A Few Things

Well, it's been a few days.  There hasn't been much going on here, but we've had a little fun.  Like I said last time, the girls were at YMCA camp from Tuesday-Friday. They had the best time.  It has been really hot up here (for South Dakota) so they walked to the pool every day and enjoyed swimming.  In fact, we are headed out to the pool in a few minutes.  It is really hot up here (should be 97 today), but should be back in the 80's tomorrow.  I know, it's not Texas hot, but there was actually a lot of humidity yesterday, so it really felt like home.  In fact, we did something yesterday that we have never done before.

Never in my life have I purchased a window unit.  You know, we're from Texas, where everyone has central A/C.  Not the case up here.  We looked at 3 different stores yesterday, and finally found one at Lowe's.  There is only one small window in the apartment that goes up and down. All of the other windows slide, so you can't put an A/C in those.  Believe it or not, it really works.  Yes, it's small, but with all of the windows and doors closed to the outside, it is actually cooling off the apartment.  Who knew??

Yesterday we spent the entire day in Rapid City.  We took the girls to see Madagascar 3, and we really enjoyed it.  Jason also got the oil changed in the Jeep.  This is something he has only done ONE other time in his entire life.  Jason likes to change the oil himself.  But, when you are 1300 miles away from home and don't have everything you need, you pay someone.  In fact, the mechanics laughed at us because our Jeep Cherokee is only 2 wheel drive.  Now that doesn't mean anything to me, but apparently all Jeeps in South Dakota are 4WD.  They said that only Jeeps from Texas are 2WD.  HA!!  

The other day, Julia and I tried a Spinach smoothie. It is basically my Peanut butter-banana smoothie with some spinach added to it.  I actually enjoyed it, and I really couldn't taste the spinach.  Julia enjoyed it at first, but then decided that it wasn't her favorite.

Julia also spent several hours making a straw house.  I bought some straws that were so cheap that it was hard to drink the smoothies.  So I found some better straws and let Julia use the cheap ones to build.  She is so creative and just loves to make things and always puts forth so much effort.

We all played basketball the other night, and somehow I got a shot of Jason in mid-air!

The girls have also been riding their bikes.

Julia has also found a new interest in bird-watching, just like her Daddy.  They are looking through a bird book.

Yesterday, we also bought the girls new baseball gloves.  They are both practicing throwing and catching, and really enjoy it.

Well, we are headed out to the pool.  I hope you are all staying cool during this heat wave. 

The Weekend

Sunday was Father's Day.  We decided to treat Jason to breakfast at Dakota Cowboy Cafe.  It's one of the restaurants in town and we really enjoy it.  Then we headed to church.  We tried a different church this week, just to explore our options.  Later that evening, we headed back to Mt. Rushmore.  They have a lighting ceremony every night that starts at 9:00.  We heard it was really good, so decided to check it out.  Of course, the girls had to get ice cream again. 

Jason and the girls were in a deep discussion about National Parks.  The girls are Junior Rangers, and they each have a National Park Passport.  You take these around to every park and get a stamp, showing that you have visited there.  So while we were waiting for the lighting ceremony to begin, they were looking through their passports and trying to figure out where we should visit next.

 

 The lighting began with Ranger Deb telling us about American history, the Pledge of Allegiance, and singing a patriotic song.  There was a short video about the four presidents on the mountain and how they changed American history forever.  She then invited all military, past and present, to come down on stage.  They lowered the flag, and each person walked by, touched the flag, and stated their name and branch of service.  It was amazing.  There were even two gentlemen from World War II.

 

Then they lit up Mt. Rushmore. It was breath-taking!  The entire ceremony was so very patriotic and moving.  It makes me proud to be an American.

Monday involved yet another trip to the library, a visit to join the YMCA, lunch at a cafe, and a trip to Custer State Park. The girls wanted to pick up the Junior Naturalist booklets so they could get started on them.  It's like the Junior Ranger program, except it's a state park program.  We saw several buffalo, deer, and some beautiful lakes.

The girls started YMCA day camp on Tuesday.  All of the other weeks are booked up, but they had 2 openings for this week.  They had a great time yesterday, and I'm sure they won't want to come home again today.  They went swimming, played games, watched a movie, and basically just got to hang out with other kids and have fun.  I know they are really missing their friends and getting to play with other children.  We thought this would be a great opportunity for them.  That means that I've been at home, by myself, for 2 days.  It's kind of weird. I'm not quite sure what to do.  So I've been working on another puzzle and watching Season 1 of Grey's Anatomy on Netflix.  I remember really enjoying the show when it first came out but I haven't watched it in a few years.  

Well, there's nothing much else to report.  It's chilly here today.  It rained last night and this morning, and  is currently 60 degrees outside.  It is wonderful!!  

Christi

Owls, Caves, and a Tea Party

 So much to say...
On Thursday we headed back to the library. Of course, my girls can go through 8 books and a movie in just a few hours, but there was a special presentation that we wanted to attend on Owls.  A naturalist from Custer State Park gave a short presentation on owls (different species, what they eat, what makes owls different from other birds, etc.)  But the highlight was digging through owl pellets!  Julia did this in school a few months ago, so she was so excited to do it again. Apparently, owls swallow their prey whole, but their bodies can't digest the bones and fur.  So they regurgitate it, and it comes up like a hair ball. Yes, this totally grosses me out!!  But then people dig through these to see what that particular owl ate.  The girls spent over 30 minutes digging through fur to find tiny little bones. There were a few skulls, leg bones, pelvis bones, and other various little bones.  There is a chart where you can compare the size of the bones and figure out what they were from. The girls discovered that their owl had eaten a vole (which apparently is a tiny rodent).  Again, they loved this, but it grossed me out. I wouldn't even touch it.

 After the library, we came back home and took a cave tour with Jason.  The Scenic tour was awesome, and we learned even more about caves from our amazing Ranger Jason.  He really is the best guide: funny, well-informed, smart, and incredibly handsome. :)
Here is a picture from inside the cave.

Later that evening, we went to Pizza Hut for dinner.  Yummy!  Then we headed into Custer State Park for an evening hike. We chose Stockade Lake, and headed up the 1 mile loop.

Today we headed back down to the Visitor Center for Junior Ranger Day. The girls attended a program by Ranger Brittany on "How to Map a Cave."  They were fascinated by this.  They used real instruments and tried to map out an area that was set up with picnic tables and chairs. They had to use the instruments to map out from one survey point to the next.  The instruments were a compass, distometer (or you could use a measuring tape) and a clinometer.  Using all of these, they were able to map out from point to point and chart it on a grid. It was quite interesting, but very tedious work.  But, this is how new parts of the cave are discovered and mapped out so that others can enjoy the cave in the future.

The girls took turns going through the block at the Visitor Center. In order to participate in the Wild Cave/Spelunking tour, you must fit through this block, and be 16 years old. It is 24" wide and 8 1/2" high.  Girls, you fit easily now, so maybe when you reach 16 you can go!

The girls love to play school. They have a schedule written out and they try to follow it as strictly as possible. On the schedule today, after the Ranger program, was a Tea Party.  They put dresses on and made sandwiches, fruit, tea/milk, and No-Bake Cookies.  Of course, we are so fancy with our paper plates!

You really can't beat these!!

 Now we are just waiting on Jason to get home from leading the Wild Cave tour so we can begin our weekend.  He has Sunday and Monday off.  

Tomorrow is Father's Day and we plan to do a few special things for him!
To my Dad and Jason's dad, we are sorry that we can't be there to celebrate this year.  We hope that you know how much we love you both and miss you!!  
Have a terrific day and I'll check in again soon.

Christi

Jewel Cave

I'm sure most of you have never heard of Jewel Cave, let alone visited here.  I had never heard of it before last summer.  It is about 30 minutes from Mt. Rushmore, and 30 minutes from Wind Cave.  I think most people have heard of these, but Jewel Cave is small and somewhat obscure. It is a National Monument, and is the 2nd longest cave system in the world. The longest right now is Mammoth Cave in Kentucky, and the 3rd longest is in the Ukraine (oddly enough, I visited the Ukraine in 2011 on a mission trip).  The cave keeps growing every year as new passageways are discovered.  

We are planning to take a tour tomorrow with Jason.  There are 4 different tour options here. The first one is the Discovery Tour.  It's just a 20 minute tour, where you take an elevator down into the cave and just talk about it.  This is a good tour for elderly people or perhaps people that can't walk and climb stairs.  The Scenic Tour is about 1 hour and 20 minutes. This takes you down into the cave and you walk, climb stairs, and view the cool formations inside the cave.  This is the most popular tour.  The Historic Lantern Tour goes in the cave through the original entrance and there are no lights or walkways. It's very "retro", since you have to carry lanterns and climb some original ladders.  The last tour is a Wild Cave tour.  This is several hours long, and you must be over 16 years old and be able to fit through small openings.  It is the crawl on your belly and get dirty tour.

Jason leads all of these tours on different days.  Here he is in his Historic Uniform.  On this tour, he has to get into the character of a 1940's Park Ranger. It's really quite cool.  My parents went with us on this tour last year.  If you ever get into this area of the country, I suggest visiting Jewel Cave.  It is so interesting and a unique experience.  

On a more boring note, I put a 500 piece puzzle together. I know, I'm a really big dork. I enjoy puzzles, and just never have the time to do them.  I usually do 1 or 2 puzzles a summer, but I may have to head down to the dollar store and pick up a few more.  The girls don't really want to help.  Ella walks in when I have about 20 pieces left, and then wants to help me. At that point, I really don't want her to. But, I figure it would make me a bad mom if I told her no.  So here's the finished product:

 

Nothing much else going on up here.  I do have to say that I miss my dishwasher.  There isn't one here, so I have to wash everything by hand.  It makes me really think about every dish that I get out.  Do I really need that extra cup or plate?  I know, it sounds silly.  But washing by hand really does take a lot more time.

I'm sure this is really boring for most of you.  If we take a tour tomorrow, I will try and post some pictures of the cave.  So long from South Dakota!

Hiking and Mt. Rushmore

We are having a blast!  The girls have so much freedom and nothing to do, and I haven't heard "I'm bored" yet.

Julia spends a lot of time organizing their bedroom and they both spend a large amount of time reading.  On Saturday, we went to the local library.  It's so small, but I love it!  There is a limit of ten items, including 2 DVD's.  I applied for the library card, gave Mary my money, and she said "Welcome!"  I went over to check on the girls, and Julia had already picked about 17 books to check out. I then had to tell them about the limit, so they were reduced to 4 books a piece, and 2 movies.  We have already watched the movies, and I think they are finished with all of the books. We are heading out in a little bit to return them and get some more.

Saturday evening when Jason got home from work, we decided to take a hike on the Canyons Trail. It's a 3.5 mile loop from the Visitor Center, down through Lithograph and Hell canyons.  It is a great hike, and we were prepared to be gone for a few hours.  We sprayed for ticks before we left, because they are everywhere up here.  When we stopped for a drink and snack, we sat down on a bench to rest our legs. That's when I noticed the ticks trying to crawl into my pants!  I started freaking out and Jason got them off.  Then I noticed 2 more on the back of my jeans.  I got out more bug spray and refused to sit down. We checked the girls and they were fine, thank goodness.  When we were almost home, we noticed a storm brewing, so we started walking a little faster and beat it home.  But that evening, it really hit.  The hail was so loud and the girls didn't enjoy it very much.  Oh, and we found a few more ticks in the house after changing clothes and showering. YUCK!

On Sunday, we visited a church in Custer. It was really nice. I am guessing about 40 people were there and they were so friendly.  We enjoyed the service and the message, and the girls enjoyed sitting with us and thought the pastor was "funny."  He did tell a few jokes, but I wouldn't consider him funny.  The message was on giving God the glory and not taking any for ourselves.  It was very convicting and thought-provoking.

After church, we decided to head out to Mt. Rushmore for the afternoon.  You have to pay for parking, but then you can get in free for the rest of the year.  We went two times last summer, and I'm sure we will go many more this summer.  We walked on the Presidential Trail, which takes you right up under the faces. Ella thought we were going up on top, so she was a little disappointed.  I am amazed every time I see the faces.  We also listened to a Park Ranger talk on how they made the faces with dynamite and jack hammers.  

We promised the girls dessert, so Jason and Julia got ice cream, and Ella got a brownie.  Here is the "Mom, stop taking my picture" look.  (and somehow I got Ella's face behind a table sign)

Here is a picture of the view from our back porch. It is so beautiful.  Last night Jason and I went outside and looked at the stars. The sky was clear and I have never seen so many stars in my entire life. 

That's all for now!  I will try to post every few days, as I think of something interesting to say.

Let's start at the beginning

I will start by saying this...My husband made me do it.  I am not a writer, never have been, and probably never will be.  I don't enjoy writing and I avoid it at all costs.  I'm absolutely horrible with grammar, tenses, and any other proper writing techniques.  So, forgive me now. I am just going to write how I think.  And that in itself is scary enough.

I am currently living outside of Custer, South Dakota.  My amazing husband Jason is a Park Ranger at Jewel Cave National Monument.  We are actually living inside the monument grounds, in staff housing.  It is wonderful!  We have a 2 bedroom, 1 bath apartment that is furnished. We did have to bring bedding, towels, and dishes, but the big stuff was already here.  Jason has to walk down a short path to get to work.  We are on the top of a hill, overlooking the visitor center.

 It is so beautiful here.  Before last summer, I had never been to this part of the country.  I am amazed every day at the beauty of God's creation. The Black Hills of South Dakota are gorgeous!  I guess if you were born and raised in this area, it's probably not a big deal. But to this city girl, it's awesome!   The weather is perfect, day and night. Yesterday, I thoroughly enjoyed the thunderstorms and hail that lasted a few hours. It was so refreshing, and brought much cooler temperatures with it.  The girls and I played a game of Scrabble and I enjoyed a cup of hot tea. It was perfection!  Today, the sun is shining and the birds are singing.  Jason wants to start bird-watching, so we got him a pair of binoculars for an early Father's Day present.  The idea of watching birds bores me to tears, but who knows, maybe I will enjoy it also.

Wednesday, the girls and I drove an hour to get to Rapid City.  It's a beautiful drive, which takes you right by Crazy Horse monument, and the road that goes up to Mt. Rushmore.  We went because I had a 2-page list of stuff that can only be found at Wal-mart.  Not really, but the little grocery store in Custer is over-priced, and the Family Dollar doesn't carry everything we need.  We spent over 3 hours in there, and I was worn out!  I know the girls were too, but we took a break from shopping and ate at the McDonald's inside of the store.  The girls did great, but we were all so tired of shopping.  I'm sure it's the longest amount of time I have ever spent in that store, and definitely the most money I've ever spent there.  But, when it's an all-day affair to go to the store, I decided to stock up so I wouldn't have to do that again for a long time.  After that, I decided to treat myself to a Vanilla Bean Frap from Starbucks.  I received a gift card from one of my students, so it didn't cost me a thing!

Also, the girls and I have been working out.  There is an exercise room right under our apartment, so this is Day 2 of the plan to lose weight. The girls enjoy going down there with me, and they like to play on the machines and jump rope. Ella wants to go there every day, and sometimes more than once. I told her that once a day was plenty for me.  Jason gets a lot of exercise while at work, since he walks and climbs stairs on his tours all day long.  But we are both going to work-out and hope to get in better shape this summer.

Well, I guess that's enough for now.  If you made it this far, you must be a family member! haha

We love you all and miss you very much.  Keep in touch and don't forget about us up here.

Christi