The Great Outdoors

So we went rock climbing a few weeks ago with our new friends from church, the Handleys. They are so awesome and outdoorsy like us! They have a daughter named Chloe and a son named Sage. They also have LOTS of rock climbing equipment! (which is nice, because we have very little). Emily and Ian (Handley) knew of a cool place to climb in Spearfish Canyon, so we headed out there. Adam led the first climb, after which we all top-roped it up the rock. Emily is definitely the best and most experienced climber in our group. She is so fearless and awesome! (and she plays it safe when necessary, which puts my mind at ease). Here she is climbing to the top: Their daughter Chloe is a born climber as well. Her dad belayed her as she climbed as high as she could (which was pretty high for a 6 year old!):

I'd say the reward for "most daring climber" would have to go to Ian. Once he puts his mind to climbing a certain rock, he refuses to give up. I'm more of a "do what's reasonable" person myself, but it's cool that he actually accomplishes his rock climbing goals! Here he is reaching the first bolt of a climb (without a rope! yikes!), a route the rest of us had decided to avoid, until he actually got it started:

He was pretty proud of himself... Okay, okay, we were ALL proud of him. lol.

We went rock climbing again a few weeks later in Custer State Park, which was SO pretty. The views from the tops of the rocks were gorgeous. The tallest rock we climbed that day was 30 meters...being weary of heights, I came back down seconds after I reached the top, but it still felt good to make it all the way up.

For the 4th of July, we all went camping in Custer State Park and decided to hike Harney Peak on Independence Day. Harney Peak is the highest mountain in South Dakota (7,242 ft). It's also the highest point east of the Rocky Mountains on the continent of North America, so that was pretty cool.

It was about 3.5 miles both ways. Heidi walked almost the whole way all by herself! Who would have thought that our little Yorkie was a country girl?! (I knew it all along).

We even saw a mountain goat at the top of the peak! It was Crrrazy!!!!

By the time we reached the car, Sage was pretty exhausted...lol. What a cutie!

All in all, our adventures have been great thusfar. South Dakota has a lot of neat places to see and great things to do outdoors. We're so glad we have friends now too!!! (Do I sound desperate for friends or something?...cuz I was). YAY!

Family Reunion

I must apologize for the lack of blog-ness this past month! Things have been keeping me pretty busy around here (church calling, vacations, camp, etc.). I feel like I have a bajillion pictures to post, but I'll narrow this blog entry down to our recent family reunion in Utah. Adam's family met at Fish Lake in southern Utah for their reunion at the end of June. His parents and little sister Andrea drove up from Chicago to pick us up. Then we drove up through North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming to tour Yellowstone. His sister Ashley (who goes to BYU-I), met us at Yellowstone for the night. We went to church that morning then toured the park (notice we were in the process of changing when this photo was taken). We then continued on to Utah, dropping Ashley off at BYU-I on the way. We stayed with Adam's brother Austin and his wife Shirley in Provo Sunday night. We arrived at Fish Lake on Monday.

Fish Lake was very pretty and peaceful. We stayed in a large cabin with Adam's extended family, and had fun fishing from the boat that Adam's parents rented. Adam and his family caught a few fish (mine got away when I reeled in the line too tight...oops). I've decided that Adam is a born fisherman. He is so kind too. He's allowing me to include a video of his secret fish-catching technique:

I'd have to say my absolute favorite part of the trip was when we went to Goblin Valley State Park. It is unlike any place I have ever seen in my life. You drive through the desert and run into this crazy piece of land with stacked, round rock formations everywhere! We had a jolly good time exploring the place. Adam reminds me of a goblin in this video:

There was a cool cave we climbed into as well.

Adam even captured a rare creature on video:

The family reunion included Adam's grandmother (Adam's mom's mom), all of her children, and their children, and children, and so on... blah blah blah. It was pretty cool to see everyone though. Surprisingly, I had met the great majority of them already. Here is a picture of us gathered around his grandmother:

I'm still waiting for a copy of the all-inclusive family picture. All in all, the trip was a fun time for all. We drove home via scenic Colorado. More blogs and stories to come!

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!