More from our adventure...

Leave it to kids to find a way to make nearly everything fun. On our way out of town, Jill, Marcus and the girls were on their way to the coast, so they came by. Check out these hilarious pictures of "mattress smashing"...

I couldn't go east without stopping in my favorite town on the planet, Missoula, of course! We met up with my friend Mike, hiked part way up to the "M" and picked up a souvenier at a former hangout called "Food for Thought", which, if I ever get the nerve to open my own cafe, this is the place I envision in my dreams. It is, in a word, blissful.

South Dakota, I am starting to think, is a very well kept secret. They have it all - the gorgeous black hills, tons of history, hiking, cool places to explore (like the second longest cave in North America - Jewel cave which we went into), and, of course, Wall Drug. No trip through SD is complete without a visit to that place. We also enjoyed a bit of mini-golf. Check out the "rule breaker"! Also, we went to an awesome laser light show at the Crazy Horse monument. The picture isn't very good, and the 5 or so that Aleah took on her camera from Auntie, didn't turn out at all.

And, if they ever claim that the trip was grueling.... I've got proof to the contrary :-)

What a TRIP!!

Phew!! The last 6-8 weeks have been such a whirlwind of activity, our heads are still spinning! We left DuPont on August 26th on our "adventure" - and for the next 5 days we "toured America" :-) My Dad asked me if I thought I needed an atlas (which in all practicality would've been smart), but I said, "I don't think so, we are just going to get on I-90 and turn right, that oughta do it" And, for the most part, that's what we did. We detoured into South Dakota via the southern route to Custer for a tour around Crazy Horse and Mt. Rushmore, but other than that, we saw nearly every rest stop between North Bend and Sparta, WI! (And many "side of the roads" mere minutes after rest stops, in between!) As you can see above, brilliant Auntie Tanya gave each of the kids their own camera to document their trip. The results are hilarious and I'll post those another day.

The camera was on a funky setting, so you'll just have to take my word that we went through Idaho (no, we didn't just hop over!). But, Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, Minnesota, and Wisconsin are represented and became a fun game to look for the "Welcome to..." sign.

The most significant event of the trip was something that was becoming a near "regular" occurance, and that was.... another lost tooth! I was starting to think I was going to have to puree everything, but he has only lost one since. But, how cool is it to lose a tooth at Mt. Rushmore? We were in the snack bar when it came out. Nick will likely remember that to tell his kids someday - he was pretty proud.

VERY shortly after we arrived in Wisconsin (2 days to be precise), Nick started school. As always, I took a picture on the first day. This is outside our temporary housing. It was also LeLe's first day - they were both pretty excited and have adapted well and quickly to their new schools. They both already have a big gang of pals.

You all know how big of a decision this was, and I do not know the right words to express my deep gratitude to all of you who "kicked it around" with me. There were many factors, logistics and Pros and cons to consider to make a decision like this. I believe in my heart that this is the right decision for us, and I appreciate all of you for your support and trust in me to do what is best for my family. It is hard though; we miss you all and can't wait to see you - SOON!! When I post next, it will be a bit of what we've seen here, and you may consider a trip at this time of year - it is gorgeous!

Lots of love, K