Family Tradition

Dear Baby Waider + Little Brother Too,

We have an end of the summer family tradition. I have a love/hate relationship with this tradition. This tradition is The Central States Fair. Things I hate about the fair: Everything appears to be covered in germs, the equipment doesn't appear to be the least bit safe, and the people there are...Well I don't want to seem judgy, but it is a colorful crowd. Things I love about the fair: cream puffs, the smiles on your faces, and the faces of your cousins. 

This year The Central States Fair fell after we had experienced a wonderful summer of travel and right before Baby Waider was going to enter kindergarten with Cousin Harry. While the two events are unrelated I noticed just how much older Baby Waider was at the fair than last year. This was probably the last year on the "baby rides" that just go around in a little circle in several different varieties. While the cousins seemed so much older Cousin Harry and Baby Waider were still young enough to walk around the fairgrounds hand in hand. Undoubtably something that they won't do next year. 

It's these yearly events that really remind us of how quickly time is passing. I'm equal parts sad and happy think about how far you both will have come in the next year. 

The fair was pretty typical this year. You all riding as many rides as quickly as possible. We did shake it up by playing the goldfish game. Note: Grandma and Grandpa had you play the goldfish game. Turns out you two were crack shots and we won 6 or 7 goldfish!! It was impressive. Many people complain that those fish don't last, but we still have two of them and the neighbor kid has three that we gave him. A couple did die, but overall they are flourishing with Spikey. 

One part of the Central States Fair that I failed to mention is that I went when I was a little girl. I got to go with my siblings and my cousin Kammie. I remember being sweaty and flushed with excitement after going around and around in circles for hours. I remember the beautiful warm August Summer nights and the fait scent of dust and and Rapid Creek in the air. Even though it isn't my favorite event and every part of my being wants to hate it I have to admit that I probably won't ever not go. There's just something uniquely American about going to the county fair. 

Love, 

Mama

Total Eclipse of the Heart

Dear Baby Waider + Little Brother Too,

Last summer I remember Grandma Halter trying to plan with me to go to see the total solar eclipse in Alliance, Nebraska. I was pretty reluctant to get excited because we would have just returned from Yellowstone, Colorado, and a summer of lots of travel. Dad had to work and it just didn't seem that excited. Boy was I wrong. We decided to go, invited a good friend of mine, Mrs. Kvanvig, got up at 5:00AM and headed south. We hit horrible fog on the way there. The skis were very cloudy and the trip really seemed like a waste. Despite the fact that we saw two birds fighting and a coyote the drive was pretty uneventful. 

We paid to park in an open field where the owners sold a few souvenirs. It was a pretty small group of people and not at all crowded which was very cool. We went with Grandma and Grandpa Halter, Jannette, Kiani, Calvin, Uncle Kelly, Aunt April, Harry, Vern, Franklin, and Finn. It was a total blast. We had "sun" inspired treats like Sun Chips, Sunkist, and Sunny D. 

*I feel like I initially forgot to mention why the title Total Eclipse of the Heart. It was a song from the 1980s that I pretty much continually played/sang for you the entire day. It was amazing. You can YouTube the song yourself if you want to be reminded of its awesomeness. 

 This video is from the time of the total eclipse. Hands down the most amazing thing I've ever seen. I will travel many miles to see it again. The 360 degrees of sunset was just amazing. I don't know if you will remember the experience, but it was completely amazing, creepy, and breathtaking. 

 Eerie mid-day sunset.

Fun waiting for the event. It was so cool and such a big deal. So glad Grandma Halter made us go.The only thing that would have made it better would have been dad being able to see the eclipse too.

Love, 

Mom

Wanderlust

Dear Baby Waider + Little Brother Too,

Long before I knew of the world "wanderlust" it was something I felt. The word means, "a strong desire to travel." I've felt this especially the past 20 years. It is also true that I am an extreme homebody and often right after I leave my house I long to go home. What can I say? It's not the only time I'm a contradiction of terms. 

As I've conveyed through previous posts I have always loved to travel and go on adventures. Your Aunt Katie and I went on a good many road trips and saw some amazing things. I also went lots of cool places with Grandma and Grandpa Halter. However, once I met your dad I really began to have the opportunity to travel. We love to go on adventures and it was something that was very important for us to pass down to you two. Today I am feeling pretty reflective upon our journeys from last summer along with the hope of some travel this coming summer. I also could just be sad that I've been cold for what seems like three months straight so that has me longing for summer in general. We took three pretty significant trips last summer. The North Dakota Badlands, The Great Sand Dunes, and Yellowstone all in one summer. The actual stats of our summer travel was approximately 3500 miles, camped for 25 nights, went to 6 states, 3 national parks, and made about a billion memories. 

Here's a breakdown in pictures and a few anecdotes. 

Badlands

I love to chase sunsets. It's generally the first thing I like to do in a new park. In fact I scour the park newspaper for a good place to view sunsets. This is where the park paper sent us. It is called the Wind Canyon Trail and it was magnificent. We also had an amazing drive up to Medora because you traveled like troopers and did not even get on a device once! You loved your activity books and snoozes. 

 Sunset views:
 This quote was amazing in the visitor's center. It really spoke to me in light of current events. 

We also went to Medora. It was an absolute HOOT! We loved everything about it. We got to eat a fun dinner before and watched a fantastic show. We will definitely be going back again soon. 

 The day after Medora dad had to work so we took some time to tour the town on our bikes. It was HOT, but we managed to have some taffy, ice cream, shopping, and FUN! We took the loop on the way back once dad met back up with us and you both fell fast asleep!

 The purpose of going to North Dakota was meeting up with the Harringtons so they could pick up their camper. We went to Buffalo River State Park where we had quite an interesting encounter. After a long day of travel and trying to get to the Harringtons in time we arrived at the campsite to find someone in our spot. We could not locate the guy who took our spot so we ended up having to move the next day so we could have the correct spot. It was a little bit of a rocky start for the Harringtons, but we ended up having fun and loved hanging out in Fargo at the giant, indoor ferris wheel, geocaching, hiking, and hiding out from HUGE North Dakota thunderstorms. 

April, Grandma, and Grandpa met us in Aberdeen where we went to Storybook Land and stayed at beautiful Richmond Lake. Storybook Land was AMAZING. We loved the references to the Wizard of OZ and generally had a blast. 

 Fortunately we caught a beautiful sunset! Richmond Lake really was a slice of heaven. 

The Great Sand Dunes:

 The Great Sand Dunes are arguably the most amazing place I've ever been. We hiked, hiked, and hiked, and obviously took pictures of the dunes.

 Enjoying the sunshine with my girl. 

 Unbelievable views.

 We experienced pretty much everything that The Great Sand Dunes had to offer including a trip up to Zapata Falls. Of everything it was probably the most difficult hike and the most underwhelming. But we had an adventure nonetheless. 

 Probably our biggest accomplishment was tackling Great Dune. A 650 ft. hike and you were troopers. It was worth the hike and the view was completely amazing. 

 Pointing to where we were. 

Finally we have some accomplishments of the trip. Both of you  became junior rangers, we took in incredible views, and took some amazing hikes!

No trip is without learning a few lessons. This trip was full of lessons. Let me list them. 

1. Leave on time. That means if you plan to leave by 5:00 AM you need to be out the door at 5:00AM. Not 9:00AM. Otherwise you will arrive to your destination when it is dark. That means that you could accidentally back into a tree and put a giant hole in your camper and push the fridge into the kitchen. Also, by the time you get to your campground you could have yet another person in your spot. Yes. If you're wondering this did happen to us. Yes we were both very grouchy about it. But we did learn the importance of leaving on time.

Here's our camper all bandaged up. 

2. BE SPONTANEOUS! We had a tight plan where we went from The Great Sand Dunes to Denver and then to Rocky Mountain National Park. Once we had a giant hole in the back of our camper we decided it would be best if we stuck around the dunes a little longer and skipped all of the other travel. Plus lots of rain was predicted for the Rocky Mountains and the risk didn't seem worth it since we'd been there a year before. We ended up having the most relaxing and rejuvenating time there. Sometimes it pays to slow down and enjoy the view. 

3. Don't travel at night. Ever. We stopped by Denver on our way home from The Sand Dunes. We did some shopping and ate lunch before we headed back up north. Unfortunately we were on the road after dark and the trailer lights stopped working. On a road that we couldn't stop on. In the middle of Nebraska. It was pretty unnerving. I could tell even dad was getting a tad nervous. Thankfully we made it to Chadron, got some gas, and dad did some problem solving that got the lights working again. I will say this. Your dad is a genius. He really can fix anything on the fly, but if you can read this you already know that. We made it home super late, but we made it home. 

Yellowstone:
I think I've told the story before that my love for National Parks started with Yellowstone. Grandpa and Grandma Halter took us when I was maybe 10 or 11? I can't exactly remember, but it was amazing and this summer I am fairly certain that you, Finn, and Kitt all loved the mysterious place full of geysers, mud pots, wild animals, and that huge lake. 

 This hike was awesome. It was on an old road to what was called the Natural Bridge.

 Beautiful morning at Fishing Bridge.

 The pictures are out of order in this, but Yellowstone is a place full of beauty and mystery, but also extreme danger. There are giant mammals like the grizzly bear that was actually around a trail so they had to close the trail down. There are also tons of buffalo that people will not stay away from. Pair that with scalding water, looming cliffs, and rushing water it is a little terrifying to bring your children there. That being said we only had one pretty significant brush with danger and that was on the hike to Lone Star Geyser. 

 As I've mentioned before each trip teaches you a lesson. The big lesson for this trip: Don't hike at high elevations late in the afternoon. We already knew this, but we still left a bit too late on our hike to see Lone Star Geyser. It was such a beautiful morning we never would have suspected a thunderstorm complete with hail and heavy rain shortly after we ate lunch. Thankfully we had a thermal sun blanket (not sure that's what it's called) and towels that we could build a shelter of sorts from. We all huddled under the shelter we built for what seemed like a long time. Once the storm past the geyser went off and wasn't too impressive. The hike and the experience was pretty impressive. Another thunderstorm was behind that one so we had to run most of the two miles back to the truck. Lauryn was the unsung hero of that trip because she set a fast pace we all followed and made it back safely. 

 I loved this trip because Aunt Katie and her family were able to come. It was so much fun to be on an adventure with her and her family now that we're all grown up. 

We got to chase a sunset at Yellowstone Lake our first night there. 

 So many cool things to see and do! We got to watch the sunrise over the mountains pretty much every day. 

 Another sunset.

Travel can be really fun, but it can also be really stressful. These trips taught me that no matter how much you plan, make an itinerary, read books, and prepare no trip is going to be perfect. Sometimes the magic is in the mess ups and the mistakes. 

I am already so excited for camping and adventures this summer. I can hardly wait. The best part is you're excited too. <3

Love, 
Mom

😂

Why We March

Dear Baby Waider+Little Brother Too,

I am so disappointed with my lack of blogging for 2017 and the first quarter of 2018. I have been trying to evaluate why I don't blog as much as I did when you were babies and the most simplistic answer I have is that you both nap less than you used to. I used to be able to crank out some blogs when you were sleeping. My computer has been drama since last spring and I'm just getting it back to working condition.  Also, I feel like the past year has been marred by atrocious political events. I remember an earlier blog that I wrote that I was devastated that Barack Obama was leaving office. I had so many thoughts and  opinions about what it would be like once he left office and I will tell you that I had no idea how bad it would really get. I feel like I spend so much time on social media and google trying to find some glimmer of hope that things are going to change and get better, but the reality is that we are all just waiting for the 2018 election in November. I need to snap out of this media funk I've been in and start documenting the great things we're doing as a family!

Today I decided to bring back the blog because you have become quite the little activists. We participated in the March for our Lives event today that focused upon the need for gun reform in the United States. This comes from events where students are shot in their schools by semi-automatic weapons. This didn't happen when mom and dad were little. For both of you it will be a reality you've always known. You will always have participated in active shooter drills at your school. For whatever reason guns have become easy for crazy people to get and for reasons I don't understand they go into schools with the intent to harm innocent children and teachers. Today we marched because of the need to regulate the types of guns and ammo that people can buy. Today we marched because we don't feel that one more person should die by a gun. It was a chilly morning and we went to the park first, but I was totally impressed by your marching without complaint. 

Here are some pictures from today... 

There are a whole bunch of people who are opposed to changing the gun laws and we ran into some of them today. One guy shouted at us from his motorcycle, "You are manipulating the minds of children with your beliefs. You are rotten people." Based upon what I'm seeing on social media he wasn't the only person to feel this way. It confuses me because he's not the one who has to practice active shooter drills in his school and worry about someone coming in to shoot at him for no reason. There were lots of kids participating in marches today, not just you. Some were older and some were speaking out. I am so proud of you both today. You are living during a time where you will really know what it means to bring about change. You will know the importance of voting and being civically active. I was always involved in politics because my mom and dad were involved. I am so grateful for Grandpa and Grandma Halter for that and I vow to pass that onto you. 

We also participated in the Women's March back in January which both of you loved. You had the time of your life shouting, "Hey! Hey! Ho! Ho! Donald Trump has got to go!" We marched with Grandma Halter, Becky, Joe, April, Liz, and Franklin. Unfortunately you got into a fist fight in the middle of the speeches which was a little unnerving because we were at a peaceful march and you were punching each other out. I think I said the words, "You can't get into a fist fight at a peaceful march." The march was moving and having the two of you there was everything. 

Today cousin Vern asked why we were marching and I'm sure that was on your minds as well. We march because we are in a situation where everything we hold dear is being trivialized and taken away. Everything that was fought for is slowly being lost. We march because we want better for you. We had you during a time of hope. Unfortunately that quickly turned to a time of hate. I know that it won't stay like this, but I hope you remember these times when we took a stand and marched. I hope you know that you can always stand up for what you believe and be involved in our political process.

I'll tell ya one thing. When I was a kid I would have NEVER imagined this many Democrats in ALL of South Dakota let alone in Rapid City. That's a gross assumption that everyone was a Democrat. I should rephrase that as like-minded people. Today and the Women's March gave me great hope. In quoting Barack Obama, "We're fired up! Ready to go!" Here's to hoping a little flame has been lit in both of you. 

Love, 

Mom

Rocky Mountain High

Dear Baby Waider + Little Brother Too,

*I realized that I never published this entry! This trip was from July 2016. WE return to the Rocky Mountains July 2017 as well.*

A couple of weeks ago we went on a most outstanding adventure to the Rocky Mountains. It wasn't our first big vacation as a family of four as we did that in 2014 when we went to visit Jay and Jeremy in Omaha. It was our first camping trip deep in the mountains, however. For as long as I can remember I've loved being outside. I've always loved a little adventure and some travel. When I was a kid Grandma and Grandpa Halter always had us doing something. Picnicking, hiking, fishing, or sight seeing pretty much every weekend. One of my favorite and most memorable vacations was to Yellowstone National Park. We got to experience all of the grandeur on that trip and I was instantly hooked on the national park system. The older I got the more I grew to love being in the woods. I've told many stories about working deep in Custer State Park as a waitress at the Blue Bell Lodge. Following my first year of teaching Auntie and I took an amazing cross country trip to California and Mexico including Yosemite National Park, Sequoia National Forest, The Redwood National State Park. The following summer we worked by the Snowy Mountains. During that time we did hundreds of awesome hikes. Throughout all of these experiences I always thought in the back of my mind how nice it would be to camp in these places. In fact in Yosemite we were at a store in the park (translate=super high prices) and we looked at buying some camping gear. Determining that it was just too expensive to start camping on a whim I kept it in the back of my mind as a possibility for some day... Plus I'm not too sure Auntie was too into the idea of tent camping.

So you get the idea that I had always been interested in camping and wondered if I actually had what it takes to be a camper. Enter your dad. A real live mountain man with the Eagle Scout badge to prove it. He had a tent and all of the necessary gear to make my camping dreams a reality. We went first to Pactola, then the Big Horns, and finally the Snowy Mountains. I liked camping. Don't get me wrong. It just wasn't the magical experience I was hoping for. Tents don't offer much protection and I remember the very moment I retired from it. We were in the Snowy Mountains in mid August. Summer everywhere else in the entire world. However, in the middle of the night it started snowing, hard, and I woke up freezing. I couldn't get warm so I started crying. A. LOT. Like I couldn't quit crying. I finally warmed up and at that moment I believe I said that the next time I went camping it will be in a camper. 

After two years of searching we were fortunate enough to find the perfect camper. We drove nearly to Canada to pick it up and then went into Canada to camp. We traveled most of that summer and camped all over the place. We loved our camper! The next summer I was pregnant with Baby Waider and rarely left the house. 

We couldn't wait to take Baby Waider camping, but your first summer was MISERABLE. We took a trip to Cousin Jennifer's wedding and it was so incredibly hot we had little desire to go camping ever again. We also went on one short trip to the Game Lodge Campground but again it was so hot we couldn't do anything. 

The following summer was a disaster. Dad broke his ankle and I was pregnant with Little Brother. We ended up going on one camping trip to Mobridge which was really terrific. The next summer we were able to go a little bit more, but stayed pretty close to home. We went to Custer State Park constantly, but also had the opportunity to go to Omaha, Nebraska. I was a complete wreck the entire trip with a baby and a three year old. We went to the Zoo and again, it was pretty hot so it made it tough to do too much. 

When Little Brother was born my good friend JoLisa Hoover suggested that we try to travel to all fifty states before both of you graduate. I am so excited to make this dream a reality. I decide to add the idea of going to all of the national parks as well. The natural start was to go to the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. Dad is from Colorado and that's where Grandpa Marker and Mary live. The result was pretty much pure magic. The Rocky Mountains were such a fun place for both of you to explore and enjoy. You hiked like little troopers and you even got to earn some badges. They were having a discovery days where you were able to do a ton of fun activities. You also became junior rangers. We loved Estes Park and found lots of fun things to do there, but by far Baby Waider's favorite store was the Hallmark Store. The candy store was fun too and walking around Estes was a blast. 

There is something about camping wayyy in the wilderness. Where there are bears and tall trees. We just loved our time there and extended our trip. We almost immediately decided to plan a next year's trip there as well. One of your favorite songs to sing is "Rocky Mountain High." I love it because like John Denver I think that the Rocky Mountains are the cat's pajamas. Below you will find some photos of the trip that are also immortalized in magnets, pictures, and a photo book. 

Love,

Mom 

P.S. I just finished this two weeks before we return to the Rocky Mountains this year

!