Back from vacation!

It's been a fun-filled and crazy couple weeks but we're home now! (sniff sniff). We went on a trip that took us from Colorado to Marquette, Michigan. We went through Rapid City, SD, had a family reunion in Bloomington, MN (stayed across the street from the Mall of America), drove north to Grand Rapids, MN to stay with some family, and cruised over to a waterfront cabin in Negaunee, MI where we stayed disconnected from the rest of the world for four days. We were literally the last people on this planet to know that Michael Jackson died! It was pretty unbelievable - in the words of my second oldest son, "Michael Jackson can't be dead. The dude was mostly plastic, wasn't he?"

Rapid City turned out to be far more beautiful than we expected it to be. I've been across South Dakota several times and have never been in Custer National Park. The roads in the park are so windy that they cross over themselves over and over! Mount Rushmore was really cool, too.


Unfortunately, I can't find my camera cord, so all of the following pictures were stolen from my cousin's Facebook...lol

The family reunion went well - we got to see a lot of family that we hadn't seen in many years. My crazy daughter was in heaven with all those aunts, uncles and cousins running around. I didn't even know most of them, but my little social butterfly was all over the place. I'd go looking for her and find her riding on the shoulders of uncle-so-and-so. I got to hang out with some of my coolest cousins and we even jogged over to the Mall of America (it was the day before Fathers Day and the mall was closing in 10 minutes!) where we had the opportunity to witness some people getting nasty in an elevator full of children. Klllaaasssssyyy!

Our first couple days in Northern Minnesota were rainy and buggy. My poor son had seven woodticks within the first two hours there. Then the sun came out and it got hot and buggy! Mosquitoes everywhere! Despite these issues, some of our best memories are hanging out with our family around the campfire and fishing in the Pokegama Lake. I liquored up my cousin and my daughter and her cousin went worm hunting.



Our cabin in Negaunee was so beautiful! It was more than I could have expected - we had our own little beach, canoe, sauna (though we never did partake of the sauna), and screened room overlooking the lake. It was so wonderful I could have stayed there forever! We ate pasties on Presque Isle and hiked in Pictured Rocks. We also got to see old friends and their families, though the best part of the trip was when two old white people in Northern Michigan called my husband a "cracker". I've never seen such a look of shock in my entire life! Priceless.

So now we're back home, and it did take a trip to the home country to learn that there really is no place like home. Sure, it was in the 40s last night and I'm feeling the lack of oxygen, but I can walk through the woods without being attacked by a swarm of mosquitoes and no ticks to peel off!

I'll post more pictures when I find my camera cord...and tomorrow I'll post some pictures of the girls in their newest Daisy Duds and some other little girls in theirs!