LIVING WITH INTENTION

It's time to stop wishing and start doing!  I don't know about you, but I've done a lot of wishing in my life:  wishing I knew what I wanted to be when I grow up, wishing I could take my kids on a beach vacation, wishing I had more time to try new things, wishing I could travel with my husband, wishing Chip & Joanna Gains would 'Fixer Upper' a house just for me!  That last one may be a little far-fetched, but hey, a girl can dream!  Anyway, you get the idea.    

The older I get, the more I realize our time here is finite.  We can waste it wishing or we can make a plan and go for it!  Life is meant to be lived and I need to work more on living life with intention.  If I don't, none of those wishes will ever make it to check marks on my bucket list.

I have lived in central Nebraska my entire life.  For the past 10+ years, I have said, "Some day I want to go see the cranes."  I happen to live in the prime migration region, right along the Platte River in central Nebraska (scroll down to see the map).  I'm happy to report, I finally made a date to see the Sandhill Cranes during spring migration!  I was extra surprised when my 16 year old sons said they wanted to join me.  Definitely the cherry on top! 

The boys and I headed out on a chilly, breezy Sunday evening in our coveralls with 3 cameras and my iPhone.  We spent a couple of hours sitting in the shelter of the tall grass along the banks of the Platte River capturing photos and trying to take it all in.  We could feel the warmth of the setting sun as it glowed orange on the still dormant prairie grass.  No traffic noise.  No train noise.  No distractions.  Just the sound of conversations between new friends and the songs of thousands and thousands of cranes, as well as snow geese and ducks, flying in from all directions to roost for the evening on the Platte River.  It's something you have to experience in person at least once to fully appreciate. 

I put this together from the images and video the boys and I captured that evening.  Enjoy!

How did we find such a beautiful spot?  Nebraska farmer, eco tour guide and all-around nice guy, Chad Gideon helped the boys and me add a check mark to our bucket list.  I'm not sure my boys even had a bucket list, but now they can start one and it will already have a check!  You can learn more about Chad's migration season eco tours by clicking here:  Crane Cabin Retreat  Tell him Carrie sent you!

Would I do anything differently?  Yes!  Learning is part of any experience and hopefully lens acquisition is too!  I would love to have a really wide lens and really long lens.  Right now my range covers 24mm to 200mm, great for weddings and seniors but not the best for landscape or wildlife.  BUT, and that's a really big but, no matter what you shoot with, it's impossible to capture the enormity of it all. 

What did I learn?  I learned my old Nikon D80 needs a serious sensor cleaning!  I gave it to the kids years ago and I don't think it's ever been cleaned!  I also learned it's a lot of fun to just go for it!  I got to spend the evening with my sons and we all made a new friend.

Would I do it again?  Yes!  It's definitely something I want to do again.  Maybe next time I'll rent that long lens and get up the courage to overnight in a blind and maybe next time the birds will roost on our side of the river! 

Carrie