Our Vacation to Nebraska

For our fall break, me and the kids drove to Nebraska to visit my mom and dad on their mission. We left at 145pm on Friday Oct 2nd made it to Albuquerque, NM at 1045 pm and spent the night at a hotel. I didnt know it was the "Balloon Festival" in NM so the first hotel we check at told us about the festival and to go back the way we came to the next group of hotels because all the ones the direction we were headed were all ready booked. So the next one with a vacancy was not very nice, but after 9 hours in the car i just needed a bed. They did have a very yucky continental breakfast for free!!Then we hit the road again.So saturday we drove thru Colorado, Wyoming and to Nebraska!! The icing on the cake was meeting up with my parents at a Mexican Food Restraurant for dinner. YUMMY. We decided to stay the night at another hotel to rest. This one was fabulous fluffy beds, and a wonderful breakfast.Then on the road for another 2hrs to moms house. I have found a new love for piece and quiet, calmness, wild life. Her home is about 15 miles down a country road over the hills and plains to the cutest house on a hill surrounded by 5 lakes, geese, deer and everything in between come up to visit. This is a church ranch called the Paulette-Lucky Ranch, were they ranch all the cattle.

On Monday we just hung out at home to rest, well me and the girls rested and played, Zach and Josh went with Russ to the ranch house he is remodeling for the new missionary couple coming next. That evening we hosted the family home evening, mom decided i needed to give the lesson. It was fun both of the other missionary couples and the Head Herdsman's family came. We made homeade cinnamin rolls for dessert and had a fun time listening to their way of life.

On Tuesday we drove to South Dakota to the Wind Caves. This National Park is a cave found in the ground that the wind blows through and has Stalagmites and Stalagtites. Also the Custer National Park surrounds it with Buffalo, and Praire Dogs everywhere!! Then on to Mt. Rushmore. Wow that is the most unbelieveable site. The whole experience is wonderful. The Visitors center is beautiful with ampitheaters, theaters and exibits to walk you through the start to finish of the project. It had also snowed the day before, so the Black hills were white and beautiful. We then drove down to the small town and did a little shopping for suveneirs. Then drove on home.

On Wednesday Russ took us on a tour of the Ranch! It is huge, each ranch is about an hour apart. With cattle, and deer all along the way. We visited each of the Ranches, and visited with each of the families that live on them. At the last Ranch, the sweet lady, had a hill full of pumpkins, she let the kids pick the ones they wanted! Then on to the nearest town "Alliance" for a mid afternoon lunch at Arby's. And on home to play at the lake catching turtles, and playing on the windmills. We have made homeade banana nut bread, and are ready for a yummy Chicken Chipotle Dinner.

We woke up to SNOW thursday morning!!It snowed until noon, the kids went out and picked carrots from the garden and made little snowmen. They were so cute.So me and my mom made a crock pot full of stew, and I made a Pumpkin pie from scratch. Picked the Pumpkin, Roasted the pumpkin in the oven, pureed the pumpkin, made the crust, baked a pie!! It is a really rich taste, so much better than from a can. Later on in the afternoon I finished my book for the trip "Wings" it is a really cute story. My kids started yelling deer and we went to the door and a deer and her baby were at the bottom of the stairs grazing in the lawn.