A travelin we will go

It has been a whirlwind week. Last Monday we had the car all packed up and left out on our great summer adventure. Tonight is the first night I am finally able to sit down and blog about it all. Here is everyone right before we set out. First stop, Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Miles: 535.





I was wondering just how long those smiles would last. Thankfully, due to the video player, it lasted just about the whole time with the girls. Eli was the one I was really worried about. He had been going through a phase where he always wanted to be held.

Well, Eli would get cranky of course when he was hungry, so I would just pop on back and give him a bottle. When he would get tired or would just need some attention either Chris or I (depending on who was driving of course) would just sit back there for awhile. He did absolutely wonderful. After about 9 hours or so on the road we finally got to our hotel. Ah sweet hotel stay number 1. It was probably one of the best hotels I've stayed in. We had an awesome continental breakfast. Definitely spoiled us for the rest of the trip. We unload the car and got to relax for a little while. Morning came way to earlier, packed up the car for the second leg of the trip. Next stop, Sturgis, South Dakota. Miles: 375.

Call me crazy, but I absolutely love the state of South Dakota. I loved being back in this state and I was so looking forward getting back to the Black Hills. The kiddos all did amazing, again. We stopped in the Badlands to get a tshirt that we weren't able to get last time we were there, then hopped back in the car for the final miles to our hotel stay numbers 2 and 3 in Sturgis. It was nice to be in a hotel for a couple of days this time. We got to the hotel and relax for a short time and then we headed over to one of the elders house for some good home cooked dinner. Such a nice change to the garbage we had been eating on the road. It was such a great time of fellowship. It had been a couple of years since we had seen them and it was so nice to see our friends again. They got to hear from Chris about what all he has been doing in school and they were very impressed with what they had been learning. We got back to the hotel really late that night. After the girls were in bed I leaned in to give Samantha a kiss on her forehead and she was burning up. Blah! Out Chris goes to hunt down some Tylenol. Luckily her fever broke a few hours later. She caught a bit of a cold but was doing good the next morning.

On Wednesday we decided to go and take a tour of a mine. This one to be exact:



We waited just a short time...



30 minutes later, tour over. It was ok, just not as good as I was expecting. See...proof we all made it out!


(Do I really look that fat in person? Really? Chris said what do you expect, you just had a baby 4 months ago, and it's not like you have a personal trainer. I say, that's no excuse. I look gross. Again, do I seriously look like that?)

We also took a drive through Spearfish canyon since we weren't able to our first time in the Black Hills. Ah, such amazing beauty. I would live here if I could I love it so much. Stopped to take a picture of one of the waterfalls. Ok, I did more than take a picture. I ignored the do not hike signs (in all fairness, EVERYONE ignored the sign) and hiked over to the base of the waterfall. It was the first one I had ever seen and it was just beautiful.


Then, back to the hotel where we all rested for a few hours before heading over to the church. The wonderful ladies there had a potluck dinner for us and then it was time for Chris to preach. It was his first time preaching for them, and it turned out I was far more nervous than he was. I just wanted them to see what a great blessing the school has been. He did really good and they were all very please. Whew. We ended up staying there and vising with everyone for a few hours afterward and again got back to the hotel quiet late.

Then, pack up the car again and head to hotel number 3. Next stop, Mankato, MN. Miles: 550.

Goodbye Black Hills, I will miss you


OK, as much as I love South Dakota, driving through the state twice in just a couple of days...not so much fun. It takes about 5 1/2 hours to drive across it, and a lot of the land is, well, flat. And boring. Just fine once, but to go through twice in just a few days was hard. As if the state knew that you would need a break from the boringness, it gets really beautiful again by the Missouri River. Which, by the way, is so amazingly clear up there. We just get the muddy mess by the time it gets down here to Missouri. The flat and vast land starts to roll a bit.


And then quite a bit more. The pictures really doesn't do it justice. It is really pretty. (just don't mind the buggy smeared windshield.


Then pop over a hill and tada...the clear Missouri River.


Then, back to flat land. No need for pictures. Chris actually drove all the way through. We stopped back in Sioux Falls for some lunch and then I drove the rest of the way to Mankato. So...no pictures. Although, most of the drive wasn't much different than in South Dakota. Most of the drive was in Minnesota but bordering on Iowa...so lots and lots of flat farm land. Finally get to Mankato. Same old, same old. Unpack the car, sleep, pack it back up.

Final stop, Virginia, MN. Miles: 276.

Can I just say, driving through St. Paul/Minneapolis...so NOT FUN! The roads were a mess, the drivers were bad, and our Tom Tom thingy told us to get off on an exit when we were suppose to stay on the highway. We finally got back on though and were back on our way. Road construction going on, of course, as it was the entire trip. So here is where it got a bit interesting. When we were in the Black Hills the TCS (traction control system) button went off as well as the check engine. Grrrr. We were hoping it would resolve itself because my van likes to let the check engine light come on for no reason. The next morning, all warning lights were off. Then, about an hour into when I was driving it came back on. The car wasn't doing anything differently, on we drove. Well, we stopped for gas about 90 miles from Virginia. Chris was accelerating hard to get back on the highway and it starts to sputter. My heart stopped. Here we are in the middle of no where. I was just thinking please don't die, please don't die. He let off the gas and it was fine. About 20 miles later (and both of us just praying we get here) he goes to pass a car, accelerates heavy, same thing happens.

So um, yeah. Here we are hundreds of miles from home and we are having car problems. We having been driving around just a little around town and if he doesn't accelerate too fast it is fine. We can't get it in the shop until Thursday. We are just hoping and praying that it isn't something too expensive because 1) we don't exactly have just tons of money sitting in the bank and 2) it's not like we can GET to our bank to deposit what little money we have in savings. What ticks me off even more is the fact that we just put about $1,000 into this stupid car before we left so we could AVOID this exact problem. We had all the belts changed out, new tires put on, oil and fuel whatever changed. If it is going to be a costly fix I don't know what we are going to do. Chris thinks it is some sensor du-hicky (sorry, don't know car lingo). He said if it is what he thinks it is, he will be surprised if it gets fixed for less than 500 bucks. Yup, that number makes me sick to my stomach. We have never had a problem with this thing. Ever. Until now of course. I hate that they couldn't get it in sooner because now I just get to keep thinking about it.

Guess we will do what we have to do. For now we are just hanging out and enjoying some amazing weather. Low 70's at the end of July. Ah, a girl could get use to this!






(And no, Samantha is still not letting me take her picture. She won't look at me, let alone smile)

Whew, and that now brings us up to date.