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

Who said Alaska??

Did I say we were moving to Alaska, when I really MEANT Wisconsin? I know, you're probably thinking what a simple mistake, and it is - you know they are so very close to each other, both geographically and alphabetically. But really, I have been offered a job working with my current organization and decided to, as we say in the Army, "stay in my lane", meaning "go with what you know". In this job, I'll be able to make an impact on the program I've already dedicated 7 years to, so I'm looking forward to the challenge. Also, the kids will be closer to their paternal family and their Dad is considering a move himself.

Another challenge will be coping with a dairy allergy in "America's Dairyland", but we will surely quickly adapt to the many advantages of a Mid-west lifestyle. Like someone said to me, it's not bad, just different. With that in mind, the kiddies are looking forward to learning how to ice skate (something not readily available here), and also loads of snow (also, not so common here!).

We're moving this coming week - and I'll post again soon.

Alaska bound

At this point, most everyone knows... we are moving to Alaska in late August. I have accepted a position with the Coast Guard and will be working in Juneau in the Southeast sector preparing and testing Emergency Contingency Plans and providing liaison coordination with local authorities for emergency response. I am excited for the new challenge and also for the unique cultural experience for the kiddies. We will miss family and friends but are currently planning on a 2-3 year stint, so not too long. Please come and visit!

7 years already?!

Could it be that my little baby is already 7?! Yep, and we celebrated two ways - one party with a few of his buddies and a football field in the back yard (with a cheer squad, of course!), and also with the family as a group birthday with Zoe & Jaine (his cousins who also have July birthdays).

I have a website!

All my life I have wondered - 'what will I contribute to make the world a little bit better place?' Well, besides my two gorgeous off-spring, my contribution may be a website dedicated to providing cool ideas for library programs. I've had much success in my tenure as president of the Friends of the DuPont Library and my original ideas have produced well received library programs. So I got my noggin' to a-thinkin' one day.... I should probably share some of these ideas. I have tried, pretty much in vain, to find a good source on the web for program ideas, and have come up with most things on my own. So! I decided to make my own website. It is definitely a work-in-progress and I'll add some photos and other links as I can, but it's a start. Check it out and let me know what you think!
http://libraryprogramideas.com

DuPont Library Extravaganza!

Today was the final event of the Friends of the DuPont Library Art Series AND the 4th Anniversary party of the DuPont library. In a nutshell - it was an exhausting blast! First was decoupaging rocks (the first two events were painted canvas and layered sand terrariums), and this event had an instructor - a wonderful lady named Theresa who teaches at Aleah's school. I had seen these amazing decoupaged creations of hers and asked if she would be willing to teach others. She said she was and that she would be delighted to do something for the library. So for the last month or so, we have been scouring DuPont for suitable rock candidates to dedicate themselves to being yard art, rather than their traditional roll of yard nuisance (at least they are at my house!). We spent two evenings preparing the rocks with a base coat of paint and the kids were quite excited for this program. It was amazingly successful and everyone seemed to have a great time.
On the heels of the art program, we "flipped" the library and hosted the 4th Anniversary party. The biggest hit for Aleah and Nicholas was, by far, Miss Sue the face painter. They adore Miss Sue, as she is the page at the library and they see her often. All I had to do was remind them that they waited too long at last year's party and missed their opportunity to get their faces painted. Oh, boy! NOT this time! As you can see my little darlings took FULL advantage of Miss Sue's time and generosity. She did, however, draw the line, when Aleah ran out of arms and face and presented her belly! I gently explained to Aleah that it wasn't 'that' kind of party :-)
It was a long day, but the result was a cool art project and a marvelous community event.