along with her two daughters left Gainesville early on the morning of July 8 to head to Titusville. We weren't sure what to expect, but had prepared for the worst. We managed to find a great parking spot a couple of blocks from the river (the launch pad was directly across the river). Once we made our way towards the river I made friends with a guy who had his pickup truck parked with the bed towards the launch pad. So, of course I was able to climb into the bed of his truck and got some amazing pictures of the Atlantis launch. It was sad to think that it was the last time we'll be able to witness such an awesome sight. It actually brought tears and cheers to many people watching. I am so happy that I was able to watch it!
Also in July, we flew up to WV to visit DJ's family for a couple of days before flying west to Las Vegas! Our trip to WV was full of fun times with all of DJ's family. We had a blast picking blackberries and apples!! We also roasted marshmallows and made s'mores one evening. Vegas was...HOT! I spent as much time as possible in a cabana by the pool with my friend, Jenn, while the boys were inside either gambling or sleeping!
August brought us a quick weekend trip up to Virginia Beach to visit my cousin, Melanie and her family. We had a nice beach day, lots of laughs and enjoyed some fresh crabs one evening.
August also took us up to New York City! We decided to take DJ's parents up for a couple of days since they had never been. We had a great time and great weather...until I left and it poured the rain! We went to see "War Horse" on Broadway, visited the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. We also walked down to the World Trade Center site and just sat and reflected for a little while. I took Wanda on her first subway experience and I was so relieved when I got her back to the hotel in one piece! :-)
I also went back to work full time in August! I currently am teaching third grade at Alachua Elementary! I have 19 kids that I enjoy spending my days with!
September took us to Morgantown for the WVU v. LSU game!! It was a whirlwind trip, but we had a great time (even though WVU lost). My parents drove up for a little while so we could see each other..it was great seeing them!
Also in September, DJ traveled to Germany to experience Oktoberfest!! I think he had a great time, but there aren't too many pictures to show! :-) I was so happy to get a text or email from him so I knew he was alive and well!
October took us to the Napa Valley and San Francisco! DJ has his annual Emergency Medicine conference every October and it's always fun to see where we're headed next! Neither of us had been to that part of the country, so we were very excited. We spend 3 busy days in Napa visiting numerous wineries with our friends, Charles and Lindsay. That was one trip I'm pretty sure DJ spent more money than me! :-) On Friday of that week we drove over to San Fran for a couple of days. We went over to Alcatraz Island and got to tour "The Rock". It was really cool and I highly recommend doing it and booking online early! We also rode the street car through the city and had a great time.
Next up was November and THANKSGIVING!! I had been looking forward to traveling up to WV because not only was my brother heading to the farm, but my sister along with Liam and Luci were flying over from England!! We had a great time at the Longanacre Farm on Thanksgiving day! We didn't have as many people as we have had other years, but we had close to 50 people. My cousin, Tricia and her husband, Doug, flew in from Olympia, WA and my cousin, Kelly, drove in from Chickasha, OK! We had a lot of people from far away...it was so great to see everyone! The day after Thanksgiving DJ & I drove up to Webster County to have Thanksgiving with his family. We had a great weekend visiting and had amazing weather! DJ's dad made some of his gorgeous homemade apple pies with apples from the farm...so awesome!!
December took us back to Vegas for Ben & Jenn's wedding!! DJ & I both were in the wedding and we had a great time! There were close to 40 guests and the ceremony took place in one of the gardens at Caesar's Palace. The weather was a little cool, but really nice overall. Once we arrived home from Vegas I was on Winter Break from school and DJ started an insane stretch of working! He has been quite busy between work, preparing for his Kilimanjaro climb and sleeping!! I know he's looking forward to a vacation!
It's now January 3 and we are heading to Miami tomorrow to watch WVU play Clemson in the Orange Bowl...stay tuned!
Sunday, December 25, 2011
2011 Adventures...a look back.
2011 was an exciting and memorable year for DJ & Megan. Here's a quick (hopefully) rundown on the year!
We started off the year watching WVU play in the Champs Sports Bowl. WVU lost, but we had a great time, as usual.
In February we headed to Steamboat Springs, CO for our annual ski trip with some friends. This trip we had 14 people in our amazing house that not only had an indoor BASKETBALL court, we also had a rooftop hot tub and were ski in/ ski out! Before the rest of the group arrived, DJ & I went snowmobiling and had an amazing time! We were able to encounter the Continental Divide again (we've done this a few times over the years) and had some amazing snow conditions.
Shortly after returning from our ski trip, I left for a trip to London to meet my new niece, Lucille Kate (Luci). Mel, Liam, Luci and I took a trip to CADBURY WORLD!! What an amazing place! We had plenty of chocolate and bought TONS of chocolate at the company store! Also while in the UK, Mike, Liam and I went to the rock climbing gym. Liam is such a little spiderman! He loved every second of climbing.
March was an awesome month! I was able to travel to Ft. Campbell, KY for my brother's homecoming from his tour in Afghanistan! That was one homecoming that was quite emotional, but worth every second spent out in the cold and drizzle waiting for his plane to land!
DJ's parents came down for his birthday at the beginning of April and we took them over to St. Augustine. We had beautiful weather and it wasn't crowded. It's always fun to visit this historic and beautiful city. Also while Wanda & Dave were visiting I took them to Payne's Prairie to see the alligators that live in the Alachua Sink. It was a great day for viewing the gators and we even had one very large gator blocking the path! Needless to say, we didn't walk to the observation tower! With April came our annual voyage to see JIMMY BUFFETT in Tampa!! This year we had some great friends join us...Ryan and his wife, Lyndin came over from Orlando. Christa came down from Jacksonville and Lisa flew in for a very quick CLM reunion!! We hadn't been together in a very long time, so we were thrilled! DJ & I also celebrated his birthday and our anniversary with dinner at one of our favorite steak restaurants...Bern's! If you're in Tampa...check them out!
April was almost over, but we can't forget to mention that I traveled to Paris & London! My friend, Karen, and I flew to Paris for a couple of days. We took an awesome tour, the "Chocolate & Pastry" tour...AH-MAZ-ING!! Seeing that we had both spent time in Paris before, we weren't worried about hitting all the typical sightseeing spots. We did visit the Musee d'Orsay. We also walked through Notre Dame while taking a break from our Hop on/hop off bus ride. After eating lots of yummy food and discovering french macaroons, it was time to take the Eurostar to London! Melanie, my sister, met us in the train station and it was time for our REAL adventure! Oh, yes, we were there for THE ROYAL WEDDING!! We had a plan in our heads and couldn't wait to put in action. Our hotel was in the Embassy area of London. We were within walking distance of Buckingham Palace, so we got up around 4a to get ready, place our fascinators to our heads and head to find the PERFECT spot to see Will and Kate! We got lucky and found a spot right across from Buckingham Palace! Not only did we see guests departing the palace for the wedding, we also saw the Queen leave! Before we knew it, police escorts came around the corner and there was Pippa riding with some of the children who were in the wedding!! Moments late, Kate and her father arrived and we were able to see her! I have one picture that looks like she was actually smiling and waving to me! After over 8 hours of standing (with no potty break), it was time to head back to the hotel. Once I had uploaded pictures and we had changed, it was time to do some shopping eating!! The next day we headed up to Littleport to see Luci & Liam! Karen & I had a couple of days with Melanie and her family before it was time to head back to London and hop our plane back to the States! More to come....
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