WHERE HAVE I BEEN ????

Hello, my blog-kateers ! I have missed you all alot and cannot tell you all how many times I have thought of you. I have written a blog in my head - oh about - eleventyseven times and just never had a chance to sit down to actually to type it.

I needed a break about 2 AND A 1/2 weeks ago and just decided that we would take off early for our vacation destination. Adam chose to stay here alone - so we had nothing to hold us back or any time schedule to be on.

So, in an answer to the question of where I have been; the answer would be  - Rapid City, South Dakota. Well, precisely all the area's around Rapid City. It was such a great vacation and the kids and I had a realllllllly great time. I surely did NOT want to return to the daily blah of being "home".

We visited Mt. Rushmore of course, and drove to the Wyoming and Montana areas, seen Devils Tower, drove on alot of little roads and took alot of pictures along the way. We stopped in Nebraska, and Iowa on the way home, the kids fed some wild donkeys and a prairie dog. We seen Buffalo, Antelope, Elk and deer. Camping was a blast, but it was strangely cold this season, so we were all asleep early so we could stay warm. Days were hot - one even getting to 96 - pretty odd seeing the temps at night  were into the 40's. We all love the area so, and the kids begged not to leave. I wish we could move out there. Rapid City is home to some 67,000 people, and in the pitch dark of the black hills you can see it fourty miles away coming in at night from the highway. The stars are so big and bright and the sky is so big.

I even noticed while picking up a few items that things are about 10% cheaper than at home. Gas was 2.19 there - where as at home is was about 2.50. Milk was cheaper, bread was cheaper ... it was neat. So I assume the cost of living is less there. But it is only just a guess.

While there, we met several nice people and learned our way around town. Jordan had his 18th birthday, and both he and Brittany took turns driving on the back roads. (I almost died mind you.) The kids seen Taylor Swift at the Civic Center and we went horse back riding.

It was a very nice time ... a much NEEDED time ... and it was so very nice having it be just the kids and I.

Once we got home and arrived into town we saw a man standing in the middle of the road ... alone. It was about 2:30 am, so we swung around to make sure he was okay. This time he was lying in the middle of the road - drunk I assumed, but I didn't want him to get hurt,  so I called 911. Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaa, only in Tomah. Good to be home. SIGH.

So now being back at home ... I can't believe it will be August here already. Summer has just gone WAYYYYY to fast !!! I am not at all ready for summer to come to an end. Being this is Wisconsin, both cold and schools start here soon.

I hope all yall's summer was good. I will have pictures of our trip up shortly. But for now I must do some laundry, chill out and relax for a moment or two. Then it is back to the rituals of my normal daily schedule.

Yeaaa, good to be back home. NOT.

Have a good week ya'll !!!

TAMMIE