My Mini Vacation

So Adam has been home for a total of 9 days thusfar, after being in Ohio/Florida for 6 weeks. Therefore, not only am I the happiest woman in the world at this point, but I also have the digital camera back! Hooray! So I am now able to share some trip highlights with you. I decided a few days before Adam left for Ohio, that I would join him on the drive and visit my family in West Virginia for a little bit. We brought our little pup Heidi along as well, so she could meet her extended family and friends. lol. She was a great travel companion, and slept during most of the trip. Adam thought it was funny to make strange noises that confused her. I agree -it was amusing. Here is a video of one of the rare moments she was awake:

While in WV, I stayed at my dad's house and joined the cheering section of my siblings' baseball/softball games. Here is a video of my brother Hiram sliding into 3rd base:

My dad, sister Abby, and bff Sara sat in the stands for moral support.

So I know that it may seem that I'm obsessed with my little dog Heidi, but I must say that...I am. So here are two more videos of her being the amazing little pooch that she is:

It just so happened that my visit was over Abby's 12th birthday too, so I had the honor of making her birthday cake. I'm such a homemaker!!!

I had such a good time hanging out with my best friend Sara (8 years and counting). We went on many adventures together, as illustrated below.

Eating some good food at Max and Erma's as a couples' date.Our Frostop picnic:A sunset stroll in the park:I had the honor of being with Sara when she caught her first fish EVER! woot woot!

I also got to spend some time with my mom at her place. Heidi kept peeing/pooping on the carpet, so we locked her up in the kitchen.

As a final goodbye, my dad, stepmom Hilary, Hiram, and Abby took me to lunch at Bob Evans. YUM! I kept trying to take a picture of Hiram and my dad, and this is one of the better pictures I could get:

Okay, so I actually took a picture where both of their eyes were open, but I thought this was a funny picture...sorry guys.

All in all, it was a pretty fun trip. Heidi and I flew back home to South Dakota, and she was an angel to fly with. I must say though, I'm very happy to have my hubby home. I just love being together!

April Showers Bring May... SNOW.

I was teased by nice weather two days ago, and now we're supposed to get 4-6 inches of snow tomorrow. Boo, South Dakota! Boo! Anyway, I was able to visit my family and friends in West Virginia these past 2 weeks while Adam is in Services training in Ohio. I've since returned to South Dakota, but Adam won't be home until the end of May. Therefore, my day today consisted of painting my toenails, random t.v. shows, applying to random jobs I probably won't get, talking to Adam via cell phone, entertaining my puppy, and babysitting a friend's sleeping child. I thought I would enjoy being completely open to do whatever I want, but I'm kind of going crazy. Trust me, you would too.

Sorry I dont' have any photos from my trip yet. When Adam returns with the camera, there will be a palooza of picture/video fun. To come: My 10 yr old brother Hiram sliding into 3rd base during his little league baseball game, Heidi's attempt to join me on a bed that is twice as tall as she is, and fun photos from our car ride down to WV (Heidi came with us). I know you just can't wait. Oh, and Adam, if you read this, I miss you.

Our New Addition

Well, we finally did it. We got a puppy. HA! You thought I was pregnant, didn't you?! I fooled you all! mua ha ha. Anyway, her name is Heidi, and she's a 9 week old yorkshire terrier (terror). She may seem cute, but don't let her looks deceive you. Okay, she really is cute...except for when she pees, poops, and bites. We're working on all of that though. She's such a fun addition to our little family of two. Plus, she'll keep me company when Adam leaves for 1 and 1/2 months next Friday. : ( Adam got her as a birthday present of sorts for me. (I say "of sorts" so I'm not stuck cleaning up all the poo myself - It's not MY dog's poo...it's OUR dog's poo...). I just realized I've said poo or poop like 7-8 times in my entire blog. What is it with my life and poop! (8-9). So yes, I'm now 23, and we happened to get a puppy around that time. haha. It's fun to watch her explore new things every day, especially outside. She loves it outdoors until another dog barks in her direction. In that case, she's OUTTA THERE! Enjoy the pics and videos!

Welcome to South Dakota!

Well, we're finally all moved in and settled here in Rapid City. I guess I should catch you up on how we made it here before I go into our adventures in SD. We left two weeks ago after many tears and goodbyes. We planned our trip so that we would spend our nights at Air Force bases along the way. Our first stop was Biloxi, MS, where we each lost $2 at the Hard Rock casino...we're not THAT naughty, are we? Next we drove up to Little Rock, AR. Surprisingly, Arkansas was probably my favorite state to drive through. It was so hilly and pretty. Next we drove up to Whiteman AFB in Missouri. That place was in the middle of nowhere!!! We found a good Chinese buffet there though. Yum. Next we drove up through Iowa and into Omaha, NE for some R & R. We stopped at the Winter Quarters Temple and did a session there. It was really pretty inside and out.





We finally crossed into South Dakota.


To my horror, it smelled like horse poop all over the east half of the state. I'm not exaggerating - As soon as we crossed into SD, it smelled.

Thankfully, it doesn't smell where we are. Maybe we just got used to it. Eww. Someone come visit me and tell me if it smells. For real...I'm lonely. haha. We finally made it to Rapid City though! The town's pretty cool. It's small, but cozy.











We live about 30 minutes from Mt. Rushmore too. We decided to drive out there to check it out. It is pretty awesome. I was impressed. I was afraid we'd get there and find out that Mt. Rushmore is actually 5 feet wide or something. I wasn't disappointed though! It's huge, just like I hoped. After we admired and defaced the presidents, we decided it was time to head out.

We finally decided on a place to live. We're living in base housing, but it's actually about 20 minutes from Ellsworth AFB. It's pretty exciting because we have an actual house. Goodbye apartment living! It's a 3 bedroom, 2 bath little house that we can hardly fill up. I guess we'll just have to have a baby or something to take up more space ; ). And no, that was not an announcement of any kind. Well, that's our last 2 weeks in about 5 minutes! Enjoy!

On the Road Again!

Well, Adam and I are about to pack up our computer. The movers are coming to take everything away tomorrow morning, so I won't be on for awhile. (Even though we're not officially leaving until Saturday). I'll be sure to post pictures of our journey when everything is settled again! Wish us luck : ) So long, paradise!

A Monday Bike Ride

Today Adam and I decided to go for a bike ride on a 7 mile trail that we found the other day at Tarkiln State Park. The trail led to Perdido Bay.

The day started out beautifully. There was a nice cool breeze blowing, and I was feeling great! And being the health guru that I am, I wore the appropriate head gear.

However, soon we came across an obstacle. Little did we know that the trail was seeping with similar trials...

I survived dragging my bike through the brush with minor damages.

Near the end of the halfway mark, I was feeling mighty tired and I knew I needed some carbs.

Thankfully, we had a picnic lunch to enjoy once we reached the bay!

We sat and enjoyed our sandwiches and decided we had better head back since it looked like it was going to rain.

However, we made time to share a special moment together first.

THE END

State Parks

Adam and I decided that since we'd be leaving Pensacola soon, we wanted to take advantage of the beautiful sights and weather before we move to the land of ice. While Adam was at work the other day, I went to the beach and just stared at the Gulf of Mexico for awhile. I feel like we're leaving paradise! However, I know South Dakota will have some awesome places to visit too. Plus, neither of us have explored the plains area very much.

We spent most of yesterday exploring the state parks that are minutes away from where we live. It's kind of sad that we hadn't visited them until now, but it was a fun day anyway.









The first one was Big Lagoon State Park. It has an observation tower that looks over the ocean. There was an old couple at the top of the tower that took a picture of us together. I wanted to be cool and carve our names into the tower like many before us had done, but I'm not very good at carving letters into wood with car keys. Oh well.









Next we went to Tarkiln State Park, which is very close to Big Lagoon. We walked on the mile long trail and were surprised by how nice it was.

A lot of the trail was made up of wooden walkways that seemed fairly new. We kept finding lizards and crazy plants to take pictures of. Adam hopped off the wooden trail a few times to get some better pictures of the wildlife. He loves taking cool pictures.




The end of the trail led to Tarkiln Bayou, which was absolutely gorgeous. We were the only ones at the park, and the bayou was surrounded by tall pine trees. It was very peaceful/romantic.







That night we had a goodbye dinner with friends from church. Overall, the day was just relaxing and enjoyable. I love hanging out with my hubby.