Back in Williston ~

Hey ya'll... 

I've been distracted for a while now, I sit down to type...and nothing.  I just can't think.  It's not that I don't have anything to say...yeah, right, hahaha!...I always have something to say ;).  Things have just been even crazier than normal lately and I've been busy dodging the curve-balls of life.  On top of all that dodging, we have been sick.  So yeah, a hefty dose of brain fog over here.  Anyway, the sun is shining in North Dakota...it's finally starting to warm up a little (YAY!)...and we are well on our way to feeling like ourselves again.  I still don't know what to say, I've gotten sooo far behind on here, so I am going to do what I've done before when this happens...just start going through my pictures and talking about them.  Lucky ya'll ;).  Forgive me if I sound crazy, it's only because I am ;)...

Shopping in Minot, North Dakota...

gots to practice your Judy Chop...yes, that's what they were doing ;D

they wore me out, ya'll...and they don't even look slightly tired.  kids...

soooo windy! hahaha!

I told ya'll about our shopping adventures in Wyoming and Montana, well we weren't done yet.  After running around Minot, we were able to either get everything we needed or at least figure out what sizes to order online from home.  Shopping for winter gear when you are starting from scratch is a pain, ya'll.  For real.  One of the younger kids asked me if we couldn't just migrate south instead...hahaha...funny.  Apparently the birds are smarter than us people sometimes ;)...

Pumpkins and teeny, tiny toothpick teepee's for fall...

The kids crafted and I baked.  This year was the first time that I actually cooked up a whole pumpkin.  I don't know why I have never done it before, for some reason it just intimidated me.  Well, take it from me, don't fear the pumpkin...it's easy!  We have even gone on to bake up some acorn squash, butternuts, and spaghetti's...all easy and super yummy :).

The moon from our balcony...

...cause I like the moon :).  Living in an apartment has not been the fun adventure that I thought it would be.  Probably because the apartment is in Williston, North Dakota...'nuff said.  I still think living in an apartment in a big city would be fun...someplace where you could walk/take public transportation everywhere...and actually have places that you want to go and interesting things to do...yeah, the opposite of here.  NYC, Boston, SF, Seattle...maybe someday.

The lake...

Oh how we love the lake (Lake Sakakawea, btw)...

driftwood <3

Definitely too cold to swim in the fall, instead we stick to the shore.  Having a rough day?  Go to the lake...it's guaranteed to cheer you up :)...

Oh my goodness...these next pictures...

...show our newest addiction.  Coffee!  Oh boy...yes, my kids drink coffee.  We bought one of those single serving coffee makers, you know the one, and I'm not so sure it was a good idea...hahaha!  We had to pretty quickly make some rules for the coffee consumption around here.  More hot teas, less caffeine, etc.  So funny ;).

This picture right here...

blurry, but that's the beginnings of the SUNRISE my friends ;D

...proof that I have actually been up and out of my house BEFORE the sun is up.  HAHAHA!  I'm the complete opposite of a morning person, so if you know me in real life, you know this is a big deal ;))).  One of our Bountiful Baskets sites here in Williston is pretty early in the morning and the sun is barely starting to light the sky by the time we head back home with our veggies/fruits...

And back to the lake...

...always :)...

This was the first time that just the kids and I went fishing.  They go with just their dad and not me all the time, but he was away working.  I don't touch squirmy bait, I don't touch squirmy fish, so I don't take kids fishing...it's just not one of my talents ;). 

"mountain climbing" up the steep bank using a stick for the rope ;)

Dan told me that the biggest boys knew what to do/and could do it, all I had to do was drive them...

...and he was right!  The kids did great, I was so proud of them :). 

We (well, they) fished til sunset, then we packed it up and headed back to our car.  So beautiful...

See that light in the distance?  The flame?...

That is a flare.  I don't like them, but that's what it is.  This one is HUGE.  It sounds like a jet engine roaring when you go by it...they had to put up those panels because it is so intense.  You can still feel the heat from it way down on the road...

At the end of the lake road, there were some horses this day...

We just had to stop, my girl looooves horses :)...

She stood there, watching them watch her until it got too dark...

Her wish is to have a horse of her very own...that makes it my wish, too.  One day, baby girl, one day...

A Night in Montana and a Day at Little Bighorn~

The drive from Lovell, Wyoming, to Billings, Montana, was a pretty one...

Big sky country, for sure <3...

We weren't in a big hurry, we got there eventually ;)...

After a stop at one of our favorite dinner spots, HuHot, we headed over to Cabela's to do some more winter gear shopping.  We love Cabela's, they have the best wildlife displays/exhibits.  The kids had fun watching the fish and I was able to knock out a few more items on our list.  Win, win :).

A good night's sleep and we were ready to go again.  We wanted to go have some fun, but first we had to take care of business...that shopping thing that needed to be done.  Ugh.  A couple more stops and we lucked up at Shopko (of all places!).  Gloves, hats, scarves, snow pants, and even a few of the needed jackets.  Yes!  Hallelujah, now we could be done! ;) hahaha...

We still had a 5 hour drive to get back to Williston, so we only had time for a quick(ish) stop.  Looking at the map we decided to visit the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument.  It was in the same direction we were heading, with just a slight detour.

We started in the Visitor Center, checking out the displays, the video, etc...

Then it was time to head outside...

We walked the paths, quietly taking it all in.  Two days of fierce battle, so many lives lost... Custer and his men... Sioux and Cheyenne warriors...

A visit to a Battlefield isn't what I would call fun.  It's a very solemn thing...it makes you think, reflect, remember.  And that's good.  We need to remember...

There was a cold front blowing in the day we were there, the wind had an icy edge to it that kept us from staying outside very long.  We followed the path back into the VC so that the kids could finish up their Jr. Ranger books and turn them in.  The Ranger who helped them was so nice, we really liked talking with him :)...

Before leaving, we took a minute to check out the bookstore onsite.  The kids found something that has been so fun for them with our travels, Kids National Parks Passport Books!  If you don't have one of these and you go to a lot of NPS sites, I highly recommend getting one.  The kids really look forward to getting a new stamp for their books at each new place we visit :).

Buffalo Bill Dam and the Big Horn Canyon

Leaving Yellowstone via the East Entrance was a good call.  It was pretty much down-hill the entire way, I shifted into a lower gear and basically just coasted down.  Nice on the gas tank :).

We picked this exit not for the gas savings, which was a bonus, but for two other reasons.  One:  this was the only entrance/exit that we had yet to pass through.  Two:  we needed to go to Cody to do some shopping.

Just before we got to the town, we came to an overlook with beautiful water and hills.  If you haven't realized it by now, water is our thing.  We love it.  So of course we had to stop and check it out :)...

it doesn't show up that great, but there were some HUGE fish in there!

We were at the Buffalo Bill Dam... Huh!  Didn't even know all this was here...

After stretching our legs and our minds a little bit, we headed on through the tunnel and in to town.  We were all pretty tuckered out by the time we got into our hotel rooms for the night, so we just ordered in some pizza and crashed. 

The next morning we were up and ready (not!) to do some serious shopping.  Truthfully, I detest shopping...for necessities, that is.  I like the wander around poking through thrift/antique shops kind of shopping...this wasn't that.  Anyway, winter was hot on our heels and we needed gear.  Boots, hats, gloves, snow pants, wool socks, scarves...everything.  So, we headed to Sierra Trading Post with high hopes of a one stop shop.  Annnnd...it didn't happen.  The only Sierra Trading Post that we had been to was the one in Cheyenne several years ago and it was awesome.  The one in Cody was way smaller.  Bummer.  We did get 2 out of the 5 pairs of boots we needed and 1 pair of snow pants.  Wal-mart was good for a few basic items and then we needed a shopping break.  Time for some fun!

We took a little detour on our way to Billings (more shopping...) and ended up in Lovell, Wyoming, at the Bighorn Canyon NRA Visitor Center...

This was the perfect stop to even out our day...

The kids got to finish up their Jr. Ranger books that we had started oh...at least 2 years ago.  Hah! 

We watched a film about the Medicine Wheel, which we hiked up to see (you can read about it here) ...and another one about wild horses in the canyon, because one of my daughters LOVES horses.  It was a fun little stop.  Had we not needed to get to Billings I would have taken a different route home and paid another visit to the Medicine Wheel.  Some other day, perhaps...

the cutest 1950's theater in Lovell