It's Been a Long Time...

So once again I have been bad about updating my blog. The last two week were really busy and I just never had the time or energy to sit down and post. Plus I suspect that Marianne is my lone reader. But without further ado, here is an update for the last two weeks.

I was supposed to fly back to Raleigh on June 3rd but Ryne and I decided that I needed to spend a few extra days together so I changed my flight to June 8th. It was so nice having a few extra days together. We were able to have a picnic in the state park, see a movie, have dinner with Ryne's aunt, and just enjoy each others' company. The weekend of the 5th we kicked things off by going to see the play, Always, Patsy Cline, at the Post Playhouse. It was opening night for the season and this marked the second year in a row that we were able to go on opening night. All of the actors are college students from around the contry -- quite a few were from Elon! Before the play we ate dinner at Fort Robinson, which was really nice. The play was really good and the two actresses were phenomenal! Once the play was over we headed to Ryne's parents' house in the Black Hills. There were bad storms that night but thankfully they were off in the distance. But our entire drive to the Hills was a giant lightning show, which was absolutely amazing!!

On Saturday we spent the day with Ryne's parents. Since it was a cold (40s!) and rainy day we decided to head to Reptile Gardens. I was expecting this place to be a tourist trap but it was surprising really nice. They had quite the collection of reptiles, lizards, and creatures there. I'll ahve to post pictures once I download them from my camera. After Reptile Gardens we grabbed a bite to eat at a diner. I love a good, old fashioned diner!!

On Sunday Ryne and I spent the day together driving around the Hills. We headed over to Mt. Rushmore and Keystone. Thankfully I have seen Mt. Rushmore several times before because it was bried in the fog. You could not see a hint of it... at all!! We grabbed lunch in Hill City and then headed back to his parents to relax before dinner. It stunk that we had to head back to Chadron that night, especially since we both knew my flight was first thing in the morning.

Monday we got up at o'dark thirty since my flight was at 6:30am. Ugh... I hate leaving but I hate leaving at that time of the day! It was so hard and sad saying our good byes. I hate watching Ryne disappear out of site as my plane zooms off into the clouds. But thankfully we will be together again in a few weeks at the Cape :)!

Work has been...hmmm... challenging. I am still dealing with an ongoing issue that has been really difficult. I have another meeting tomorrow so I am hoping that the end is in site.

Well, I think that is everything. I will try to do better about updating. I head to the Cape next week so things will start to become more interesting then.

Wildflowers of the Black Hills

I love flowers, especially wild flowers. Here are some pictures of wild flowers from the Badlands and the Black Hills.

Finally... an update!!

OK, so I am really, really behind in updating my blog. It's hard to believe that I have been out with Ryne for two weeks!! The time sure has flown by. We've been busy these past few weeks and it is hard to believe that my trip is coming to an end. So as you will see below, I went back and added postings from my trip. Sit back and enjoy!

The Needles - Custer State Park

Ryne took off Tuesday from work so we had an extra long long-weekend. On Sunday we went to the Prairie Berrie Winery for lunch. As soon as we walked through the door Ryne realized he had left his wallet at home. This meant he did not have his ID and would not be able to do the wine tasting or have a drink at lunch. I could tell he was pretty disappointed. His mom even tried vouching for his age but the lady wouldn't let him have a drink. So poor thing drove the half hour home, got his wallet, and drove the half hour back. His parents and I did a wine tasting and then enjoyed a bottle of the wine on the patio since it was so nice.e When Ryne got back we had lunch (so freaking good!!) and we all did another wine tasting together. Needless to say we were all in a pretty good mood!!

Today Ryne and I took his parents out to lunch and then we headed to Custer State Park to go see the Needles. While I had been to the park many times before I had never been to the Needles. It was a gorgeous day (finally no rain!) so we were able to enjoy some great views from the top.

After dinner Ryne and I made our way back to Chadron. It was so nice have a long weekend together to relax and unwind.

Badlands National Park

Ryne and I had a nice week relaxing, cooking out, and watching movies. Friday night was saw Angels & Demons. We had both read the book years ago but neither of us could remember too much about it. I had heard mixed reviews and thought the movie was good. As it went on parts of the book came back to me. But as is the case with any book to movie deal, I think the book was way better.

Saturday morning we got up at o'dark thirty to head to the Badlands in SD. The alarm went off at 4:45am!! UGH!! Ryne didn't think I was going to be able to get up and be out the door by 6am. I surprised him (and myself) and was ready to go at 5:40am!! On our way up to the Badlands we drove through the Indian reservation. What a sad, pathetic site. The reservations is huge and it is also the poorest county in the entire US. The Indians are known to have a drinking problem and I was able to see that even at 7am. There were several stumbling around drunk drinking 40 oz beers at 7am! I even got to witness several digging through the trash in dumpsters. All of their housing was provided by the govt and each and ever house is on the verge of collapsing. They just don't care and they don't take care of their property. I thought it was intersting to see that every house had satellite TV though.


We arrived in the Badlands around 9am. Thankfully it wasn't raining but it was rather chilly and the skies were gray. When we first got there it was pretty quiet but more and more people showed up as the day went on. THe best way I can describe the Badlands is to think of the Grand Canyon minus the giant canyon. It was very beautiful... I don't think any of our pictures do it justice.

After the Badlands we drove to Rapid and stayed with Ryne's friend Tito. We went out for Mexican and then watched the Hurricanes game (yet anoher tough game to stomach!). All in all it was a great day!!

Happy Birthday, Marianne

Happy Birthday, Marianne!! Just wanted to send a special birthday wish to my best friend. I wish I could help you celebrate your special day. I hope it is filled with love and happiness... and lots of special treats!

Love ya!

Carhenge

Yesterday Ryne's parents came down for a visit. The weather was gorgeous so we went to the state park for a picnic. Of course the wind picked up as soon as we got to the park but it was still a nice day. It was so relaxing sitting out in the sunshine. After the picnic we did some odds and ends around town. Ryne and I went to see Star Treck (his choice!) after his parents left. I had never seen a Star Treck movie or show before but I was surprised...it wasn't too bad. I did inform Ryne that he owes me a chick flick now!!

Today we went for a drive south of town. The geography really changes once you get about 30 mins outside of town and you enter the Sandhills. Talk about WIDE OPEN spaces. Our drive also included a visit to the internationally known Carhenge! Basically a farmer took a bunch of old cars and used them to make a replica of Stonehenge. It was quite the site... but nearly as interesting as the rest area we drove by!!