Unexpected

This week we have had some unexpected things happen.  Some have been good, and some – well, not so good.  On Sunday, the church in which we were ministering gave us money for new truck tires.  This was a great blessing, since our tires have about 80,000 miles on them (they are rated for 60,000 miles), and really needed to be replaced.  We had prayed about this need, and God saw fit to answer in a miraculous way! 

We also had an unexpected side trip – to Montana.  It seems hard to believe, but it is one of the few states we have not visited in our travels.  Another is Hawaii, but I’m not holding my breath for making it there this summer! :)  We were just a few miles away, so we drove into the great state of Montana and had lunch there!  This was the first sign we saw after entering the state.

That’s what I call a great sign!

 

Gotta love the name of this guy – wonder how he got that moniker?  Perhaps indigestion?

We also stopped at the Little Bighorn Museum where George Armstrong Custer met his famous end.  It was a blistering hot day, and as the ranger explained the battle, I could see the tragedy unfolding in my mind.  Abigail, after listening to the story, asked this question: “So, who were the bad guys?”  Let this quote from the memorial wall answer the question.

It is obvious from these quotes that the Indians were only protecting their homes, lands, and freedoms.  The white men were definitely the aggressors and therefore, the “bad guys.”  It was a great opportunity to explain the principles of freedom and the need for its preservation.

Monument to all the fallen soldiers, buried in this mass grave on the top of the hill.

This is where the battle took place, with each white marker representing where a US Cavalry soldier fell.

White markers were placed for the fallen soldiers, and red ones for the fallen Indians.

After our short field trip, we headed back through Wyoming with the plan of heading toward Yellowstone National Park for a few days with our family.  The country is beautiful out here.

However, while driving through the mountains, we had another unexpected event.  Our truck overheated.  Several times.

Cooling down – with the benefit of a magnificent view!

And again…

We ended up turning around and heading back to Sheridan, WY in hopes that we can figure out why the truck is overheating and hopefully fix it (at minimal cost).  In the meantime, our mini-vacation has to be postponed.  We are hoping that we will still have time to go after getting the truck fixed, but right now , all is rather uncertain. 

Here is the scenic overview where we turned around.

I also managed to get some pictures of the kids as they played on the side of the road. They were having a great time, even though we were having truck issues.

Diggin’ in the dirt

Canadian goldenrod

Trying to call for help

Studying the Prairie Field Guide

Love these little guys!

I kinda like these gals, too!  :)

Everybody say, “Cheese and pickles!”

I guess the moral of this story is that unexpected things will happen.  When they are good things, praise the Lord, and when they are not-so-wonderful things, praise the Lord, and enjoy the everyday blessings that He gives us.  I am so thankful for my family, and also for the Lord’s protection and provision. 

Life In A Glance

The last few weeks have been very busy, traveling, holding meetings, traveling, finishing school, traveling, and  - well, you get the picture!  I haven’t taken a lot of time to keep my blog updated, so I am going to try to catch up all at once with a lot of pictures from the last two or three weeks.

On the road – traveling through Atlanta {groan}.  The traffic is always dreadful.

Food and fellowship with friends – one of the great perks of being on the road!  :)

Field trip to the Air & Space Museum in Hampton, VA.  What cute little astronauts!

Munchkins just acting crazy for the camera!  Typical…

Peacock at the petting zoo in VA.  I am amazed at how gorgeous this bird is!

Having fun at the playground.

Boys will be boys.  And I love them for it!

Day-old baby goats in Ohio.  There were triplets, and they were adorable!

And, speaking of adorable… My baby brother entertaining us with puppets. LOL

Joint birthday party for the girls at Grandpa & Grandma’s house.

The girls sporting their new fashion scarves.  Ooh la la!

My baby girl is nine!?!

More crazy munchkin pictures! Love these guys!

Beautiful, fragrant yellow roses growing at a church in Macon, GA.

So, that’s life in a glance from my perspective.  Lots of wonderful adventures and memories, and I am so happy to be able to share them with all of you!

Little Field Trip on the Prairie

For years as we have criss-crossed the midwestern states, I have seen signs along the way advertising this historical site or that one.  While most of them attract the attention briefly, I don’t feel as if I have  to stop and visit each significant place.  However, there is one attraction that we never seemed to have time to visit, and I really, really wanted to see it.  My not-so-secret wish?  To visit the Ingalls Homestead.  As in Laura Ingalls Wilder.  As in my all-time favorite childhood books – the Little House on the Prairie series. 

I finally got my wish!

Here in South Dakota, the Laura Ingalls Wilder Memorial Highway winds along through little towns all the way to DeSmet, where Laura and her family spent the Long Winter.  Off in the distance are Lake Henry and Lake Thomas where Almanzo and Laura courted.  The Big Slough is also nearby the homestead.  I had to go see it.

We took a day off school for this momentous and historical trip into the pioneer days.  The original homestead is maintained and managed by local people, and is a delightful place to visit.  They had actually closed for the season on October 31, but when I called, the lady was so very kind and said that since nothing was locked up yet, we were welcome to come out and explore as long as we wished.  That also meant that we didn’t have to pay for an admission ticket, which was an unexpected blessing!

This view of the homestead was taken from the observation tower there, where you can see the whole outlying  property.  Doesn’t it look just like you pictured it?  The Little House is pictured on the left, and the larger building by the windmill is the barn that Pa built later.

This is the famous Little House on the Prairie.  The part with the porch  was the original house, and Pa added an extra room on later, after Mary was at the school for the blind.  When we went in, it was quite small, and reminded me a lot of our trailer!  :)  The girls absolutely loved it!

Here is the kitchen area, with the stove and the cupboards and tin dishes.  You can see the wood box next to the stove.

 

The bed frames were built into the walls, and mattresses were stuffed with hay.  Frankly, they were not very comfortable!

Pa’s hay barn was a marvel of construction.  The roof was made of poles, then covered with dried hay and tied down so that it wouldn’t blow away.  It was quite cozy inside!

 

Along with the original house, they have built several other replicas of prairie life – a shanty and a sod home.  It was very dark in the sod home, or dugout, and smelled very…earthy.  It would have been a true test of character to live in one of those for any length of time.

This is a view of the inside of the dugout.  It was crowded and dark, but quite warm, due to being under the ground.  The stove was in the middle of the only room, and the walls slanted in an uneven way.  It would have been like living in a basement, I guess.  You can see the layers of sod in the walls.  It seemed very sturdy other than the ceiling, which seemed to be coming down in places.

This is a picture of Laura when she was 27.  On the left is a picture of Abigail and Esther sitting in the covered wagon.  It amazes me to think how long it would have taken them to travel from place to place.  If you figure out all the places they lived, they were a traveling family!  I am grateful for the speed and convenience of modern travel!

I know this isn’t “in the area” for most people, but it is charming, a must-see!  It is a very family friendly place, and everything is hands-on for the kids.  In the summer, there are scheduled activities that make the experience even more fun.  I know I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of the field trip.  Paul insinuated that I had a better time than the kids, but I really don’t think so…

I can’t wait to go back! :)