Saturday, May 15, 2021
I left home with my lilac bushes about to burst forth.
I calculate they will be in bloom while we're away.
Micah was informed of my disappointment in missing them.
Lilacs are my favorite! I wait for them all year long!
Actually, just leaving home in general disappoints me.
Home life is my gig.
The Machine Shed restaurant was our first stop early this morning.
We all wanted a hearty breakfast for the long car ride ahead.
A large tree with white blooms was close to where we parked.
Micah snapped off a branch for me to sniff and enjoy on our ride.
Not quite an actual lilac, but a kind gesture made missing my lilacs a little more bearable.
Micah decided a road trip out west was just what our family needed as we wrap up another homeschool year.
The kids and I had never been "out west" before. They were looking forward to Cowboys, Indians, wild buffalo, and adventure!
I'm praying for the energy to keep up!
🙏
Sunday, May 16, 2021
We listened to Pastor David Jeremiah in the hotel room for "Downs Church."
He gave an inspiring and comforting message on the second coming of Christ and the Judgement of the Saints.
In my own personal reading, I read Colossians 1:29 which promises, "His energy will work powerfully in me."
I had just prayed for that.
I need energy to keep up with my very active family!
I thanked the Lord for giving me that promise right when I needed it.
(I have noticed that sermons from pastors are great for encouragement and knowledge. But it's only by reading God's Word for myself that I am pricked, convicted, and ministered to by the Holy Spirit.)
Had to stop by the Mall of America on our way...
Monday, May 17, 2021
We made it to Chamberlain, South Dakota.
We stopped at Wall Drug first for shopping and lunch.
The kids enjoyed the shops and sights.
We have now purchased three books on this trip.
One on the Badlands, one on Lewis and Clark, and a children's book titled, The Woman Who Lived With Wolves.
(Nola has loved wolves for several years now. So, in our family, if one person loves something, we all love it!)
Our home library is full, but homeschool mothers cannot resist books.
They call to me from the shelves in stores, and the next thing I know I'm at the counter buying them.
We visited the Badlands today, and went on a treacherous but beautiful hike.
The views were stunning!
The kids loved all the climbing. It was like a giant playground for them.
We were blessed with the best weather we could have asked for.
The sun was warm but the wind was chilly.
We were never too hot or too cold.
South Dakota is beautiful, and Rapid City is such a nice place.
The feeling here is conservative and kind.
It has an Orthopedic clinic (Micah's line of work) and a Baptist church, so we joked that we could move here and be right at home.
Such a different vibe from Minneapolis, which felt aggravated and overly crowded.
Here we can breathe.
🌲
Micah's mother is in the hospital, very ill.
It has been weighing on us.
Being far from home is difficult in times like these.
He receives updates from his sister and father regularly, and we find we are on the edge of our seats when the daily text or call comes in.
During our not-so-serious chat about how we'd love to live here, I mentioned how this experience of being two states away when a loved one is sick only further cements in me what I've believed all along. And that is to do our best to stay living close to our parents, especially while they age. I want to be available when they need us.
🌷
We have rented a lovely cottage by a creek and I'm enjoying it very much.
The house isn't fancy or pretty, but it is clean and comfortable.
We visited Mt. Rushmore today.
I was thrilled to see that!
It was awesome to visit such an iconic and famous site.
There is a ton of stair-climbing involved there, so I was happy I wore very comfortable walking shoes.
Wednesday, May 19, 2021
Today will be remembered as the day we all went panning for gold in the Black Hills with "Rattlesnake Randy."
Was HE a character!
The kids had a blast.
We are going home with a little glass vial of a few flakes of gold that the kids dug and panned themselves.
Receiving instructions...
He's not a tour guide. He's an authentic gold miner who has several "claims" in the Black Hills. He takes people out and teaches them how to dig for gold themselves.
Leave it to Micah to find a guy like him!
"Keep runnin' dirt!" was the line we heard from him all day.
It meant "Don't quit! Keep it up!"
It is hard work.
Roman is holding it up... The kids are so proud.
Thursday, May 20, 2021
We realized we were in four states today.
We left our creekside cottage in SD and traveled to Devils Tower National Park in Wyoming... Drove through Montana and stopped to have dinner... Ended up in Bismarck, ND to sleep.
We've become an accidental hiking family.
I don't know how that happened.
But when a love of being in nature combines with energetic kids, it makes sense.
We hiked around the base of Devils Tower and were rewarded with this amazing view!
Friday, May 21, 2021
We are considering driving hard today to try to get home tonight.
We're ready.
It's been a long week.
I'm aching for my own shower and bed, and thoroughly sick of gas station bathrooms.
We stopped in Fargo, ND for lunch.
Cute, busy little city.
I think we've given the kids a memorable trip!
