I heart South Dakota

I miss Scott like crazy, my heart aches for him, but since thats to tender to talk about, I will post about how much I miss South Dakota. When we left, it wasn't so hard because it we knew we would be back (and my focus was on leaving Scott, the move, surviving the drive, etc). And we will be back, but only for two to three weeks in January and then in July to get our stuff out of storage. For the last five years it has been our home and has grown on us more than I ever dreamed it would. We moved there November of 2003 with one baby girl, five years later, we leave with 4 girls, friends for life, and a million beautiful memories. Last week Alyse had a homework assignment with a list of twelve words and had to write a sentance for each word. For the word "from" she wrote, "I am from South Dakota" and for the word "away" she wrote, "I am away from home." Alyse was born in Idaho and has lived in Oregon, Texas, and Idaho too, but South Dakota is the only home she remembers and is still "home" to her. We are very excited for Scott to be in the space program and we look forward to Colorado, but it is just now sinking in that it involves a permanent move from South Dakota. With the ever constant wind, snow drifts, and bitter cold, why will we miss that place so much? Because inspite of that, it is beatiful and I love the people. We were 30 miles from Mt. Rushmore and our kids absolutely love that place. They always wanted to go to "the faces" or "Mt. Mushmore." The highway up to Mt. Rushmore is full of great things to do that we would buy season passes too, like Old MacDonald's Farm and Reptile Gardens. And there are incredible places to explore like the Black Hills, Spearfish Canyon (which is amazing in the fall!), waterfalls, caves, the bad lands, Sheridan Lake, Custer State Park etc. etc. (too many to list). Now for the people, I can't even begin to describe the friends we made there. Five years in a mostly military ward, you get the opportunity to know alot of people. I love them, I miss them, and I will remember them always.

The Air and Space Museum just outside base, I have driven by this a few thousand times

The view of Mt. Rushmore through the pigtail bridges on the way to Custer State Park

The Bad Lands

More of the Bad Lands

Fireworks at Mt. Rushmore

(the best place to celebrate the 4th)

More Fireworks at Mt. Rushmore

a B-1

(I miss seeing them flying and hearing/feeling their noise)

a hike at Spearfish Canyon

snowdrifts on our porch
Bridal Falls

the Black Hills

Spearfish Canyon

A visit to Mt. Rushmore

(even after a hundred visits, it was never boring)

Alyse on one of our annual fall outing to Spearfish Canyon

our house in a blizzard

(in May)

You might be from South Dakota if your family gets out of the car, opening only one door at a time and holding on to that door for dear life or if you've ever seen a snow plow pulling another snowplow out of a snowdrift. Oh I miss it!