Great Night in the Black Hills

The weather here is amazing.  Waking up to cool crisp air is refreshing after 15 months in Missouri. Don't get me wrong, I love Missouri, but I would take the dry cooler air of south west South Dakota any day over the heat and humidity of southern Missouri. Although, I would take the mild Missouri winters over the bitter cold of the north any day!

It was a last minute decision to head up here. With our two oldest on their own adventures, we decided we had spent enough time in Missouri and it was best for us to head north.

As much as I love the people at the Cobb Ridge Campground, Mark Twain National Forest Off Road Area in Chadwick, MO - I knew that for our family's sake, we needed to move on.

Volunteering for the Forest Service can be amazing and sometimes it can be very difficult.  After parts of three seasons as camphosts, I didn't know if I could do another summer.  Then when our supervisor left his position, I knew the summer would be horrible.

The year before our supervisor left and we could hardly get supplies, we bought some bleach for the bathrooms, our sewer wouldn't get dumped - it was a mess!  Yet, at the same time it was amazing because of a couple really nice Rangers and the people that come to that riding area.

Sometimes I find we stick out the hard things because of the people.  They are worth it.

Also, it builds character in us and our children.  We could get spoiled very fast if we only go to the best campgrounds and vacation all year.  I want my children to learn and remember 

that without the people - there is no America, 

just a chunk of land.

These are a few of my favorite things.....

Watching The Sound of Music sure puts a smile on my face tonight.  Sitting around with my children and husband, enjoying each other's company as well as a classic movie. 

There are many difficult times traveling full time in a camper with six children, one of which is a young adult trying to stretch his wings in 42'! 

Yet, the difficulties that we endure are much fewer than the amazing experiences we enjoy.  Spending the last six weeks with my grandmother have been priceless.  My children spending countless hours with aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends have brought a lot of joy, some pains, and much fun. 

Cousin Eleanor in Montana 

We organized an impromptu family reunion held at a Veteran's Center.  I made some phone calls, emailed, and sent messages on face book.  Many relatives came and we had a wonderful time.  To see so many loved ones visiting, laughing, and telling stories was worth more then my entire home.  To watch my grandmother talk and play with my children, Cody play the Bodran with Uncle Steve playing the penny whistle.  Hanna leading worship at a local youth group.  Naomi talking so pleasantly with anyone of any age.  Tytus running to and fro making everyone giggle.  Gabriel and Josie making friends with cousins.

How can I put things and bricks before this?  Things are not eternal, people are.  I do want a house some day; a place to call home.  But, I will not go so far in debt to buy one that we can no longer afford to travel. 

There have been a few hard times while we were here.  Some family and friends are harder to get along with than others, yet, the Bible says that what kind of Christians are we if we only love those who are easy to love!  I saw some walls break down in some relationships here.  It took six weeks to break them down, but they are down none the less.



Great Grandma reading a book to the kids.



We celebrated Advent in the rental cabin on the lake.

Naomi loved making angels in the snow.



Celebrating Great Grandma's 82nd birthday - priceless.





Manners at our table...not there!

We went from a really nice 8 seat, wood table to a little, tiny table/bed/couch. It is great compared to the little dinettes that usually come in campers, but still not like a real table. The seats go back pretty far, so our 5 yr old and 2 yr old lay down at the table during dinner all the time. I try so hard to get them to sit up, it just doesn't work. Some people would say, "Just make them obey." It is not that easy.

Not long after we moved into the camper, Gabriel, my 5 yr old, decided to ride the table like a bucking bull. He is a bull rider after all! Well, the table didn't like that and broke. My husband replaced the metal pieces underneath and the table was back in business. About a month later, after numerous meals of little feet pushing on the posts underneath, the table broke again. I asked my husband to please not fix it. It is just going to get broken again! Well, he wanted it fixed, and he was going to get those kids to behave. Well, the table broke again and I think we all realize it is a losing battle. Now, we cope by turning our plates so anything with juice is on the side that leans down, then the juice doesn't go into the other food. Like veggies for example. Sometimes they still have a little water left in them. The juice stays at the bottom of the plate rather than getting all over the bread or meat.
After we got our new washer/dryer rv combo unit, we started it for the first time. When it gets to the spin cycle our whole camper shakes! We laughed so hard as we watched our cups slowly shake to the edge of the table and then fall off. Well, nothing spilled because I require the little ones to use cups with lids.

Our washer/dryer makes a great place to store items on top and a magnet board on the side!

Our cushions on our couch/table are disgusting. I wash them, but food gets spilled on them every meal! I really want to just pull out the whole thing and put a real table and chairs. Maybe even a couple of nice chairs that we can sit in and watch TV in! Shae says it will be too much work, and I am terrible at construction. For those of you who know me, I will give it my best to change the table. I won't do it if Shae really doesn't want me to, but I am hoping we can.

Actually, I would like to build our own camper! We could buy a shell from a manufacturer. Then we could put in all natural insulation, that actually works, not like the camper we have. I think they put newspaper in the walls! It gets pretty chilly. I would put all natural cabinets in and no wallpaper or anything with fumes. I would put in all natural mattresses and a lot of storage drawers. I like to be organized. Well, like the old saying...If wishes were pennies, we'd all be rich! Back to reality.

The other day I told the family that they need to have manners.

 "You need to remember, that just because we live in a camper doesn't mean you can act like you are constantly camping. This is my home and I am a woman. You need to take your shoes off when you come in this home. I want you to have respect and some kind of manners at this table. We are starting a new thing. Two times a month we will have a nice sit down dinner. We will learn to eat with the right silverware and plates, learn to pass the bowl, and learn proper talk."

 Just about then my 5 yr old, who had been working very hard at trying to figure out how to turn his spoon into a catapult, shot a piece of food right up into the air and hit the cabinet above us. I couldn't believe his timing. Everyone started laughing hystarically, and I realized that I had my work cut out for me. Between the farting, burping, the use of the words butt and fart, I don't know how we will ever eat Thanksgiving at my aunt and uncle's.

We went to a 508 paratrooper reunion last November. They were having a high class banquet for the current 508 officers and the WWII veterans that were there. My grandfather was in WWII, so we came to be with them. We were told there was a banquet and we couldn't bring our little kids. Well, either we all go or no one goes. So, the man in charge said ok. Well, we practiced for weeks. We played banquet in our camper and pretended to eat at the table. I felt we were as ready as we would ever be.

The night came and we all got dressed up in our nicest camper clothing. Mind you, everyone there was dressed to the hilt, and here we come in with our least wrinkled dresses and pants. We didn't look too bad. Every table was to have a soldier sitting at it that had been to Afghanistan or Iraq. When we found our table with our name tags, I about passed out. They had put us in the back, no big surprise, but had put a Colonel with us! That is a high ranking officer! Well, we had practiced, but were not Colonel material! I was in a slight panic. At the time Gabriel was four and Josephine one. My older ones would do fine, I was just very nervous about the little ones. Well, as people got seated, we noticed no one came to our table to sit with us. We figured the Colonel either didn't make it to the banquet or saw all of us sitting there and decided to leave (just kidding)! I was so thankful. I really wasn't up to such a high ranking officer at our table.

They served the meal. It was wonderful, steak, chicken, veggies. They even had made special plates for my 3 younger kids, chicken strips and veggies. I was so blessed! We noticed there were quite a few empty spots at the tables, about eight of them. We thought, we should get the enlisted soldiers that have been driving us around all week to come get these seats and eat this wonderful meal. My husband asked the Sargeant Major if it would be ok. He said yes. When we told the enlisted men, they were shocked! They said there is a pretend glass wall that seperated them from this room with all of the officers. They would only go in if my husband escorted them each to their seats. Here, these were men that had risked their lives for years for us. The least we could do was get them in here for a good meal!

It was nice to eat with them. We felt comfortable and priveleged. Gabriel did good. I looked over once, he was eating his salad like a dog, no silverware. I looked over later and he was drinking his tea like a cat, with is tongue. But, over all he did great, no screaming, whining or pouting. Josephine slept most of the time.

It was a wonderful evening.

We are a little out of practice now. We need to get ready to eat turkey dinner and Christmas dinner with family that is not used to kids. We will start practicing. I told my kids I want them to be able to eat with kings, well, that might not happen, but it will not be because I did not teach them to!

Lusk, Wyoming

Custer, SD Sturgis Bike Week

We had a great trip in Custer, South Dakota.  Now, our trip took us south west to Lusk, Wyoming.  As we were pulling out of Custer, we squeezed our truck and camper and van and trailer through the streets crowded with motorcycles parked in the sectioned off area in the middle of the street.  It was quite a sight to behold.  I know my sister and brother in law would have loved to have been there for Sturgis Bike Week.

Our camper squeezing down main street during the preparation for Bike Week.

The drive to Lusk brought my first, small mountain pass.  Since this drive, I have done much bigger, but at the time it seemed huge.  I got pretty nervous as we got to the summit.  All went well and we headed down the busy road full of motorcycles on our way to Lusk. We saw all of these fences along the highway. I found out later they are to block the snow. They said the snow blows sideways because of the strong winds.

Shae head of me with the camper and all the motorcycles heading to SD.

Driving over the pass!

The day after we got there, there were three bikers that broke down. He and the two ladies with him were sharing the gospel up at Sturgis. They gave us a bunch of bible literature for bikers. The are with Christian Motorcycle Association.

What a wonderful place. Most people would say I was crazy saying that. I heard more than a few people say Lusk is a nasty little town, there is nothing there, they said they would never live in Lusk. As we drove in that Saturday I thought it was pretty blah. But, I also have learned that the seemingly nothing towns always have something. Every city has a past that is worth learning about. The town was just an average country town, but the people are anything but normal. They are absolutely wonderful.

We went there to volunteer at a church. We wanted to be a blessing to them. I called them and told the pastor all we could do was clean, he said, that is all we need! It is amazing how God works.

View down the hwy in Lusk, WY

The church is a remodel of an old bar and restaurant. It is beautiful inside with a wonderful kitchen and a great youth room. We washed windows, wiped the ceiling, walls, counters, lights, and everything else. There was a layer of drywall dust on everything. Shae and Cody tore apart a furnace and hauled it off. We vacuumed and helped with the sign. It was a great experience for all of us. We were very thankful to get to help out Pastor Dale and Janna.

These are pictures of our family cleaning at the church.  It is always amazing to see how excited even the young ones get to help others.  A spirit of volunteerism is something that needs to be instilled from a very young age.

It seems like whenever we try to do something nice for someone, we get blessed even more than we blessed them. This was the case in Lusk, also. Pastor and Janna took us out to a ranch. It had over 5000 acres! Well, to people in Wyoming that is pretty average. To those of us in Missouri, that is huge! It was hard to even imagine what that much land would be like! We enjoyed riding our ATVs through the dry yet beautiful country. I smiled the entire time I drove, it was so wonderful. They took us to all of the water. Cookie said that water is something special in this part of the country. There were active windmills throughout the property that actually pump water up out of the ground for the cows.

The clouds in Wyoming are astonishing. They tower above us like they are going to produce a horrible storm, yet, very little if anything comes out of them. The first big clouds I saw I told the kids to get in the church, but I was told "You're not in Missouri anymore!"

We were thankful to get to spend time with a wonderful family. They have kids about the same age as ours. Cody and Jesse had a blast with all of the livestock, especially their oxen. They also rode Jesse's racing lawn mower. The kids all went to Jesse's house to get it when some cops showed up wondering if they were a bunch of kids getting into trouble! They talked with them and made things alright.

Jesse pulled back on racing lawn mower to make it do a wheelie.

Cody feeding an oxen.

I wouldn't get any closer than this no matter what anyone said!

The guys had a blast on the lawn mower. It flew! Hanna drove it and about lost control. Jesse ran up to turn it off when Hanna couldn't. I didn't know he was playing a trick on her and made it go faster! She screamed her head off! Shae had to drive it and then I knew something funny would happen. He did not let us down. The guys had been doing wheelies with it, so of course Shae had to top that. The guys leaned on the back to make the front go up when Shae tipped completely over, backwards with the lawnmower landing on top of him. We laughed so hard. Shae loved it of course.

Pastor Dale and Janna are such nice people. Pastor with his cowboy boots and hat was a dream for Gabriel. He followed Pastor everywhere. It was so sweet and very wonderful.

We love Lusk, Wyoming and hope to go back someday.

sheri