Four wheeling

Four wheeling.. If you never have done it.... WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!!!! wow... I don't consider myself much of an adrenaline junkie, but man, four wheeling in the mountains is certainly a great time. Everywhere you look, people are driving around on four wheelers. The topography and lifestyle almost require it, but definitely it is a recreational hobby. Pete, Trevor's cousin's husband, took us up to Dead Swede to ride four wheelers. Trevor's parents, sister and her husband, and also Trevor's cousin Paul and his family, joined us. We set up "camp" at the picnic area and proceeded to ride four wheelers along various trails. I'm fairly confident that Brodie never stopped smiling... Now he IS our adrenaline junkie... I dread the day he comes home and tells us his new hobby is Base jumping... Or some other extreme sport:) Calen had a great time too and even got to experience mom's fast driving! Calen kept reminding me to slow down and commented on how I drive faster than Pete. Impressed with moms mad skills behind the wheel... I think so! We had an awesome day... Probably one of the best!

Saying goodbye ....

A few months ago, Trevor's cousin passed away after a courageous battle with cancer. Tobin never lost her spirit even when she knew she was losing the battle. Even near the end of her life, Tobin was emailing me about my boys and how much she enjoyed their pictures on facebook. She was always encouraging and supportive. A few years ago, while Trevor  and I were in Wyoming, we learned that the child I was carrying no longer had a heartbeat. Trevor and I were  completely devastated. Our Wyoming family was there to hold our hands and wipe our tears....Tobin, and her husband Pete, were no exception. Even upon our return to Wisconsin, Tobin would call, text, or email to check on us. From the moment I met Tobin, she was incredibly welcoming. Even though she expressed, many times, her shock that Trevor  was able to find a woman who would put up with him. That was one of the greatest things about Tobin.... She could give you a hard time but you knew, without a doubt, that it was only coming from a place of love and admiration. On this year's visit to Wyoming, we had a picnic and celebration of Tobin's life hosted by her two children, Josh and Lauren. There were tears, but more importantly there was laughter and joy....for having known her, for having been a part of her life. Peace and love Tobin... We love and miss you❤️

Wyoming: fishing, four wheeling, family and fun

It's hard to put into words the appeal the West has for our family.... Wide open spaces, mountains, creeks, rivers, fly fishing... All those things, combined with family and friends, make our trips out West truly unforgettable. We arrived in a Monday evening, and by Tuesday we were already spending the day in the Big Horn Mountains above Dayton, Wyo. My in laws recently relocated to Dayton pop. Approx. 700. I wasn't sure what to expect, but Dayton offers all things unique to a small town... A great park and River (Tongue River) for the kids to play in, a public pool, ice cream shop and even a kettle corn stand. The views of the mountains are spectacular and I'm not sure I would ever tire of the view from my in laws back door. 

Our trip up the mountains ended at Sibley lake... Fishing and playing in the creek. Sibley Lake has an amazing campground and we will definitely be checking that out in the future. Payton, Trevor and the boys, papa, Grammy and I had a great time exploring, fishing, and watching wildlife. When we arrived, we were greeted by hail and rain but in typical mountain weather fashion, it cleared and we enjoyed a rain free afternoon. 

The boys had a great time and I think they were impressed that mommy knew how to catch fish! 

The Black Hills

Saturday and Sunday were spent in the beautiful Black Hills. I'm not even sure how many times I have been to the Black Hills, but every time we visit, I fall in love again and again. The wildlife, the lakes, the peacefulness... Even the touristy towns... Draw me in every time. This year we forgoed the major monuments... Rushmore and Crazy Horse... And spent our time driving the wildlife loop and enjoyng the serenity of our campground, Clear Lake. Saturday night was another weather adventure as we endured hail the size of ping ping balls. If you have never experienced hail inside a camper, it is quite an intense sound. By the time the storm was over, which seemed to last all night, my nerves were shot :) 

The day after the storm, we enjoyed a quiet day at the lake swimming, catching frogs, and craw dads. A young boy's dream! If you ever visit Custer state park, Clear  Lake is an excellent campground with a creek running through it. Try to get a campsite in the lower campground as it is closer to the lake and creek. Also campsite 20 looked particularly tranquil. We love the Black Hills and Custer State park. Can't wait to go back!

Auntie Em, Auntie Em....

We're not in Wisconsin anymore. After a 12 plus hour day of traveling, we made the decision to stop for the night in Wall, SD. For those of you who may be considering a road trip with kids, Day 1 is definitely the day to push it as far as you can.... Distance wise that is. By Day 2, my kids have turned into whiney blobs of complaining.... We're hungry, we're tired, we're thirsty. We bypassed my favorite place to stay, Murdo, SD, to get to Wall. The Best Western in Murdo has a great outdoor pool and delicious deluxe continental breakfast...in case you ever find yourself there.  It was a good decision to push it to Wall. That means we only have a few hours in the car till we reach our campsite. As we approached Wall, we could see a storm in the distance. By the time we settled into the hotel, the storm was no longer in the distance but right on top of us. Watching the lightening was better than any fireworks display. Each bolt lit up the sky like a baseball stadium at night. Unfortunately, that meant I could see the intense and bizarre cloud structures that certainly meant a tornado, or at least a storm that could produce a tornado, was brewing. My fear of a tornado was confirmed when the tornado siren went off... Less than 50 feet away. It was eerie,panic inducing, and time to get the kids out of bed and down into the hotel's basement. We had chosen to stay at a very retro, no thrills, albeit clean establishment called the Welsh Motel. We have stayed there once before.The hotel   managers were friendly and accommodating. After a two plus hour stay in the hotel basement, we finally went back to our room. No electricity, no air, and completely exhausted. The next day was gorgeous and we strolled around Wall Drug and headed off to the  Black Hills. It wasn't until later that day that we realized how magnificent the storm truly was. 

Day 1....

12 plus hours of travel... Made it to Wall, S.D. Kids are still awake. Need to find a hotel. But overall, a successful day of travel. Two stops.... First, at our favorite rest area in MN and second, Cabelas in Mitchell, S.D. (and of course the random stops for gas). We always try to push it on the first day as day 2 is always much harder. We have found that getting back in the car for a second day of travel is pretty much the worst form of torture for active boys.  He's hoping we get some sleep tonight and the boys can sleep in past 5 a.m. Did I mention the time change?!? 😉 peace and love, Jori 

"In 20 years, we won't wish we had traveled less....."

No truer words have ever been spoken. As we were preparing for our trip this summer, I began to feel a bit down. I thought about the summer activities and time with friends our family would be missing out on. You know the saying... Out of sight, out of mind. Trevor could tell I was having  mixed emotions about leaving and set me straight. "Jori, in 20 years, we won't look back on our lives and wish we had traveled less." True. True times 1000. We don't travel lavishly. We pack up our 2007 mini-van and travel cross county to visit Trevor's family in Wyoming. For the past few years, we have chosen to extend our time and add on our own family vacation... Moab, Arches, Yellowstone, Teton's.... Have been a few adventures. This summer, we are off to Glacier National Park in Montana. Trevor and I are both teachers so summer is the time we choose to travel... And we are blessed to be able to do so. We know this won't last forever. Eventually, there will be summer jobs, sports and other commitments. But for now, as long as we can and for as far

as we can, we choose to travel. 5 Ruffs, 6 states, 1 month. Peace and love, Jori