We recently took a week long, kid-free trip to Iceland (courtesy of my mother in law, sister in law, and friends watching our kiddos while we were away!) I was amazed at the natural beauty of the country and how such a small island can have such diverse terrain. We saw a variety of waterfalls, glaciers, geysers, volcanic rock, and so much more which helped me to better understand why it's known as the land of fire and ice.I think the thing that amazed me most about the country is it's endless beauty. No matter where one stands in Iceland, there is always a breath taking view. These scenes display the incredible amount of creativity our great God has and I can't help but think of the book of Job where God outlines His creation of and power over nature. Standing in the midst of powerful weather systems and grandiose landscapes made me feel so small and that's how I feel when reading Job 38-39. He laid the foundation of the earth. He determined it's measurements. He shuts the sea, holds back the clouds, commands the mornings, and so forth. We serve a great God in full control of every thing and that's something I mustn't forget.But as beautiful as it all is, the scenery remains a part of a sin-tainted earth -- and that thought stuck with me as we traversed around. I remember driving between two large mountains and seeing a rock tumble down from the top. It got me thinking about how what I see one day, may not look the same the next day. It's deteriorating -- not even just naturally but in the way millions of tourists carelessly trample around some well-traveled spots. The glaciers move, rocks crumble, water erodes, and even still it's beautiful. So can you even imagine what heaven -- a place that isn't subjected to death and decay -- will look like? If death and decay is beautiful here, my mind can't even fathom what true life in it's perfection and intended form will look like.Outside of those two major thoughts, I just spent a lot of time wandering, praying, photographing, and enjoying time with my husband. I enjoyed getting into nature and not just observing it from a paved path or a car window. I loved learning from Ethan and enjoying the adventuring with him. I discovered my new love for hiking and am excited to do more of it here in PA. I prayed throughout the trip over a number of things but especially thanking God for how He reveals Himself through nature. I also re-sparked my love for taking pictures. Most of the time I'm photographing a last minute assignment for DRM or just trying to document my kids. It was so refreshing to have my camera in tow, free from ankle biters and free to capture something just because.We had such a blast and I'm glad I have these photos to look back on and remember. I hope you enjoy scrolling through them!This is Skógafoss which is a waterfall right by our hotel. It was so gorgeous but tourists were there by the busload so we didn't stay too long.After loading all our stuff into our hotel, we hit the ground running and started hiking. We decided to avoid popular tourist areas and we found our own mountain. This one was covered in sponge moss. It felt like walking on soft pillows. I spent quite a bit of time hopping around, haha.Here's a POV of what the sponge moss looks like. (It's obvious I was still learning to tie my hiking boots, haha! I didn't want to spend the money on shoes that weren't very "cute" but I'm so glad I listened to Ethan and invested in these Salamon hiking boots. These things kept my feet so warm, dry, and comfortable after miles and miles of hiking in all sorts of conditions.)When it comes to hiking, Ethan is so quick it's hard to keep up but he actually taught me quite a bit about how to hike smarter. I'm a born and raised city girl so his crash course was much needed!This is the view from halfway up the mountain.There are just so many little landscape details that make each little section so unique. It was a crazy thought knowing that this one mountain we climbed looks entirely different from the next one over. It's also crazy to think about how much land is untouched and unexplored.Not far from the sponge moss terrain was a rocky stream of water......which turned into volcanic rock......and led us to this scene where three different types of terrain intersected. It was an incredible sight to behold.The next day we walked miles and miles and miles of rocky terrain to get to this abandoned DC-3 plane.Ethan had to bring his penny to skateboard on it. (It was later we discovered that Justin Bieber filmed a music video and did the same thing. Ethan had no idea, haha!)Originally, he wanted to skate the top but it was drizzling the entire time we were there so I'm glad he stuck with the wing.It was really cool seeing a beach covered in black sand. I've seen white sand beaches but this was an entirely different feel.Occasionally, you will find a random rock creation here and there.This fish and chips stand was right by our hotel. All the cod came from a local fishmonger and this was by far one of our favorite meals while there. They had this special Icelandic tartar sauce that was absolutely incredible.Our next stop was Seljavallalaug. (I still have no idea how to pronounce that!) It's one of Iceland's oldest swimming pools. It pipes in hot, geothermal water from the earth and is free to the public.The walk to Seljavallaug was quite easy. We laughed about all the blog posts I read that said it was difficult. There's literally a trail marked out for you and it too less than 10 minutes to get to.There was so much beautiful scenery to take in while walking there.I was secretly hoping we would have the whole place to ourselves but there were people in and out of here the whole time we stayed. I was just happy to be here and see the sun shine poking through this corner of the mountain. Swimming around in this pool while taking in all the beautiful scenery was definitely the highlight of our trip.We pulled off on the side of the road to see what this was. It turned out to be a "haunted" cave with this wall built to protect the inside. It was pitch black when we stepped inside and, of course, Ethan successfully scared me.That night we heard there was a chance we could see the Northern Lights if we drove a few hours away. We made the trek out there but, unfortunately, we did not see them. But we did see thousands of stars and a planet, so the trip wasn't in vain.Our good friends, Tim & Lauren, met up with us on day 3.Here's the boys scouting out the waves. This is my new favorite picture of us, taken by the talented Lauren Fair.They brought us to the famous Fjadrargljufur Moss Canyon. It looked like something out of Lord of the Rings. Here's another shot by Lauren. :)And another!This picture doesn't even look real. (Image by Lauren!)Yepp. That's the guys getting ready to paddle down this canyon.See them floating?While warming up in the Jeep, we watched the Justin Bieber video and saw all the things not to do in Iceland.We found more sponge moss and took pictures of the new Deeply Rooted hoodies here. I was such an awkward model but we did get one where I had a natural smile. This happened right after my leg fell through a hole, ha!On the ride home, I spotted this cloud that looked like God took a paintbrush to the sky. None of the other clouds looked like this which made it even more set apart. (Anyone else think the cloud looks like an Emily Jefford's painting?)I took this back at Lauren & Tim's place. Ethan looked really cute sitting there talking and I took a picture so I would remember this moment. :)This is a cell phone shot from the next morning and some of the drive by scenery that surrounded us.I spent the morning photographing Lauren for Deeply Rooted's 2017 Fall/Winter issue. I wish I could show more!We made a last minute decision to go the Glacier Lagoon. Lauren was here the week before and there were no glaciers! Nature is a funny thing.They find any excuse to suit up and paddle out.Where do you think they paddled into?The beach across the street has broken glacier pieces all over it's shore. It looked like giant diamonds all over the place.The next day, the guys went surfing and the heavy waves completely smoked Ethan. I wish I could've gotten some of them in the waves but I didn't bring a long enough lens (plus the sun was blowing out all the waves.)There are Icelandic horses everywhere. They are so beautiful and we pulled off the side of the road to photograph these cuties.I wish my hair looked as awesome as theirs.Our last days were spent in the city of Reykjavík.We grabbed coffee at a local coffee shop...it was incredible.And here's me walking awkwardly with my purple hat by a purple building. :)Their homes are so colorful!Nope. We didn't act like tourists at all. I discovered this cute shop called Farmer's Market.There was so much pretty inspiration there.
They loved getting out of the house!
He needs a good brushing but, even still, his winter coat is so beautiful! 
There is so much history in these buildings. We've really enjoyed the space so far, and I'm hoping to, Lord willing, finally get around to share some sort of a house tour in picture form soon.
When we arrived at the airport, we were told Ethan's plane would be delayed. A 2-hour car drive and some change at the airport paled in comparison to the months he was away. We were about to be reunited with him and the extra hour didn't matter to us.The kids ran around the airport in excitement. We made a homemade sign that they couldn't wait to show him. They wanted to smother him with hugs and kisses and update him on all the things he missed while he was away. After some time passed, they directed all the families awaiting loved ones to stand in the front. I left the stroller and diaper bag behind (for picture purposes, obviously - haha) and watched as the first soldier stepped out through the swinging doors just before us. Every family stared in anticipation at the unknown figure in camouflage attire, hoping it was their special someone. Slowly, men and women trickled in. A round of applause was given to each person stepping through the door. One after another after another poured in but Ethan was nowhere to be seen. Each time the door swung open our heart fluttered. As the number of people out the door grew, each person not my husband left us a little deflated.The kids started getting restless. "I thought you said we were going to see Daddy. I don't see him here," Kaiden cried. "Where's my daddy?" Skye chimed in. A chain reaction amongst the kids began and before I knew it all three kids were crying on the floor. We were unable to get to diaper bags and snacks and bottles for fear of missing the moment he would step out. We stood there - Cora in hip, Skye in hand, and Kaiden by my side - waiting and watching dozens upon dozens of servicemembers step out for four whole hours. (My arm muscles were sore for days to follow, ha.)And then, finally we spotted a shadowy figure behind the luggage cart filled to the brim with gear -- there he was! All the kid's tears and moods were gone. Kaiden sprinted to his dad. Skye followed. I let them jump on him and wrap their arms around him before I got my turn. We gave each other a kiss and then he looked down at his daughter who had grown so much in six months. But she didn't recognize him. She cried, clinging to me even tighter.We made our way out to a less crowded space where we could just be and in those moments everything felt right in the world. Similar to labor pains, everything that precluded his arrival was nothing but a distant memory. We soaked in the fact that we were together in the flesh. No more broken up phone calls. No more updates of each other through pictures. We could hold hands and kiss and talk in person and hug and date. :)We drove home staring at each other with dumb smiles on our faces, affirming the love that grew fonder even in distance. I praised God for returning my husband home safely, for having his hand of protection on us as he was away, and for strengthening our marriage while being apart. There is no denying that God sustained us in this season. <3PS. My dear friend 
