Mothers Day 2011

It started out at a normal Sunday. We went to Chruch and then decided to go to the Mothers Day Breakfast and the Community Center. Not wanting to go home and sit in the house for the day we thought we might go to Sioux City and catch a movie. However when we got up there we realized there really were no movies we wanted to see. Daniel (the king of road trips) thought we should drive up to Sioux Falls for the day.  Sounded like a plan to me and the girls were up for it so I decided to go in to Walmart and grab some snacks for the trip. While I was in Walmart Daniel and the girls decided on other plans...

We made it to Sioux Falls and drove past it...

till we made it here

and then continuted to drive...

I was getting alittle mad...after all the girls had school the next day...

soon we were here....

by this point I had long since figured out he was heading for the Black Hills. With not a change of clothes or tooth brushes along...sigh...this is not the first time I have to admit it is alittle exciting ...but we hadnt done this since before Paytin was born...and doing this with kids made me alittle jumpy...but...

we made it just in time to look around for awhile and then enjoy what I think was said to be the first lighting program of the year :)  The girls were loving it and it was really nice to get away from the house. from the town, and from all the tornado stress!!

We got a room at the The Presidents View Resort and relaxed for the rest of the night.

The next day we went back up to check out Mt Rushmore in the Daylight. We walked the whole trail and that when we hit the most memorable event of the whole trip...
you see these shoes..

art they cute! I bought them for Avary like two years ago because I thought they were sooooo cute. Anyway this is the last photo that you will ever see BOTH of them in...


We were about 1/4 of the way down the trail getting some really nice pictures of Mt Rushmore

Daniel and the girls had just found this really neat little place in all the rocks

and I saw an opening for a really neat picture..

(After all George is my favorite guys!)  So as Im taking this shot and 
I hear fighting behind me but whats new.  Then crying my shoe my shoe...crap. Turn around to find Avarys shoe is now federal property on the trail about 15 feet below the trail...if u know Avary and shoes this did not go over well. Im kind of upset with myself that I didnt think to take a picture of it. Darn...


So after what seemed like hours we finally finished the trail...it is crazy long!


The girls wanted to check out  Bear Country USA next. Im so happy we did it was such a neat place! 

The Baby Bears we so stinkin cute!

We then headed to the Reptile Gardens by that point my phone was starting to go dead so I didnt get all that many pictures there.

After we toured Reptile Gardens it was getting to be late afternoon and we figured our mini vacation would have to end so we started to head back home. We took the scenic way back home though! Im happy we did the Bad Lands are for sure something to see if you never have!

Not What I Expected

I'm not really sure what I expected when we came up from the basement. I knew it was a tornado, I mean I saw it as we were running. Somehow though I was only pre paired to see damage from the regular windstorms we usually get. This picture dosnt do the damage justice...REALLY...it was tons worse and all you could smell was gas. We found out later that the BIG 100's of years old Maple Tree that had helped name our town was uprooted and had pulled a gas line as it was pulled out of the ground. 

Its still seems like a dream until you look out the window or try to drive in this town.  The first few days it was stressful to drive in this small town! Its stating to get more real though insurance adjusters call daily and you wonder how you will put it back together even though I know we will.

So far we have 10 thousand dollars in damages on the cars, 14 thousand on the semi we dont yet know about the trailor (whos had time to go look at it LOL) Hopefully we will know on the house by Monday but thoughts were in the 70 thousand dollar range.  The biggest live and learn lesson through all this has been make sure your personal property ins is good. For example make sure you can replace your grill, playset and lawn chairs LOL. We dont have to bad of a plan but it could have been way better.  Food for thought! ;)

Birds Eye View

For those of you who know our town this will give you the view from above.

It CAN happen here!

I still cant believe that it really happend. We were having such a nice day! First day in the 80's in MONTHS, outside, helping Daniel work on his truck. We saw storm warnings poping up and we were keeping an eye on it. Some of you know that we live across the way from Daniels Dad and only 2 houses down from his brother.

About the time things started heating up Daniels brother who is a firemen trained in spotting storms came out to watch the sky. We headed up to talk to him and were enjoying the lighting show along with the BIG ol balls of hail. (Golfball size most of them!) Anyway all of a sudden things got really really still, like spooky still! There were still big chuncks of hail falling out of the sky so we were thinking we were safest to stay at Chucks with no basement rather then being beat by the hail.

Reports kept saying the tornado was on the ground close to our neighboring town which is 7 miles from us heading to the Northeast. We so did not thinking it was coming our way!!!

As soon as the still hit, the air changed and all I could see was swirling air. At that moment Daniel and I both grabed a kid and ran back to our house. All the reports on the news say we had 10 mintues warning, so very wrong. When you live in the midwest the sirens sound alls summer long. Every bit of info we had said it wasnt heading here. BUT IT DID.

We made it downstairs with the dog even...she wasnt a very willing partisapent LOL.

All you could here was the house growning and air flowing over the house...Ive never prayed so hard in my life. I kept it together by saying Hail Marys with Paytin. Good thing we sent her to Catholic School huh LOL.
Anyway twords the middle of what seemed like forever you could here the outside cellar doors slaming around in the wind. The inside door then begain to suck air out of the basement. I was so sure it was going to be just like the movie Twister were it sucks her Dad right out. So we headed to the fruit cellar. After aboout 5 minutes things settled down. Daniel took off to check on his Dad the girls and I slowley made our way up to find our world changed!

I dont know what I expected but it sure wasnt all this! I thank God everyone is fine! I used to love the idea of tornados...now...not so much. It will be along road with a 4 year old and a 6 year old who cling to you everytime the wind blows, but who can blame them....

The inlaws camper:

ooofta...