on a whim KP and i, along with the ever hilarious angus, packed up kyle's car and drove five and half hours to the merritt reservoir friday night - in hopes of seeing the northern lights and trying our hands at some star photography. this was my first attempt at star photography, and i admit i still need some practice at it. and while we didn't actually see the aurora borealis, we definitely made some memories! we arrived just before midnight when the moon was already high in the sky and the wind was howling cold. this september has been chilly early & we pulled on layer after layer before heading out to take our long exposures. it was almost eerie out there, that late at night with no one around in sight - we were definitely freaking ourselves out at times and then laughing about it all as we hustled back to the car to sleep. i have to say that part of the state of nebraska is beautiful - tucked away in the sandhills there are lakes and rivers everywhere. the reservoir in particular has wonderful - almost white - sandy beaches. we did a bit of exploring the next morning before packing up and heading home. i feel so thankful to have a partner that is goofy, that i can sing songs with on roadtrips, loves me for me in all of my weirdness, and jumps aboard and supports my harebrained ideas. we definitely need to go back next time for longer!