Guest Post from Stellar Propeller: Are you a Traveler or a Tourist?

Hello, hello! How is everyone's Friday going so far?

I am a part of a wonderful blogging community called Bloggish where I am able to connect with some really incredible bloggers all across the US. Today Colorado-based, Allison from the Stellar Propeller, is here to tell all about her travels and photography abroad! Her beautiful photography and stories are awe-inspiring.

Meet Allison!

“The traveler sees what he sees. The tourist sees what he has come to see.”

― G.K. Chesterton

This quote says so much that I hardly want to say anything to accompany it. I’m scared I may take away from it or add to it if I do, and that quote doesn’t need anything from me. I just know that I’ve been on both sides of that coin (traveler and tourist), and being a traveler is by far the best. Sometimes there are things we can only be shown when we’re not on a mission to find anything in particular, when we’re just content to be in the middle of a journey and take in whatever our Good Father wants to show us. We can miss so much when we have our mind set on what we think we need to see.

I travel all over the world for my job. I’m a photographer, which is the best job on the planet. Here are a few photos of some things I found when I wasn’t looking for anything… 

This first one is from Aran Island in Ireland. My friends and I ended up on this island because we got on the wrong bus, but it was one of the greatest mistakes of my life! We spent an entire day biking around in the green glory and the stone fences and castle ruins. It was magical. 

We were just outside of Petra here, which is obviously the main attraction since it's one of the 7 wonders and all. But the way the sunset hit the rocks out there was just too beautiful not to stop for. 

I was in Albania to rock climb, teach Myers Briggs, and see some good friends. I wasn't there to play with this ADORABLE little girl, but it quickly became a favorite part of coming home at the end of the day. She lived with her grandmother next door to the house where we were staying, and you'd never guess by the light in her eyes that her grandmother often told her to stop playing, stop smiling, and that she was a bad girl. It reminded me how resilient the spirit in a child is. 

Part of my work in Jordan was to photograph at an olive wood shop that an American woman has started. She employs lots of Jordanians and has done great work in the community. The men do the initial carving and shaping, then send the pieces upstairs to the women to be perfected and polished. This one hadn't been sent upstairs yet, and I was very caught by it. The longer I stared at it, the more the Lord spoke to me about. He told me this was me... unfinished, but in His arms. 

Speaking of not looking for ANYthing... once upon a time in Italy, I was waiting alone for my friends to return from the WC and this handsome Italian fellow started asking me for directions. We ended up spending the next 2 days together (with all of our friends), wrote letters to each other for over a year, and then I went back to Italy the next year and stayed with him and his family. There's nothing like having an Italian lover for a souvenir. 

A note from Haley: Allison is a part of our Bloggish community (don't you just love her?!) and we are doing a guest blog loop. You can find her blogging at her blog Stellar Propeller. Today I will be blogging at The Rose Garden Blog so head on over there and follow the loop!