First we stopped at Crazy Horse Monument! I love the fact that all funds are raised privately for this place! No funds come from the government for this monument! It was a pretty good fee to get into the place, but it was totally worth it! The movie that they have on site is incredible, and the museum was amazing!
Right when we arrived at Mount Rushmore. It was amazing. The path behind Lucy and Barrett was lined with all the flags of the individual states of the USA. It was beautiful. It was nice to be at a place that was not under construction!! It was all shiny and updated and beautiful!!
Barrett and Lucy were like two puppies when they got out of the car, and were able to run a little bit! Lucy is hugging Barrett here, and he is laughing almost to the point that he can't walk because he is laughing too much. Mount Rushmore is exactly to the right of these two goofballs in this picture.
Mount Rushmore is amazing. It was truly a spectacle of grandeur. The rocks from the stonework were laid at the base, like a skirt of rocks, and it was beautiful. The Black Hills are amazing! It was so beautiful, I can see why people go there on their motorcycles. It is somewhere you would be happy to be with no roof over head!
This was taken right at the base of the monument. We picked a perfect time to go! Hardly anyone was there! It was great timing!
Thank you, to the lady from Minnesota for taking our picture! I returned the favor and took one of her family, too! They had three little kids that were so cute. And she had an awesome accent!
So, a tip, if you ever go to Mount Rushmore...
There is a path that goes in a loop around the property. When you are walking towards the main concourse, take the way that goes to the LEFT. It is the easy way. And when you see the sign that says something like "Advanced Hike" or "Rigorous Hike" (I don't remember what it said exactly...) but that is the point you want to turn around and go back the way you came.
There is a path that goes in a loop around the property. When you are walking towards the main concourse, take the way that goes to the LEFT. It is the easy way. And when you see the sign that says something like "Advanced Hike" or "Rigorous Hike" (I don't remember what it said exactly...) but that is the point you want to turn around and go back the way you came.
It is pretty cool to take the whole loop, without turning back. But it is pretty intense. A lot of steps down (if you came at it from the left of the concourse) and some steps up, at the end. But if you went on the hike starting from the right side of the concourse, you are in for one serious work out! Lots of steps up!! I am glad that Becky Hansen told us to start on the left!! (Her and her husband JUST went there, too!)
Robert thought this was a funny picture to take. I only took it because I am his wife, and he asked me too.
After sleeping in a hotel, and having breakfast, we went to Devil's Tower on the way home. It was amazing and totally worth the time we took to stop!
And by the very end of the sun on the 17th, we had made it to Martin's Cove. It was getting cold, and dark, so we didn't hike to the actual cove, but we have thought it would be nice to go back again and do sometime. Now that we have a wedding to go to in Nebraska next October, maybe we will stop along the way, and see the cove! We did get to see the visitors center, which was wonderful!
I actually followed through with a prompting that I got, which was that I need to get together with my siblings more often. I didn't realize how much I miss them. So, I invited my sister and her cute family over for dinner! We had a great time. Her boys are so sweet, and I forgot how much little boys are like puppies! So cute, and fun to be around, curious about everything and wiggly! They happily tried all the food I made, which was awesome! They did eat enough, because we had chocolate cake and ice cream for dessert! It was fun to have a chance to talk to Cheri and Jon and find out how they are doing and what is going on with them! I hope now that I will get together with my other siblings and be in better contact with them all!
Lucy reminds me of Parker so much sometimes.
She loves her muscles.
I love the will power of this little weed growing at the soccer stadium! We have seen it there for the last three games now! Proof that determination pays off!
We went to see Calvin's new puppy. I got this picture of the friends sitting together, and didn't even get a picture of the puppy! I will have to go back and get one with the puppy! It was just so good to see these two together. Now that they aren't in the same age group for soccer, and they aren't in the same school, they hardly see each other! Calvin is a favorite friend, for sure!
The quilt I made for a store sample at Elaine's Quilt Block. It is called Wonky Winter Star. There are kits available now. It is flannel, and it goes together SO fast! I love how it turned out!
Barrett had a soccer game, 40 minutes to the north of us, and a band concert (back 40 minutes) on the same night!! We had to leave the soccer game a few minutes early, and rush in the car to get him to his concert in time to perform! Oh my. It was crazy, but it was fun! He is actually pretty good at the trumpet. He loves that his friend, Connor also plays the trumpet and plays soccer! He says that all the guys that play the trumpet are pretty awesome. I am glad he is having such a great time in Jr. High!!
I don't know why I took this picture of the drink bar at Cafe Rio. I think that I was amazed that no one was there! Usually you have to really be patient to get in there and get a drink! Maybe someday, it will be a picture to look back on and say "remember this?!"
All the lessons at church today were awesome! The Sunday school lesson that Shauna taught today was amazing! The new Relief Society teacher was amazing! We got to perform our choir song today, which was, I think, the most fun I have had in choir. I really enjoyed it, even though I am not very good. The spirit was amazing.
The stake had standards night tonight, and it was a great speaker who didn't grow up with religion, that got hooked on drugs at an early age. He lost a full ride scholarship due to the drugs and partying. He ended up gong to a community college and was overheard some girls talking about fasting and praying. He asked them what that was, and, as a last ditch effort of hope, tried it. It changed his life. It was an amazing story.
Heavenly Father loves us, people. He loves us enough to always let us do what we will. Will we leave the wallow, and choose to make our way back to Him? There is a way.
And it is true.
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