summer is almost over

The kids are back from summer visitation.

Christy returned with a turtle. Joy. We went and bought $93 worth of turtle supplies, learned he'll live for 25 -30 years...and she said she didn't think it would be that complicated and she wasn't planning on a lifetime commitment. Thank you Jesus! He's been released in the wilds and I'm planning a return trip to the pet store.

Nick is thinner and taller.

We school shopped and hair cutted today. (I know that's not a real word). We finally told them where we're going on family vacation. We're flying to AZ tomorrow to see the Grand Caynon, Northern AZ and Zion Nat'l Park. We'll be gone a week.

I got promoted at work. I know sit at the front desk. I am an Administrative Assistant how works M-Th 8 to 3, refuses to work on Fridays and gets to go on vacation whenever I want! I love my job!!

BIG NEWS!! We've been picked by an expectant mom to parent her child. He's due in October! We're having a baby!!

So needless to say...things are a little more chaotic than usual around here!

CA Trip I

Mom and I drove to California in the beginning of June for a family reunion. We went out through, Missouri, Kansas, Southern Colorado, S Utah and S Nevada entering California around Mono Lake and Yosemite. We came home on I-80This pictures are in random blogger-ific order.

This is Amelia Earhart's birthplace on the Missouri River is Kansas.

The Modesto, CA Farmer's market was a riot of sweet cherries and rainier cherries. Cheap and Delicious!

Yosemite is still magnificant and awe-inspiring! This is from Olmstead Point:

The Garden of the Gods is pretty spectacular too!

With the snow melt Yosemite had very full waterfalls and water flowing everywhere.

This is Upper and lower Yosemite Falls from the valley floor.

Sun Sum Summer time!

It's finally officially summer Here. I can't believe I haven't posted since March. I'm a working woman now (26 hours a week!). Which I love but it has seriously cut into my blogging time!

So here's an update since march:

• New York City ROCKED!~! I can't wait to go back! We were there Fri afternoon until Monday afternoon. We ate Cuban, visited the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, Times Square (we really were a half a block away!), Hells Kitchen, Ground Zero, the Intrepid Sea Air and Space Museum, The UN, Grand Central Station, Broadway (we saw Mary Poppins and A little night music). I would spend ALL my extra money on shows if I lived there. We went to Amy's breads, I had a delish cupcake from a famous cupcake place whose name I can't remember. We saw Bryant Park and the NYC Library! Catherine Zeta Jones almost stepped on me! We went to Rockefeller Center and ST Patrick's cathedral. We had a great time and stayed at the Paramount Hotel.
• The kids left for the summer. Both of them managed to move on to the next grade though it was in doubt because of nick's laziness and procrastination. So one kid is on the honor roll with a 4.0 and the other could have been but instead barely passed sophomore English. They're back Aug 6th.
• Mom and I drove to CA for a family reunion. We were gone 12 days. We drove Hwy 50 through CO, UT, and NV. We visited Manitou Springs, Yosemite, Mono Lake, the San Joaquin valley and Oroville. We purchased pottery thus propping up the CA economy. We brought the Aunt home with us.
• We had the dining room painted a lovely shade of light grey. The trim is bright white. The outlets have been switched and the carpet has been cleaned.
• Kurt and I planted a lot of new perennials. We attempted to liberate my hostas from the timber weeds at the farm.
• I got "promoted" at work. I'm now an administrative assistant working M-Th from 8a-3p rather than working 8-10 hours whenever I feel like it.
• We still don't have baby although we talked to a potential expectant mom (it fell through, but it was exciting). We're starting Year 2 of waiting.
• Kurt goes to Tucson Sun-Wed.
• Tomorrow I'm trying acupuncture for the first time.

I think that pretty much sums up what's been happening around here. I'd post some pictures if I was on the other computer.

West Ward Ho - Conclusion

Where in the World is Wall Drug? Right where it's always been on I-90. It was fun to poke around.

I remember this Jackalope being HUGE...I must have been tiny!

The World's ONe and only Corn Palace! Can't drive through South Dakota without subjecting the kids to the rite of passage! It was raining so I only have a shot from inside.

Who can forget the Badlands?

Thus concludes our trip. we drove 4, 000+ miles. We spent the night in Sioux Falls with Grandpa and Grandpa and then headed for home sweet home...where a happy puppy and piles and piles of laundry awaited!

West Ward Ho X

These guys don't change much!
The visitor's center and flags are new since...hmm....1980? I think that's when I was last there!

Bear Country USA is much improved!

Christy carrying on the family tradition!

One last Elk for the road!

West Ward Ho IX (i dont' think that's the right # for 9)

I've always wanted to go to Devil's Tower!

It's just a big rock but it's pretty awesome!

We hiked all around the base of it.

West Ward Ho VIII

We drove down through the Grand Tetons and spent the night near Jackson Hole. However the mountains were shrouded in clouds so we didn't get to see the spectacular views.

This cutie was at our resort. His little tushie and feet were sticking out the other side!

We drove through snow at 9,000 feet on June 7th!!

The balsam root was everywhere! Bears like to eat its roots.

West Ward Ho VII

Mammoth Hot Springs was about the last thing we visited in Yellowstone. It was totally surreal!

This is another of the pools near Old Faithful.

West Ward Ho VI

At Castle Geyser. It erupted almost continuously.

One of the many plentiful boiling pools

The bald eggs were nesting

She was crying for her baby (notice it in the hot spring)

West Thumb of the Yellowstone Lake and an Elk in the Mist

West Ward HO ....Where were we?

The Falls at Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone (looks fake doesn't it?)

Bison are everywhere!!

The only traffic jam we were in for the entire trip. It lasted about 45 min and hundreds of bulls, cows, and calves went by!

Grazing in fresh green meadow. The sun even came out for a bit!

Castle Geyer near Old Faithful.

West Ward Ho II

Taking a break from hiking at Sundrift Gorge in Glacier:

Nick spotted a big horn sheep:

Swift Current Lodge - It wasn't open yet:

This deer was right next to our truck. Christy spotted it.

There are glaciers under all that snow - this is the first week in June!

West Ward Ho I

Heading toward on of the glaciers



On the Cedar Trail


The glacier is lost in the clouds:

Christy is loving the mountains!

Just beyond the "watch for Grizzlies" sign in West Glacier:

4,117 miles and who knows how many $$ later....

We had a great vacation! There was just enough family time. It went sooooo much better than expected! We had breakfast at the hotel, sandwiches for lunch and dinner out. Everyone had a snack box and no one ran out!

We visited Glacier, Yellowstone, followed the Lewis and Clark Voyage of Discovery (although it was deemed too boring to listen to), the Tetons (shrouded in clouds), Mt Rushmore, the Badlands, Wall Drug and many little points in between!

The kids' money lasted longer than I thought it would. I'm surprised there's a rock left to purchase in the West.

We got to visit with Kurt's parents on our way home so that was a bonus ending to our journey.

HOme again!

We are back from family vacation out west. We are exhausted. We have no food and no clean clothes!

Stay tuned!

The Iowa State Fair

Everyone I know went to the State Fair. I wanted to go too! I saw the bank was going on Wednesday for $33. It seemed like a bargain to me, but everyone was laughing that it would be me and a bunch of blue-hairs. Plus, the flyer didn't specifically say it included fair admission. ****sidebar*** I have this happen to me all the time – I have conversations with people that say “pacifically” in place of “specifically”. ****

I asked Kurt if he was interested in going. He really wasn't so I considered my options. My parents were going to go so I checked with them. Well they were going to DSM on Monday and stay until Wednesday. Since Kurt was going to on a business trip Tuesday and Wednesday that wasn't a viable option. I called the Wonder Twin. He was already there. Dang. I called Rikki. She, Amy and Amy's parents were going on Thursday. I could go by myself, but that didn't sound like much fun. When Kurt got home from work I said to him, “I really really really want to go to the State Fair”. He snapped at me, “Well then go!”

Drama!

Rikki ended up offering to go with me. She said she was fine with going twice. Since the kids are irresponsible and didn't take Francis out once when I had my root canal and was gone for 11 hours, I kenneled him.

Tuesday, Rikki and I went to the fair. It rained almost all the way there. We parked at a high school and took a shuttle in for $2 bucks. As we got off the bus, it quit raining. Some people that were sitting in front of us and eavesdropping on our inane conversation gave us an extra ticket! It only cost us $5 each to get in. Sweet! More money for food! We quickly went through the 4-H building and then went in search of turkey legs and a pork chop on a stick.

Marn called to see where we were. They had spent an hour on University attempting to get to the parking lot. I told her we were in front of the round horse barn getting our food. She said she was there, too! I looked around and she was probably 50 yards away. I was gnawing on my turkey leg and Rikki was chomping on her pork chop on a stick. Marn said, “how long have you to been here?” We said, “maybe 15 minutes.” We came to eat after all!

She, Ryan and Todd were having a funnel cake. Ryan was telling us a story and explaining how he smelled a witch in their bathroom the day before. He said something else hilarious. He was real chatty and then wanted out of the stroller so he could stomp in puddles. We went through the discovery garden with them. Marn is a master gardener and does her volunteer hours in one of the beds there. Ryan was running through the flower tunnels and stomping in more puddles. He gave me a hug and a kiss as he flew by on his way to another run through the tunnel. Rikki and I continued on our journey.

We saw the butter cow and the butter Shawn Johnson. I agree with Jen – thunder thighs! Plus, I think the butter Shawn Johnson may be taller than the real one!

I got a free boiled egg on a stick. We went through the Cultural Center and looked at the photography and art. There was some very cool stuff and some very weird stuff. Such as a taxidermied beaver coming out of a television. Huh? We had some root beer (not as good as I would have liked) and what is possibly my new favorite fair food. It was in bar form. It was a hunk of peppermint ice cream with and Oreo bottom and a fudge topping. It was FAN TAS TIC!! We consumed it so quick we didn't even get a decent picture. At $4.50 it was a bargain!

We had our handwriting analyzed for our personalities, watched outhouse races, had some free Iowa samples (cheese, beef sticks, popcorn and seasonings, chocolate), looked at the crazy people paying $25 to get flung into the sky via a slingshot/ejector seat, walked through the horse barn and then got our last fair food. Rikki got some cheese curds and I got a gater tater. Which is a potato cut into a continuous ribbon and fried. Then smothered with some cheese. We barely ate any of either one. We waddled back to the bus and headed north

Rikki is such a good friend to go twice in one week. I couldn't do it!