Geocaching

I have read about geocaching for some time and thought it would be fun, but never got around to doing it. Today the kids and I went on a nature hike with our county conservationist and about 5 other families. We hiked in an area called Whiting Woods and learned to use the handheld GPS units to find the Geocaches. It was a LOT of FUN!!! I think we are hooked..

There were 3 different caches in Whiting Woods and then we hiked back to the trailhead and ate our brownbag lunches. When I finished my lunch, I realized that I had lost my hat (and it was sunny and 88 degrees today, so I didn't want to get my face burned to a crisp), so in order to not hold up the rest of the group from driving to our next destination, I hoofed it back up the trail to the last Geocache we found. Mostly it was UPHILL and I was in a hurry....And now I know, just how hopelessly out of shape I really am..... I got back to the cache and didn't see my cap ( a leather baseball cap) and so I turned around dejectedly, thinking I walked all that way for nothing and my calves we "mooing" and my lungs were "burning". I walked about 5 feet back and there it was on the opposite side.

So since it was nearly all downhill, I hoofed it back (without burning lungs), just as everyone was finishing their lunch (and their catching of dragonlflies). We drove a few more miles to the Sylvan Runkle Nature Preserve and hiked up 238 feet in elevation. I will post pictures a bit later, but the view was breathtaking. And I can guarantee you, that we will all. sleep. well. tonight!!!!!!!

Meanwhile, I guess I better look into some type of fitness program.......so this isn't repeated the next time I want to take a hike.

Easter Weekend

Way back last August, my dad turned 70 years old. We had planned to celebrate it then, but with 4 adult daughters, all married and 7 grandkids, scheduling a time for all of us to get together gets a little hairy. Time passed and various parts of the family were busy, so finally in January, we tried again to schedule a time to get together. We determined that Easter weekend was the next time we could all get together.

Saturday morning we gathered at my sister's house in Yankton and her friend who lives nearby took family pictures. I can't wait to see them! She did the whole group, the grankids, the daughters, my parents, the couples, etc. She was done in 45 minutes! She is amazing!! Looking forward to seeing those as soon as possible.

We grabbed a bite to eat back at my sister's house. Another sister loves making and decorating cakes and really outdid herself.

It is a white chocolate cake, that she made into a torte with strawberry jam. Since we celebrated the birthday so late, so made a slight adjustment to the number on top. That is 70.5 if you can't make it out.

Then we loaded into vehicles with walkie talkies and drove to see where my dad and my grandparents lived growing up. We saw the country school my dad attending in the late 1940s and the house that my grandma grew up in. Amazingly, the house is still standing remarkably straight and incredibly intact for being at least 90 years old and probably older. My grandmother was born in 1919 and she is the third of four kids. The oldest would have been something like 97 years old this year if she were still living. The only remaining sibling turns 93 this summer.

When we were finished, we stopped at my folks for a quick snack and roadtripped to Red Lobster. This is where my dad wanted to go, so all 17 of us went and stuffed ourselves.

We went back to my folks and sisters' place to sleep and then attended church services and then dinner at my folks that afternoon. Unfortunately, my camera died and I didn't get any pictures of the rest of the day.

Blessed Easter to You

He is Risen!!

Iowa Mamapalooza 2009

This picture shows most of us, however, one mom had to leave early.

With concerns about impending snowstorms, nearly a dozen Lutheran homeschooling moms descended on rural Hinton, IA two weekends ago. We arrived from several Midwestern states: Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, Iowa, South Dakota and Minnesota. Two other moms planned to attend from Wyoming and Illinois but late winter snowstorms prevented them from coming.

We had a little wine (okay a lot), a little chocolate (same as before), great food, lots of time to visit. We did some sightseeing on Saturday, stopped by a candy store and then ate a delicious meal at Luciano's. My favorite restaurant, by the way!! Then back to rural Hinton for a rousing game of Apples to Apples and Catch Phrase, before we headed to bed.

Sunday morning we attended our hosts rural church for services, then returned for a quick lunch before everyone headed home. Old friendships were renewed, new friendships were made. We laughed a lot (so hard that we cried). We stayed up way too late and when I returned home I promptly took a 2 hour nap. Anyone that knows me well, knows that I never nap, so I must have been exhausted.

We had great fun and I look forward to doing it again soon.

Tuesday Fun

I received the link for this incredible video from a friend and had to share.

This team of jump ropers is comprised of 4th, 5th and 6th grade girls and they are amazing! I can't imagine the amount of practice and choreography that goes into these routines.

The next video after this one, says that they performed at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade and the 2005 Inaugural Parade.

http://soonereyo.blip.tv/#1762059)

Enjoy their amazing feats!

Well It Wasn't That!!

I talked to my friend who lives near the ethanol plant and she said that it wasn't an explosion. Her brother is a first responder and they were out for a couple hours trying to figure it out.

Most likely it was a sonic boom. There are National Guard maneuvers in the area periodically and that is likely what it was but it was LOUD!!

What Was That??

So last night we are at home relaxing, watching a basketball game, while the kids are doing things around the house. Not quiet by any standard, especially with the game on. We heard a large boom and immediately jump up to check it out!! We go outside and there is nothing more, no visible signs, just the sound of the neighbor's horses running full bore in the dark. As I continue to listen, I hear them hit/bump a steel gate. Worried that one of them may have been hurt, I picked up the phone to call my neighbor.

Just then it rang. My MIL lives 1/2 mile down the road and she had heard it as well. DH took our vehicle and drove around the section to see if was something at any our neighbors. Thankfully we didn't see anything. I then called my next door neighbor to tell her about the horses, so she could check on them. She had heard it also but hadn't went outside.

We followed the news and checked the internet last night but saw nothing. This morning a friend called me and she told me what she had heard. Evidently there was an explosion at a nearby ethanol plant (approximately 20 miles from us). There is still nothing on the news, so no more details than hearsay. This happened one other time when there was an explosion about 45-50 miles away at a fertilizer plant. It made our doors and windows rattle! That is one loud explosion.

When something like that happens, it makes you really wander what is going on. No smoke, no fire, no additional noises (so it is not close by). It is amazing to me that it could be heard 20 -50 miles away (depending on the explosion). Praying that no one was seriously injured in the explosion. I still can't find anything else about it anywhere.