Old & New

First, the new...

I tried this recipe for Cilantro Lime Chicken Tacos over the weekend and it was AMAZING!  So easy - dump everything into a crockpot and walk away (the only way I cook).

I've eaten it as tacos and as nachos (just throw some tortilla chips on a plate, top with this chicken and some cheese and microwave).

SO good!

Source

Now the old...

Lili is going vintage!

I've been stockpiling vintage clothing and home decor for a while, and the time has come to try to part with some of those great finds that I have no use for (but couldn't pass up!).

We'll see if I can bring myself to actually do it...

Back to lili

I recently reread The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, and remembered my vow to start eating better. Back then, I was feasting on stale microwave popcorn. Lately, it's been chex mix and sweet tarts.  Delicious, yes. But not for dinner. (Not every night anyway.)

So I went onto Pinterest, pinned a bunch of recipes and headed to the grocery store.

I started with this mushroom pizza with havarti cheese, fresh herbs, and white truffle oil.

It was AMAZING!

The recipe says it takes 8 minutes but that's a lie. It takes 8 minutes to BAKE. It takes longer to cook the mushrooms, grate the cheese, etc.  But not much longer.  (And it was worth it!)

My little shop is doing well in its new location. Changes may be afoot (I swear I'm cursed!), but until then I'm continuing to proceed (with caution).  Worse case scenario is still ending up with a house full of cute stuff.

That wouldn't be so bad...

Minimalism Resolution

This past New Year's Eve, I celebrated by going to bed early and watching Netflix (and I have zero regrets).

After finishing The Crown (SO GOOD!), I decided to try Minimalism, "a documentary about the important things".  It was created by two guys who left successful (but unfulfilling) careers, wrote a book, and went on tour.

I loved it.

I'd scrolled past it a million times, and have no idea why I didn't watch it earlier. I have A LOT of stuff, and I've been consistently trying to get rid of things I don't LOVE, dating back to (at least) August 15, 2010.

I was so inspired, I jumped out of bed and emptied a dresser that has always bugged me. (I bought it in New York and just couldn't find a place for it in this house.)

Turns out, I could not only get rid of the dresser, but also about 90% of the stuff in it. (YAY!)

The next day, though, I started thinking...

Can I justify running a retail business that sells STUFF, and support the concept of minimalism? 

Yes!

The point isn't to just get rid of material possessions. Instead, it's about getting rid of the excess, the stuff we don't LOVE.

So, I'm trying to get products in the store that I think people will love - high quality, reasonably priced, and (as much as possible), products that are somehow sustainable, recycled, cruelty-free, environmentally friendly, or do something (anything!) good for the world and won't end up just taking up space.

So, keep an eye on lili as I continue to add new products, and check out The Minimalists if you need a little inspiration to clear out your excess stuff!

And if you have Netflix, watch The Crown and Stranger Things too!  

SO GOOD!

Happy 2017!

I know.

It's been a while.

I kept waiting for things to settle down, but realized that may never happen, so long story short...

I turned down a permanent position at the mortgage company, and finally accepted a position managing the office of an insurance agent in a nearby town.

I say "finally" because we've been talking about this for over four years!

I really wasn't interested (Insurance?  Ugh, no.), but eventually ran out of excuses so agreed to give it a try.

One year.

The thing is, I actually like it...

The people are nice and the agents (husband and wife) I work for aren't pushy - they actually care about their clients (maybe all insurance agents do?). And I really feel like we're helping people, which I like.

It's only been two months, so we'll see.  (Although, with the last 3 jobs (!), I've known way before the two month point that it wasn't going to work.)

In other "finally" news, I finally launched my shop! (Again, that took much longer than expected!)

I created a website, and also have a Facebook page and accounts on Instagram and Pinterest. A friend suggested I call it "lili" and I couldn't think of anything better so "lili" it is!

I started in mid-September in a storefront that also includes an antique store and a bakery.  That was going well, until the people who ran the antique store didn't think we were busy enough, so started closing the shop to work another job.

I moved out of there at the beginning of November and into another shop in town. We agreed to go through the end of the year, and I recently decided I just couldn't afford to continue in that space.

Now I'm in the process of re-opening the gift shop in a historic, boutique hotel called The Decker Hotel (conveniently located in the same town as the insurance company).

The Decker is a beautiful old hotel and the restaurant and bar are more upscale.  And, a lot of the musicians who perform at Codfish Hollow (SO COOL!) stay there, so it's turning into this really hip place to be!  I'm hoping to add to that upscale, cool, hipness!

I'm also hoping that things do eventually settle down and Lord Tennyson is right!

Summer 2016

Well, this summer did not turn out as I expected.

I was hoping to take some time off, get some projects done around the house and set up shop in my friend's store.

Unfortunately (?) I got a job.

(I know, that's not actually a bad thing.)

Anyway, I got a phone call about a potential position, met with them on a Tuesday, got an offer on Thursday and started on Monday.

I'm working in the mortgage division of a real estate company.  I've done this before - many years ago - and actually really liked it.  At one point I even thought that if I won the lottery, I wouldn't quit my job.

(I do not feel this way now.)

The good part is, it's in the same town where my family lives.  The bad part is, that town is about an hour from where I live.

So, instead of living in Bellevue and coming to visit my family on the weekends, I flipped it and now I live in my dad's house (he's in assisted living and really likes it), and just go to Bellevue on the weekends.

I actually like it!

Before, I'd drive an hour, stop by my dad's, run out to get him whatever he needed & take it back to him, go visit my mom, go to my dad's house and take care of anything that needed to get done there - go through the mail, mow the lawn... Maybe stop by my brother's. Then I'd run my own errands and drive the hour home.

It was stressful and exhausting.

Now, I do all that running around during the week and when I go to Bellevue, I have to mow the lawn.

That's it.

The rest of the time I do whatever I feel like doing - read, watch tv, hang out with friends...

It's relaxing!   So, I officially have a "weekend home"!

The process of starting the little business in my friend's shop has been grueling - the paperwork! - but the end is (finally) near.

We're actually moving in some merchandise this Friday and will be open for business in time for the Labor Day weekend.

I'm so excited!!

You can follow the progress at lili (of course!).

In all my spare time (ha!), I've read a couple of really good books - The Light Between Oceans (can't wait for the movie!), and All the Light We Cannot See.

I've also tried a few new recipes that were just ok.  Except for this one - this Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Soup was awesome! And, it's so easy - just throw it all in the crock pot and walk away.  (I do love those!)

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

are afoot...

First of all, I got fired.

Don't feel bad.  (I don't!)

It wasn't that I didn't go a good job - I was just "not a good fit", and "the chemistry wasn't good".

(To which I replied "I agree!".)

But now what?

Hmmm...

Good question!

I moved here hoping to (someday) open my own business.

Well, yesterday a friend who owns a shop downtown told me I could use some of her space - for free! - in exchange for working 2 days/week.

YES! Absolutely!

So, that ball is finally rolling.

I'll still need a job. But I'm trying to not panic and just take the first thing that comes along. I've done that.  It doesn't work.

In the meantime, summer starts (unofficially) next week and I'm going to try to enjoy it (for a change!). That won't be easy (not having a paycheck is scary and stressful), but I am looking at this as an opportunity!

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

As predicted, the latest book I read was in the "less than 150 pages" category.

I know it's been over a month since I said that. It hasn't taken me that long to read 132 pages (that took a few hours). It took that long to find a book I really wanted to read.

I found The Diving Bell and the Butterflyat Goodwill one day last weekend. I'd seen the movie, but it's on so many "Best Books" lists, I was curious.

And as is usually the case, the book is SO much better.

The book tells the true story of Jean-Dominique Bauby, editor-in-chief of French Elle.  In 1995, he suffered a stroke that left him with "locked-in syndrome". Permanently paralyzed and only able to communicate by blinking his left eye, he dictated the entire book one letter at a time.

By page 38, I knew this book would be life-altering.

(I hate when people say this or that "changed my life", but sometimes it's true.)

In this case, he describes being fed a "brownish fluid" through a tube into his stomach. But in his mind, he can go to any restaurant at any time, eat any meal - tender beef, fresh vegetables, wine, fruit...

At the time, I was eating stale microwave popcorn.

I rarely cook for "just me". And I'm too cheap frugal (sigh) cheap to eat out often, or even get takeout. At grocery stores, I balk at expensive cheese (and I love cheese!), the olive bar, and even those $5 bags of little clementines. Instead I eat whatever is cheapest and easiest (i.e. microwave popcorn).

But, that (among other things) is going to change.

Towards the end of the book, he describes the day of the stroke - it was "gray, muted, resigned" (can you picture it, and your mood on days like that?), and how he and his girlfriend, "embarked like zombies...".

Side note: If you've never seen the movie Shaun of the Dead(first of all, you should! It's awesome!), it also depicts people going about their everyday lives as zombies (before many actually become zombies).

He then "mechanically carried out all those simple acts", like shaving and dressing, and goes on to describe his plans for the night, the weekend... He thinks about calling his girlfriend, but decides to call her later...

The morale of the story is, of course - just live every day, savor everything (even the small, insignificant everyday events and abilities), and don't wait for a "later" that may not come...

The Goldfinch

At 771 pages, The Goldfinch is epic.

It took a while - almost a whole month - but it really is good.

Not perfect, but good...

PROS

• The main character is really not likable.  That may sound like a con, but it's actually a refreshing change.
• It's very suspenseful. (I was so nervous!)
• Donna Tartt is so descriptive. I could picture it all in my head. (This probably contributes to why it's 771 pages, but I wouldn't take any of that out.)
• Some of it is really depressing. 

CONS

• Some of the dialogue is really (really) far fetched.
• There's one part where the timing is just too perfect.  I mean, it could happen, but it was just too lucky.
• There's a too long (in my opinion) section about the main character's (author's?) thoughts on life.
• Some of it is really depressing.

Anyway, that satisfies one of the books on the 2016 Reading Challenge.

I'm not sure what's next.

"A book that's under 150 pages" sounds good.

Sweatbag

Baby it's cold outside...

So, my plans today consisted of cleaning, organizing, reading and working on the "sweatbag", just not in that order.

My niece gave me a bunch of sweatshirts to sell at a garage sale that I still haven't had, so they've just been sitting here for months.

Until now.

For some reason, I got inspired and turned this sweatshirt...

into what I've been calling a "sweatbag" (horrible name, I know, but it cracks me up):

I think it's cute, but it's FAR from perfect.

I didn't plan anything - I just started cutting and sewing, and let it come together.

The drawstring is from the hood (which I thought was ingenious!), and I made the handles from the sleeves.

I just did a search on Pinterest and found this version (with instructions!)...

Source

I'm so glad I didn't have that garage sale!

One Down, Eleven To Go!

One of my New Year's Resolutions was to find 12 new recipes to add to the rotation and I've already found one!

I just made this recipe for Easy Slow Cooker Shredded Mexican Chicken and it was really good!

INGREDIENTS
2 pounds chicken breasts
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup mild salsa (medium if you like spicy)
3-4 tablespoons brown sugar*
1 4 oz. can green chilies
1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle chili pepper (optional for more heat)
1/2 teaspoon dry oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoons liquid smoke
hot sauce to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

• Rub chicken breasts with oil and place in the bottom of your slow cooker.
• Add all of the remaining ingredients except for the hot sauce. 
• Cook on high for 2-4 hours or on low for 6-7 hours or until chicken is tender enough to shred.
• Remove chicken, and let rest 5 minutes before shredding.
• At this point, she says "Return shredded chicken and let cook on low for an additional 20 minutes to absorb some of the liquid/juices. " I didn't do that.  I just put the chicken in a bowl and added a few tablespoons of the liquid.
• Then she says to "Drain all excess liquid", and suggested using it to make rice. I didn't exactly do that, but I did make a bunch of brown rice (4 servings) and threw it into the crock pot and stirred it all together.

Then I wrapped the chicken in a flour tortilla and ate it like a burrito.

It was really good and really easy!

* NOTES
Use 3 tablespoons brown sugar if using mild salsa and not using ground chipotle chili pepper.
Use 4 tablespoons if you are using medium salsa and/or the ground chipotle chili pepper.

Happy 2016!

Well, 2016 has not gotten off to the best start...

I stayed in last night, watched football until it became obvious Michigan State wasn't going to rally, then went to bed to watch the season 3 finale of Deadwood. I wasn't all that tired when that was over, so I tried to find season 4.  When I couldn't find it easily, I decided maybe I am all that tired, so just went to sleep.

Turns out, there is no season 4.

What a way to start the new year.  I'm going to look on the bright side, though...

No, there is no bright side.  I must just accept it and move on, hoping the year improves.

Along those lines, I've made some New Year's Resolutions:

1. Read 25 books - this is ambitious (for me). I don't think I've ever read more than 24 in a year, so this would be a personal best.  I'm going to choose my books based on the 2016 Reading Challenge, starting with The Goldfinch, at 771 pages.  (Yes, I've already started it, which could be considered cheating, but I have over 600 pages to go, so it counts as "a book that's more than 600 pages".)
2. Crafternoon - I've been pinning all sorts of cute ideas onto my Arts & Crafts board on Pinterest.  This year, I'm going to actually DO some of them.  First up - Smittens!  (And if there's any leftover sweater, these cute little hearts.)
3. 12 new recipes - I hate to cook, but love to eat.  I have a few really good recipes (conveniently posted here under "Recipes"), but need more. 
4. Save $1,378 - with the 52 Week Money Challenge. I'd actually like to save more, but this will be more fun than direct deposit. 
5. Wander - with my crazy schedule last year, I didn't have much of a chance to get out of town, so this year I'm hoping to make up for that with trips to the Dane County Farmers Market in Madison, and the NewBo City Market and Czech Village in Cedar Rapids (and more!).

There are others (the usual lose weight, "finish" house, be more social, practice piano). 

Whether I keep my resolutions or not, I like this idea...

Two months later...

The last two months have gone by so fast (too fast!).

About a month ago we moved my dad into the memory care unit of an assisted living facility.  It was, I think, meant to be...

We were given two day's notice by the rehab facility that he was being released the day before Thanksgiving. Of course we weren't prepared for that, so made arrangements to move him into their skilled nursing section (how convenient for them).

Skilled nursing is what you think of when you think "nursing home" - hospital beds and old people sitting in wheelchairs in the hallway.

I couldn't stand it.

Then, the director of one of the assisted living facilities I'd visited when he was first taken to the hospital called the day after Thanksgiving.  I had liked the facility, but thought it was too big - all elevators and long hallways.  He'd never find his way back to his room.

But she suggested their memory care unit.  I'd driven by it.  It was smaller.

Well, I happened to be in town.  She had time to meet with me an hour later.  I called my brother and he was available too.

They had three rooms available and by the end of the day we'd put down a deposit and by that Monday he moved in.

I didn't know if he'd like it.  He always said he wanted to stay at home, with visiting nurses to take care of him.

But he actually likes it! (Maybe because they took the guys to Hooters last week.)

I don't really care why.  I'm just happy he's happy and being taken care of.

Work is still going well.  I like it. It's stressful and I am REALLY busy.  But the people are nice (for the most part!).

I've been doing a lot of work on the house.  I'm tired of living in a construction zone, so am focusing on getting rooms done livable. I'm still working on multiple rooms at once (currently the master bedroom and dining room), but there is a plan and a light at the end of the tunnel!

Part of that plan involves getting "new" furniture.  My furniture consists mostly of hand-me-downs and IKEA.

I love the hand-me-downs.

I hate the IKEA.

So, I got rid of it.  All of it.

Then, just last weekend, I finally moved back into the master bedroom (remember this? That was almost exactly a year ago!).

I moved in a dresser I got from a garage sale, and a chest of drawers I got from a thrift store in New York (Thomasville!).  I set my little tv on top and hooked up the Wii so I can watch Deadwood, and thought "This is horrible.".

I needed something I could set my big tv on to watch Deadwood (it is SO GOOD!).

I needed one of those low, wide dressers.

I needed something like this...

This is a photo of an Ethan Allen dresser that was being sold by a furniture store in Maryland.

Two days ago, I found a dresser exactly like this at Goodwill for $35.88 (for Ethan Allen!).  Similar dressers are currently listed on eBay from $595 (without the mirror) to $1,200.

Also in the plan is removing the old, ugly medicine cabinet in the bathroom...

again, not my photo. this time it's from Home Depot

with a mirror and light fixture.

And, since I'm putting the big tv on the dresser, I won't be needing the mirror, so...

Two birds, one $35.88 stone.

That same night I found found The Light Between Oceans, which is supposed to be really good, and at a different Goodwill near me (that has the BEST selection of books),  I've recently found The Girl on the Train and The Goldfinch, in hardback, for $1 each.

The Girl on the Train was really good. I'm 88 pages into The Goldfinch (only 683 to go!), but it's already really good too.

Finally, I've tried a few new recipes - some were just ok, some were really good...

This Balsamic Mushroom Pasta from Girl Gone Gourmet was incredible! It was so good, I've already made it twice.

I also liked this Pineapple Fried Rice from Damn Delicious.

And finally, I was at my brother's house on Christmas Eve, and someone claimed their homemade Ritz Cracker fake Girl Scout Peanut Butter Patties (one of my favorite Girl Scout Cookies!!) were even better than the real thing.

No way.

Way.

Good News / Bad? News / Bad News

The good news is, I'm almost a month into my new job and I love it!  Of course there is a learning curve, which is stressful and exhausting (I went to bed at 8:30 one night last week). But I feel happy at work (which makes me feel very, very lucky).

The bad? news...
The copy boy and I broke up again.  This time, I'm pretty sure it's for good.  I have no hard feelings towards him - we just want different things, and compromise is not an option.

He's an "all-or-nothing" kind of guy and I chose "nothing".

I'm not sure if this qualifies as bad news, though.

It might actually be considered good news... I'm looking forward to getting back to living the life I imagined - restoring my old house, reading good books, learning to cook and garden, and cook the stuff from my garden, knit, sew...

Basically, embrace my inner "little old lady".

The really bad news is...
My 84-year-old father is rapidly heading towards assisted living (best case) or a nursing home (worst case).

He fell again about a month ago, was admitted to the hospital then released into a rehab facility.  He was doing really well, and we were looking into assisted living options.  (He just can't be home alone anymore.)

Then, he started to regress.

He fell trying to get out of bed again and ended up back in the hospital, then back in the rehab facility.

While he was in the hospital last week he looked at me and said "getting old sucks".

He knows who he is, who we are, and who the president is.  He can rattle off his date of birth.  But, if you ask him what year it is, he always says 1951.

This would make him 21 years old.

(I would love to think I was 21 years old!)

I read this yesterday, posted by Dale Partridge, who publishes The Daily Positive. Here's an excerpt...
Culture tells us to spend an entire year saving for a week to escape our life. We call it vacation. Vacations are meant to be new, they are meant to be fun, but they are not meant to be better than your normal life. Life isn't about the 50 vacations you'll take while you're on this planet. It's about the 25,000 days between them. Stop creating a life that you need a vacation from.

If we're lucky enough to live to 84 (or beyond!), the day will come when we won't know what year it is.

Until then, go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Life the life you have imagined!

Live, Work, Play

Back in January, I accepted a position as the General Manager of an event center - planning weddings, corporate meetings, fundraisers, etc.

I did like certain aspects of the job...
Most brides were not even remotely bridezilla-y and with a mobile phone and an internet connection, I could work from anywhere, anytime.

But...
Because I didn't have a set schedule, I worked pretty much every day. This was my entirely my fault though - if the phone rang, I'd answer it.

The worst part, though, was I had very little help.  It's not easy in a town of 2,000 to find people interested in only working a few hours a week, especially when that work is physically demanding (moving tables and chairs) and requires a lot of very late nights.

So, I had to do a lot of it myself. As an example, one weekend I went in at 11am and left at 4:30 the following morning, came back in at 9am (yes, 4.5 hours later) and worked until 11pm. 32 hours in 2 days. This was not atypical.

So, when I received a call from the Dubuque Area Chamber of Commerce asking if I'd be interested in coming up to talk about a possible job opportunity I said "YES!".

I loved my previous job at the Chamber of Commerce in Bellevue, and I love Dubuque so this is perfect!

My primary responsibilities will be Marketing and Membership - helping promote our local businesses and make "Dubuque the best place to live, work, play and do business".

Mock Cable Watch Cap

During my recent trip to Yarn Soup in Dubuque, I picked up the pattern and yarn to make the Eco Cloud Mock Cable Watch Cap by Cascade Yarns.

The cap seems to be designed to sit back and be slouchy, which is cute...

Source: Cascade Yarn

but I'm a practical girl (and I live in Iowa) so...

This is perfect (long enough to cover my ears)!  

The best part is, I was able to make this in less than 4 hours, and they have a lot of fun colors, (this is "Raspberry") so I can make more!

I can't wait for winter!

Flea Market Chandelier

Old chandeliers can be found anywhere for almost nothing - garage sales, auctions, thrift stores...

I found this one at a flea market.

Originally $20, marked down to $8, I paid $5.

I was lucky - the woman was determined to sell it THAT DAY and I showed up late. 

Sometimes it pays to go late in the day. Yes, some of the "good" stuff will be gone. But good is in the eye of the beholder.

I'd been looking for an old chandelier since I'd started seeing things like this on Pinterest...

I quick trip to the spray paint aisle, and now I have this hanging on my front porch...

Rustoleum Regal Red

(The light sockets will eventually hold candles, but I haven't gotten that far yet.)

Tuesday is the new Saturday

Since I have to work almost every weekend, my "weekend" is sometimes a Tuesday afternoon.

Luckily, I have friends and family who don't work 9-5 Monday - Friday either!

This week, my friend & I drove up to Dubuque (the closest "big city", which is about 30 minutes away), and wandered through the cute shops on Main Street.

The first stop was Jitterz Coffee & Cafe.

I had the spicy black bean burger, and it was delicious!

The retro Coke bottles are fun too!

Just up the street is the very cute Cotton Cabin Quilt Shop.

VERY cute!

Right across the street is the River Lights Book Store.  (Just like City Lights in San Francisco!)

books for all the book clubs in town!

To Kill a Mockingbird (Harperperennial Modern Classics) is my all-time favorite book EVER, and I was very hesitant to mess with that, but I have to know, so...

The final stop (and the original reason for the whole trip, was Yarn Soup.

she went with the green

future project - boot topper thingys

future project - slouchy hat that I will wear
pulled down over my ears because that's how I like it

Since today is the real Saturday, I'm off to work...

South Dakota - July 2015

The town where I live has a huge festival every year for the 4th of July.  When I was the Director of the Chamber of Commerce, I always had to work that day (ALL day).

In my new position as General Manager of a local event centre, I intentionally did not book anything on that day (for a variety of reasons).

Long story short, I went to South Dakota last week.

Rapid City is a 12 hour drive from eastern Iowa.

You have to, right?

waiting, not very patiently

He's always had a motorcycle, but this year, he got a Harley, so...

mandatory

Sturgis was surprising.  We did NOT go during the rally, so it was just a very normal small town.

It also has places like these, which we were happy to see, without experiencing the craziness of the rally.

Buffalo Chip

Full Throttle Saloon

delicious!

Emmett

Just next to Sturgis is Deadwood.  I'm absolutely addicted to the HBO show (SO good!).

downtown Deadwood

Mt. Moriah Cemetery

I love cemeteries (I know that's weird), and Wild Bill Hickok, Seth Bullock and Calamity Jane are all buried here.

Calamity Jane fascinates me

Afterwards, we rode through the Black Hills National Forest, stopping at Cheyenne Crossing for an Indian Taco (it was just ok, but apparently is the thing to do), into Spearfish Canyon.

Roughlock Falls

Just off the Spearfish Scenic Byway is the trail to Devil's Bathtub.

The trail is challenging, and requires crossing the stream several times - by balancing across a fallen tree, leaping from rock to rock (or wading through when you just don't care anymore) and sometimes by shimmying across a rock face by your fingernails.

Honestly, I wanted to quit several times.  It was scary!  How cool could it be?

pretty cool

very cool

At the end of every day, we would ask each other what had been the best part.  For both of us (even me!), this was the best part of the whole trip.  It was challenging and humbling and ultimately so rewarding.

The next morning, we went to downtown Rapid City, had a delicious breakfast at Tally's Silver Spoon (consistently ranked as the best breakfast in town) and walked through Art Alley.

The quote reads "It is better to be high-spirited even though one makes more mistakes, than to be narrow-minded and all too prudent."  

(I love that!)

We then headed to Custer State Park...

Sylvan Lake

view from the famous Needles Highway

out to see the Crazy Horse Memorial,

they have a long way to go

then took the gorgeous Iron Mountain Road...

right after we saw this guy we saw a whole herd,
but they're mean & scary so we didn't stop

to Mount Rushmore.

Some friends of mine were talking one day about the lighting ceremony at dusk, so that's when we went and the only word I can use to describe it is "emotional".

The next day we were ready to get off the motorcycle (300 miles in 2 days was enough for both of us), so we got in the truck and drove out to Wyoming...

to see the Devil's Tower.  

(Having seen Close Encounters of the Third Kind as a child, I couldn't help but find this creepy.)

We ended the night in the small town of Lead, known for having one of the best fireworks shows in the country.

The next day was the long drive home.  

On the way, we drove through the Badlands.  This was supposed to be a 1-hour drive along the scenic byway, but we ended up getting out several times for a better look.  

this place is very interesting

Luckily, neither of us had to work on Monday, because we'd spent so much time in the Badlands we had to stop for the night at midnight with almost 4 hours to go.

But, like everything through the whole trip, it was worth it.